Air France-KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines) and Qantas launched a codeshare partnership back in 2018 allowing customers from both airlines to connect.
However, this partnership has now grown stronger it seems. Yesterday both airlines announced reciprocal benefits for frequent flyers from both programs.
Qantas Frequent Flyers will now be able to earn and redeem Qantas Points for flights with Air France and KLM; covering over 60 destinations across Europe.
Status Benefits
The benefits will also extend to those holding status with either airline. Frequent flyers will be able to earn status credits on KLM/Air France operated flights and get benefits according to their status level (lounge access, priority boarding, etc.).
Award Seats
Award seats on Air France and KLM are now added on the Qantas website which is excellent news for those looking to get to Europe. Both Air France and KLM fly to a range of Asian destinations, so this increases your chances of finding award space in business class to Europe.
Is La Premiere Bookable With Points?
Unfortunately, it appears Air France’s “La Premiere” first class cabin will still stay exclusive to those with Air France-KLM airline status. Just like Swiss First Class, La Premier is very hard to book on points because of the requirements.
What’s Award Space Like?
Award space is excellent right now. In general, Europeans have a much harder time collecting frequent flyer points which is a great advantage if you live in Australia (where it’s effortless to gain Qantas points quickly thanks to credit card sign up offers).
Air France business class seats to Europe are plentiful and will set you back 104,000 Qantas Points for a one way trip from Singapore to Paris. Keep in mind that this is slightly more compared to Qantas (if you can find awards) and Emirates who both charge 94,900 points for a one-way business class trip to the French capital.
