Qantas has secretly put up first class seats for sale on Airbnb, as a ‘cabin in the clouds’ for as little as $20. These flights can be redeemed only with Qantas points, but at a significant discount (over half price), as revealed to the world by Adelaide Now.
This is part of a bigger promotion strategy to give Qantas point members more opportunities to spend their hard-earned points, like the all-point flight to Japan launched earlier this month.
What are the details?
From today, 24th May, for the next two weeks, Qantas will be posing as an Airbnb landlord and releasing a return trip for two in either first or business class hidden somewhere on the app.
It is likely that the listings are at the destinations that Qantas flies to, and are available only for Australian users of the Airbnb app.
Some of the already uncovered deals include:
2 x first class seats from Melbourne to LA for 50,000 Qantas Points (normally 144,000 per seat, so six times the price).
2 x business class seats from Sydney to London for 50,000 Qantas Points (normally 128,000 per seat).
There are apparently another 14 available (one a day) elsewhere.
How can I win free flights?
If you are crafty like us, you’ll already have pulled up a Qantas route map. They will be offering these flights via the app at specific Qantas destinations.
And if you really want to look hard, here are all the cities Qantas flies to:
| Chile | Santiago de Chile |
| China | Beijing |
| China | Shanghai |
| Fiji | Nadi |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
| Indonesia | Denpasar |
| Indonesia | Jakarta |
| Japan | Osaka |
| Japan | Tokyo |
| New Caledonia, France | Nouméa |
| New Zealand | Auckland |
| New Zealand | Christchurch |
| New Zealand | Queenstown |
| New Zealand | Wellington |
| Papua New Guinea | Port Moresby |
| Philippines | Manila |
| Singapore | Singapore |
| South Africa | Johannesburg |
| Thailand | Bangkok |
| United Kingdom | London |
| United States | Dallas |
| United States | Honolulu |
| United States | Los Angeles |
| United States | New York City |
| United States | San Francisco |
Furthermore, Qantas has revealed that they will appear under bookings for two or four people. So get swiping!
Why is Qantas offering this?
Qantas has been in partnership with Airbnb since 2016, and allows those who book or host through the app to earn Qantas Points. This is a fantastic alternative to the loyalty programs that only feature hotels or bed and breakfasts, as many younger people have come to rely on Skyscanner, Uber and Airbnb when it comes to booking, rather than going through travel agents.
It is a partnership that we will most likely see replicated elsewhere.
The offer is a win-win, both for Qantas and for Airbnb. For Qantas, it’s making headlines and raising their profile as well as their variety of destinations. For Airbnb, it’s guaranteed to get more users hunting around on the app, and seeing the fantastic homes that are available to rent in these destinations. Even those who don’t win may end up making bookings, either with Qantas, Airbnb or both.