SYDNEY, 20 October 2023: Qantas international customers will soon have the chance to travel ‘neighbour free’ following the success of the airline’s Neighbour Free product on its domestic network earlier this year.
Starting earlier this week, Qantas is trialling Neighbour Free seating on 19 international routes where some economy passengers can keep the seat next to them free.
Qantas chief customer and digital officer Catriona Larritt commented: “We’ve had a positive reaction from customers who’ve opted to travel Neighbour-Free on our domestic network. Customers have told us they want the option on our international flights too.
“The data shows it’s most popular with customers on our longer flights between the east and west coasts, so rolling it out to our international flights makes a lot of sense.
“Whether they’re hopping across the Tasman or taking a longer flight to the US, we think customers will value being able to secure some extra space.
“International bookings can be a little more complex, so we’re starting with select routes and bookings without additional products to test our processes before expanding the programme in the coming months.”
Neighbour-Free goes international
Securing a vacant ‘Neighbour-Free’ seat costs an extra AUD45 on trans-Tasman flights, AUD100 between Australia and Singapore, and AUD225 between Australia and America.
• Customers booked on a flight with spare capacity will be emailed 48 hours before their flight with the option of selecting a Neighbour-Free seat. The seat is not guaranteed until departure, with customers receiving a refund if the seat is subsequently sold.
• During the trial, Neighbour-Free will only be available for flights operated by Qantas aircraft and for select customers.
• Passengers who have purchased additional products, such as extra legroom, have requested an upgrade, are travelling with an infant or have an unaccompanied minor in the booking will not be eligible for Neighbour-Free during the trial. Customers travelling as part of a group booking will also be ineligible.
The trial routes are:
Singapore–Brisbane;
Singapore–Melbourne;
Singapore–Perth;
Brisbane–Auckland;
Brisbane–Christchurch;
Brisbane–Los Angeles;
Brisbane – Wellington (29 October 2023);
Melbourne–Auckland;
Melbourne–Christchurch;
Melbourne–Dallas;
Melbourne–Los Angeles;
Melbourne–Wellington;
Sydney–Auckland;
Sydney–Christchurch;
Sydney–Dallas;
Sydney–Honolulu;
Sydney–Los Angeles;
Sydney–San Francisco;
Sydney–Wellington.
