The Australian airline announced that it is adding a new category to its Qantas Points loyalty program, with the objective of continuing to strengthen its policies aimed at reducing the environmental impact of its operations.
In addition to the existing Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Platinum One categories, the new Green category will reward frequent flyers who compensate for their emissions in their daily lives: from those who walk or cycle to work or who install solar panels in their homes, to those who compensate for their air travel emissions or choose environmentally-friendly accommodations.
According to the company, starting next year when the new membership level is launched, they will be the first airline to reward their frequent flyers for being more sustainable, both on the ground and in the air. Currently, the Qantas Points program has more than 13 million members.
«Members will have to perform at least five sustainable activities in six areas – flying, travel, lifestyle, sustainable shopping, impact reduction, and giving back – each year to achieve Green status. Upon achievement, they will be rewarded with benefits such as Qantas points or status credits. These benefits will be in addition to the rewards they earn with their current flight status or as part of Points Club,» they said.
Qantas’s decision is based on the recommendations of its travelers. According to a survey of the airline’s users, almost two-thirds of frequent flyers want to increase their commitment to the environment and are keen to receive support to achieve these goals.
Qantas announced that «from today, members can offset their home and car emissions through the frequent flyer program, helping to support high quality, verified carbon offset projects in Australia and around the world». At the same time, he added, «Customer spending will lead to Qantas, already one of the largest private-sector buyers of Australian carbon credits, to support more conservation and environmental projects. This includes restoring local inland ecosystems, reforestation projects, native fire management projects in Arnhem Land and wind farm development in developing countries».
Alan Joyce, CEO of the Qantas Group, said, «Our customers are concerned about climate change and so are we. We are taking many steps as an airline to reduce our emissions and that means we have the framework in place to help our customers offset and take other steps to reduce their own footprint».
«This newly introduced green tier is a way of encouraging and recognizing those who want to do their part by offering Qantas Points or status credits, which we know helps to shape customer choices», he concluded.
Meanwhile, the airline is working on renewing its fleet to operate more modern, fuel-efficient aircraft. It is also promoting the use of sustainable aviation fuels, which can reduce CO2 emissions during a flight by up to 80%.
The Qantas Group approaches its net zero emissions target from four pillars:
- Working with governments and bioenergy suppliers in developing sustainable aviation fuel production in Australia, to which it has committed $50 million.
- Investing in new-generation aircraft that reduce fuel consumption.
- Offsetting emissions by investing in high-quality, verified projects.
- Continuously working to reduce fuel consumption as part of daily operations, including smarter flight planning.
