If you’ve recently received an unexpected free upgrade from Qantas, you’re not alone. Qantas has been systematically upgrading Platinum and Platinum One members in recent months to thank lucky frequent flyers for their loyalty!

Numerous AFF members holding Qantas Platinum or Platinum One status have reported receiving unexpected free upgrades this year. They appear to be random, and Qantas isn’t necessarily upgrading people on every flight. But we’ve seen examples of upgrades on all routes, from short domestic flights to long-haul international services.

These upgrades are free and are even being given to frequent flyers who haven’t requested a points upgrade.

Qantas is intentionally giving lots of free upgrades

These aren’t just one-off instances of operational upgrades. Of course, Qantas hasn’t stated this publicly… but we understand the airline has deliberately decided to upgrade top-tier frequent flyers into empty premium cabin seats for a period of time.

Whenever Qantas does this, it’s adding a service message to the boarding pass that says:

Thanks for your loyalty. Enjoy the upgrade!

Qantas isn’t just upgrading from Economy to Business. Some lucky Business Class passengers flying on the Airbus A380 have even received complimentary upgrades to First.

Qantas’ charm offensive has been going on for at least several months, except during the first two weeks of July, when the initiative was paused. Qantas is still routinely upgrading lucky Platinum and Platinum One members for now, but it’s not clear when this initiative will eventually wind up.

How it works

These upgrades are being processed automatically by the same system that allocates Classic Upgrade Rewards. Qantas is allocating the free upgrades on international flights around 22 hours before departure, and six hours before take-off for domestic flights.

Passengers who’ve requested Classic Upgrade Rewards using their Qantas points still get priority in the upgrade queue. After all other paid or points upgrade requests have been processed, Qantas will then give away any other remaining premium cabin seats – except one seat, which is reserved for sale – to frequent flyers.

Platinum frequent flyers don’t necessarily need an upgradeable ticket to be in the running for one of these “courtesy” upgrades. We’ve seen examples of Qantas upgrading customers on international flights who’ve bought Economy Sale tickets.

Qantas did something similar during the middle of 2021. However, Qantas wasn’t running any long-haul international flights at that time.

Have you received a courtesy upgrade from Qantas this year? Let us know on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum!

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.