Qantas Is Offering An A380 Flight To Tokyo Exclusively For Points Nerds…

I liked Qantas, but now I love Qantas…

If you surveyed a room full of frequent flyers or points nerds and asked them their greatest gripe with their beloved currencies, it’s always that there’s never a seat to cash them in. On most airlines, you’re lucky if two seats are made available in each cabin with points – and most don’t offer any at all on peak dates. Qantas however, is offering not 1, 2 ,3, or 4 – but 484 – all on one incredible A380 flight.

On October 21st, 2019 Tokyo will receive a fully laden A380 from Melbourne, filled from the first row of first class to the last row of economy with people all sharing one thing in common: they booked with points.

How this hasn’t happened before is well and truly beyond me.

According to Australian Business Traveller, Qantas will place every single seat on the plane on sale at 7AM on the 16th of May. That’s this Thursday, FYI. If there was ever a reason to set an alarm and pour a cup of coffee, this may just be it. Tokyo is one of the greatest cities on earth, and to experience it during one of the peak times of year using points is fun. Not only that, but on an A380 full of points geeks you may be able to elevate small talk to medium talk.

“This is the first time we have dedicated an entire aircraft – let alone an A380 – to our frequent flyers, and we are expecting to see significant demand for these flights, which features a distinctive inflight service with special on-board experiences including a bespoke cocktail and meal service, signature pyjamas and inflight giveaways.”  – Olivia Wirth, CEO Qantas Loyalty.

So, how much? A one way first class seat will set you back 108,000 Qantas Points, while business class will fetch 72,000, premium 54,000 and economy 35,000 points. Don’t forget: Qantas is a points transfer partner of quite a few credit cards, so that’s one way to get the points you need. As to getting back from Tokyo, customers can use points as usual on Qantas or partners, or of course – just buy a flight.

If you’re looking for a bit of novelty, perhaps a whole lot of banter and a great excuse to cash in your points, it just doesn’t get much better than this. Just be sure to set your alarm because the comfiest seats on the plane will undoubtedly sell out in seconds, not minutes. Here’s what to do in Tokyo once you get there.