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Daniel has loved aviation and travel his entire life. He earned a Master of Science in Air Transport Management and has written about travel and aviation in publications like Simple Flying, The Points...
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In an industry first, Qantas has detailed a new elite status tier dedicated to those who travel sustainably.
The Australian flag carrier is to add a new Green tier that passengers will be able to earn simultaneously alongside the existing Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Platinum One loyalty program levels.
“This new Green tier is a way of encouraging and recognising those who want to do their part by offering Qantas Points or status credits, which we know helps shape customer choices,” said Alan Joyce, Qantas CEO.
The program will officially launch in 2022, but frequent flyers can already start earning points towards their future Qantas Green status.
Living Green Earns Qantas Green Points
The Green tier will run alongside the existing status levels in Qantas’ Frequent Flyer loyalty program and will be as a bonus to whichever level you already hold.
Attaining the new Green tier will require more than just paying a few dollars to offset carbon at the time of booking.
Qantas will be awarding its frequent flyers who make sustainable choices in their everyday lives.
Achieving Green tier status will require checking off at least 5 sustainable activities from the following 6 categories: flying, travel, lifestyle, sustainable purchases, reducing impact, and giving back.
For example, points will be awarded for activities such as staying in environmentally-friendly hotels, walking to work, installing solar panels at home, or contributing towards the protection of the Great Barrier Reef.
Further information on how to prove members have accomplished these activities has yet to be released.
The airline calculates that if 100,000 of its frequent flyers offset their home and car emissions, it could save up to 1 million tonnes of carbon in a year.
Around 11% of Qantas Frequent Flyers already offset their carbon through the airline’s Fly Carbon Neutral program.
The Rewards
Qantas will reward those who can prove that they are making environmentally conscious choices with bonus Qantas Points or valuable status credits.
For example, those who are wishing to achieve Green tier status will earn 10 Qantas Points per $1 spent when offsetting their car or home.
Carbon offsetting is likely to be at the forefront of every conscious traveler’s mind more than ever before.
Airlines have a huge responsibility when it comes to greener flying and Qantas is showing its commitment by incentivizing its passengers to make greener life choices.
Only time will tell before we’ll have a better idea of the noticeable impact that schemes such as Qantas Green tier will have on global carbon emissions.