Central Australia is unlike anywhere else on the planet. Among other things, the vast “red centre” is home to natural wonders such as Kings Canyon and Uluru – a must-see for Australians and a hotspot for tourists.
If you’ve ever flown to Alice Springs or Uluru (Ayers Rock), you’ll know that flights to these destinations can be very expensive. That’s why using Qantas points for award flights to Central Australia can be great value.
Qantas operates many domestic flights to and within the Northern Territory, serving Alice Springs, Uluru and Darwin. Many flights have both Economy and Business Class available, while some services are operated by QantasLink with Economy-only seating.
Qantas has recently announced some changes to its Northern Territory network. The changes come into effect from the end of March 2019. So if you wish to fly a route that’s being discontinued, make sure you travel in the next four months! Alternatively, you may wish to book now for travel from April 2019 on Qantas’ new flights from Adelaide and Darwin to Uluru. Award availability on Qantas’ flights to Central Australia, including the new routes, is generally very good.
Here is a summary of the changes to Qantas’ services to/from Alice Springs and Uluru from April 2019:
- New 2x weekly Adelaide-Uluru and Darwin-Uluru flights on a Boeing 737-800
- Darwin-Alice Springs upgraded to a Boeing 737-800 service with Business Class available (currently a Boeing 717 without Business)
- Reduced frequencies on the Perth-Darwin and Perth-Alice Springs routes
- Cairns-Alice Springs flights to be discontinued
- Cairns-Darwin flights to be taken over by Jetstar
Here’s a summary of Qantas’ Central Australia routes from April 2019. Routes coloured red have Business Class seating available; white routes are Economy only:
You can redeem Qantas points for award flights to Central Australia on the Qantas website.
To give you an idea of pricing, a Qantas flight from Adelaide to Uluru would cost 12,000 Qantas points in Economy or 24,000 points in Business, plus $69.58 in taxes. This compares favourably to the cash price of over $300 one-way for Economy. Flights from Darwin-Uluru cost the same number of points, plus $78.39 in taxes.
If you’re planning to visit both Alice Springs and Yulara (for Uluru), you can drive between the two cities and visit Kings Canyon along the way. But flying from Uluru to Alice Springs with QantasLink is much quicker. Economy award seats are available most days for 8,000 Qantas points and $76.81 taxes.
Don’t forget that you can also redeem points for Airnorth flights. Airnorth operates many services around the Northern Territory, particularly to regional airports.
Join the discussion about Qantas’ Northern Territory route changes on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: QANTAS cuts a number of flights to the N.T.
Would you like help using your frequent flyer points?
Australian Frequent Flyer offers a personalised service that takes the hard work out of redeeming your frequent flyer points!
Frequent Flyer Concierge can help you to find the perfect reward seats. Just let the team know how many points you have and where you would like to go, and they’ll prepare a great itinerary for you using your points.
