Christmas Island may not be the first destination you think of visiting for a holiday. But there are some compelling reasons to visit, and you can fly to Christmas Island with points.
Fly to Christmas Island, Australia with frequent flyer points
Christmas Island may not be high on your bucket list, but perhaps it should be. Located off the coast of Western Australia, this tropical island is home to beautiful beaches and the annual red crab migration. In addition to the unique wildlife there’s plenty to keep visitors occupied, from golf to fishing and scuba diving.
There are only two weekly commercial flights from Australia to Christmas Island (IATA airport code XCH). Virgin Australia Regional Airlines flies 2x weekly from Perth using an all-Economy Airbus A320. These flights operate as “triangle” services, calling into nearby Cocos (Keeling) Islands in one direction.
Airfares from Perth to Christmas Island are generally over $1,000 return. But you can fly to Christmas Island with points! By comparison, a round-trip reward booking from Perth to Christmas Island (via Cocos Islands in one direction) costs 40,100 Virgin Velocity points and $62.88 in taxes.
Flights from Perth to Christmas Island run every Saturday (via Cocos Islands on the way there) and Tuesday (via Cocos Islands on the way back to Perth). It is rare to find award availability on Tuesday’s direct Perth-Christmas Island flight, but you’ll sometimes find seats on the Saturday flight via Cocos Islands if you book well in advance. For the trip back to Perth, reward seats are sometimes found on Saturday’s direct Christmas Island-Perth service. You can book Velocity reward flights on the Virgin Australia website.
Theoretically, it should also be possible to redeem Etihad Guest miles and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles from Perth to Christmas Island. Singapore Airlines redemptions would cost 15,000 KrisFlyer miles one-way. With Etihad Guest, the price is 10,900 miles for the direct service or 23,800 miles via Cocos Islands.
Fly to Christmas Island, Kiribati with frequent flyer points
Did you know that there’s another Christmas Island in the Pacific Ocean? Christmas Island is also the English name for Kiritimati, a picturesque island in Kiribati.
Fiji Airways is the only airline flying to this particular Christmas Island (airport code CXI). Fiji Airways flies Nadi-Christmas Island-Honolulu once per week. Airfares from Australia are well over $1,000 for an Economy ticket – and closer to $4,000 for Business class. But you can redeem Qantas points to Christmas Island, Kiribati.
A one-way Fiji Airways flight from Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane to Christmas Island costs 28,000 Qantas points in Economy or 60,000 Qantas points for Business class. Taxes of around $105 each way are also payable. Flights from Adelaide are also available but cost slightly more points. All flights operate via Nadi, with flights to Christmas Island departing on Tuesdays and returning every Wednesday. On the return trip back to Australia, you’ll need to spend a night in Nadi.
Please note that Christmas Island (CXI) is not a recognised destination on the Qantas website. To book flights to Christmas Island with points, you would need to call Qantas on 13 13 13. Award seats are not available on every flight, but you’ll often find something if you are flexible with dates and book well in advance.
Would you like help using your frequent flyer points?
Frequent Flyer Concierge offers a personalised service designed to take the hard work out of redeeming your frequent flyer points!
The Concierge experts can help you to find the perfect flights using your points. Just let the team know how many points you have and where you would like to go, and they’ll find reward flights to meet your needs.
