Daily Telegraph ran a story on this one too.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegrap...001031,00.html
December 07, 2007 12:00am
DO we have the rip-off for you. Perhaps the 'flying kangaroo' should be renamed the 'fly-by-night roo.' Or more simply, Dodgy Airlines.
Qantas has unveiled a very special offer for its frequent flyers. Special as in outrageous and offensive.
Very simply, it is to use 100,000 frequent flyer points to save yourself around $750 on a return economy flight to Europe. You still have to pay around $1500.
Compare that with only 128,000 points to fully pay for a return economy flight to Europe. That's to say the extra 28,000 points would save you the $1500.
Indeed, it's worse because these particular flights are lower-cost restricted ones. You could get a $4200 full-cost economy flight to Europe for those 128,000 points.
Now airlines and the banks and credit card companies that link to them, have a clear hierarchy of "preferred" use of frequent flyer points.
First and best is that you don't use them at all.
Billions of points just accumulate and gather accounting dust.
Most people don't appreciate it, but they will have paid good money for those points.
So the airlines and the banks and credit card companies pocket tens of millions of dollars and in practical terms give nothing back.
Thank you very much Mr and Mrs and Ms Suckers.
Second preferred option is that you pay way over the odds for domestic flights. Filling seats that would otherwise fly empty almost costlessly.
So it will cost you 16,000 points for a Melbourne-Sydney return flight that you could get for around $254. Or $140 if you were prepared - or forced - to fly Jetstar. Even less on specials.
Third preferred option is that you use them to buy all the goods like