Following the success of Qantas’ new service between Sydney and Rome, the national carrier has confirmed it will operate a second season of Italian adventures. This of course opens up another round of Qantas Frequent Flyer redemptions, with availability expected to resume in the coming weeks. Additionally, Qantas passengers are able to take advantage of a “circle fare” allowing them to fly into Rome and return to Australia from London on a single Qantas ticket.
The Red Roo boasts the only non-stop flight between Australia and Continental Europe, until October 6 2022 when Qantas puts the seasonal route on pause. That’s until 17 July 2023, when flights are scheduled to return.
All up, the direct link shaves three hours off the previous fastest travel time to Rome. The QF5 outbound service departs Sydney at 5:55pm, and Perth at 10:20pm following a 1.5 hour stop. Arrival at Rome’s Leonardo da Vinci airport is scheduled for 8:45am the following day. On the way home, Qantas departs Rome at 10:50am to land in Perth at 8:35am and Sydney at 4:05pm the following day.
The 787-9 Dreamliner is the aircraft of choice for the route, a jet that’s equipped with 42 stylish lie-flat seats in Business Class. Flight Hacks Founder and Chief Points Nerd Immanuel reviewed the Qantas Business Class experience from Perth to Rome, onboard the airline’s inaugural flight between the two cities.
For a Business Class reception from Perth to Rome, you’ll need 108,400 Qantas Points. To depart Sydney, set aside 144,600 Qantas Points.
Not sure how to search and book a Qantas Classic Flight reward? Not to worry, we’ve created a handy step-by-step guide which you can read here.
Tip: Want to earn a bunch of Qantas Points points quickly? Check out the best Qantas card sign-up bonuses here.
Speaking in Perth, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the airline is meeting its customers’ demands for faster, non-stop
flights.
“Australians are definitely on the move. Our customers are heading overseas to reunite with family and friends, to reconnect business links, and to rediscover the world,” Joyce added.
“Our flights from Perth to London are heavily booked, we’ve fast-tracked the return of our A380 fleet which will free up our 787s to operate new routes including Melbourne to Dallas, and we’re deploying A330’s to other new destinations including India and South Korea later this year.”
In recent years, Perth has become a key part of Qantas’ Australian gateway for European flights. With current aircraft limited in range, Western Australia departres are crucial to making the distance to Europe. Although, Project Sunrise is just around the corner, with non-stop Sydney to London and New York flights a key part in Qantas’ grand plan.
When to book?
Qantas releases reward seats on the majority of its flights 353 days before departure, at 10am Brisbane time. However, this might does not necessarily apply to reward seats in Premium Economy, Business and First Class on long-haul international flights. Those seats are usually released first to Gold Platinum and Platinum One members at the 353-day mark. If not snapped up, those premium seats are then released to Silver frequent flyers 323 days prior to departure and Bronze members 297 days before departure.
This gives you plenty of time to set some alerts for European summer 2023. If you want a stress-free way to monitor availability, check out our Expert Flyer guide and learn how to set alerts for award seats.
Do you think it is likely that Qantas will release classic reward business seats for Perth – Rome next year? I’m not sure whether they released any this year besides the ‘points plane’ for the inaugural flight.
Time will tell, it’s likely they will release some seats closer to the date though
I’ve just had a look at Qantas’s Classic Reward availability from Perth to Rome from March 23 to Feb 24 and there looks to be zero Classic Reward seats for any class. Pretty disappointing after all the fanfare of the new Perth to Rome direct flight! To go there this June for a few weeks, it’s setting me back nearly $5K and 250K points, and that’s an Economy seat.