Qantas has announced a new codeshare agreement with Dutch airline KLM, giving Australians a new one-stop option when flying to Amsterdam. From next month, Qantas will place its “QF” code on KLM’s flights between Singapore and Amsterdam. In return, KLM will codeshare on Qantas’ services between Singapore and Australia.
KLM’s daily Boeing 777-300ER service between Singapore and Amsterdam is well-timed to connect to Qantas’ flights between Australia and Singapore. And by booking via Qantas, customers will soon be able to earn Qantas points and status credits on this KLM route. You’ll earn at least 40 status credits & 3,600 Qantas points each way with a discounted Economy ticket, and at least 160 status credits & 10,800 points in Business.
Eligible frequent flyers and Qantas Club members will also soon be able to access the Qantas Singapore Lounge when flying onwards to Amsterdam with KLM.
While KLM is a full-service airline with typically good service, it’s worth noting that KLM uses a 3-4-3 configuration in Economy on its Boeing 777s. The seats are quite narrow and unfortunately the seat design is not the most comfortable for a long-haul flight. In Business class you can expect a comfortable lie-flat bed. But like Qantas, KLM still uses a 2-2-2 Business configuration. First Class and Premium Economy are not offered.
Qantas already gives customers the option of flying to Amsterdam via London (with a final London-Amsterdam hop on British Airways) or with Emirates via Dubai.
KLM stopped flying to Australia in 2001. But it currently has codeshare agreements with China Southern, Garuda Indonesia and Etihad for flights to Australia via Guangzhou, Jakarta and Abu Dhabi, respectively.
Tickets for the new KLM codeshare service will go on sale from 1 November, for travel from 8 November 2018.
Back in May, Qantas announced a similar codeshare deal with Air France. Qantas now also codeshares on Air France’s Singapore-Paris and Hong Kong-Paris services, giving Qantas frequent flyers another one-stop option to France. Interestingly, the Qantas-KLM codeshare agreement does not include the Hong Kong-Amsterdam route. This is likely because KLM’s Hong Kong services are not timed to connect well with Qantas.
The increased options for Qantas passengers to fly to Europe via Asia – instead of via Dubai with Emirates – have caused some AFF members to question whether Qantas is committed to maintaining its Emirates alliance in the long term. With Qantas also poised to launch direct flights from Perth to Paris and Frankfurt, and Emirates reducing flights to Australia, the Emirates partnership could eventually become superfluous.
Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: QF & KLM Announce Codeshare
