We know, it’s no fun when the eastern states get all the attention. So if you live elsewhere in our vast country – particularly in Perth or Adelaide – then this Qantas oneworld Classic Flight Reward guide is for you. But first, check out our main guide to flying around the world in Business Class so you’re across the rules.

So what exactly is different from flying out of Perth and Adelaide? Well, you’ll have fewer airlines to choose from. But because of each city’s geographical positioning, you might get some great value out of a oneworld reward ticket.

What’s the best use of Qantas Points from Perth or Adelaide?

Here are the points needed to fly from Perth or Adelaide to London, either with Qantas or oneworld partners. Notice how flying Adelaide-London return with a oneworld partner costs the exact same as a oneworld Classic Flight Reward, which could send you around the world instead.

CabinPerth to London return with QantasPerth to London return on oneworld partner (e.g. Qatar)Adelaide to London return with QantasAdelaide to London return with oneworld partner (e.g. Qatar)oneworld Classic Flight Reward
Economy102,400 pts123,000 pts110,400 pts132,400 pts132,400 pts
Premium Economy189,800 pts218,000 pts216,800 pts249,600 pts249,600 pts
Business253,000 pts278,400 pts289,200 pts318,000 pts318,000 pts
First379,600 pts
(via Singapore)		398,600 pts433,800 pts
(via Singapore)		455,000 pts455,000 pts
Miles travelled18,060 miles18,100 miles20,654 miles20,582 milesUp to 35,000 miles allowed

The simple truth is that if you have enough points for a return trip to London, you have enough points to potentially fly around the world. Let us throw some more numbers at you to make the point stick.

Departing from Adelaide, you could fly almost double the distance (up to 35,000 miles) and have five free stopovers for no extra points cost in any class of travel.

If you’re departing from Perth (like me), the value of the oneworld reward is diminished compared to a simple return. Perth is closer to Europe than Adelaide and falls into a lower distance bracket. But it’s still not a bad deal overall.

Taxes on these rewards usually range from $1,000 to $2,000 per person. It depends heavily on what airlines and choose and what airports you depart from. For example, Qatar Airways charges much higher carrier charges than Malaysia Airlines. Meanwhile, the UK Air Passenger Duty adds £180 (~AUD$335) per person if you fly out of the country in Premium Economy, Business or First Class. Ouch!

Should I aim for Business or First Class?

From Perth and Adelaide, the only airline regularly operating a First Class cabin is Emirates. But Emirates is not part of oneworld, so you won’t have any luck there. If you did want to pursue a First Class reward booking, you’d best look at flying to Sydney or Melbourne first. Here are the latest airlines offering First Class in 2022.

Emirates First Class is a great use of Qantas Points. Just not with a oneworld Classic Flight Reward.

Luckily, travellers from both cities have access to some of the latest and greatest Business Class products. We highly recommend you focus on a Business Class reward. This roster usually includes:

Qatar Airways Qsuites
Fly Qsuites on Qatar Airways flights out of Australia.
Malaysia-Airlines-Business-Class-A350
Malaysia Airlines Business Class is a good way to fly from Perth or Adelaide.
Business Class on Cathay Pacific’s Airbus A350s is the airline’s most comfortable yet.
Get comfortable in Qantas Boeing 787 Business to Paris.
Qantas Airbus A330 Business Class
Sit back in Qantas Airbus A330 Business Class.

It’s quite tricky to get premium cabin seats on the direct Qantas Perth-London flight. The exception is if you hold Qantas Platinum status or higher, and request for extra seats to be released.

At the time of writing, Qatar Airways is only releasing one Business reward seat on flights from Australia to Doha. It’s easier to find availability on Cathay Pacific and Malaysia Airlines.

Wathch the video below and learn how to fly around the world in Business Class for 318,000 Qantas Points:

Ad – Scroll down to continue reading.Minimum spend, terms & conditions apply.

Example 1 (Perth): 34,000 miles in Business Class

If you hail from WA and want to see as much of the world as possible with a single ticket, then this jam-packed itinerary is for you. It covers 34,670 miles of travel and costs 318,000 Qantas Points in Business Class.

  1. Perth to Doha with Qatar Airways (Transit).
  2. Doha to London with Qatar Airways (Stopover #1).
  3. London to New York with British Airways or American Airlines (Stopover #2).
  4. New York to São Paulo with American Airlines (Stopover #3).
  5. São Paulo to Los Angeles with American Airlines (Transit).
  6. Los Angeles to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific (Stopover #4).
  7. Hong Kong to Singapore with Cathay Pacific (Stopover #5).
  8. Singapore to Perth with Qantas (end of the ticket).
From Perth, you can really max out your 35,000 mile allowance flying around the world.

Example 2 (Adelaide): 32,780 miles in Business Class

Time-poor and living in the City of Churches? This example from Adelaide uses our hack to enjoy two holidays for the price of one by starting your oneworld reward overseas. If you haven’t read that article yet, get onto it first! Rather than going around the world, we’ve split the ticket into two distinct holidays instead:

  • Holiday #1: Starting from Bali (Denpasar), explore London, Rome and surrounds, before returning to Adelaide.
  • Holiday #2: Starting from Adelaide, explore Hong Kong and Tokyo before returning home.

The two trips are separated by an extended stopover in your hometown of Adelaide, where you’ll take a break.

Holiday #1 (red path)

You start this journey with a positioning flight from Adelaide to Bali (in white). This can be with any airline of your choosing, as it’s separate from the oneworld ticket. You could use a low-cost carrier like Jetstar to get there. Once you’re in Bali, your oneworld reward ticket begins.

  1. Denpasar to Kuala Lumpur with Malaysia Airways (Transit).
  2. Kuala Lumpur to London with Malaysia Airlines (Stopover #1).
  3. London to Rome with British Airways (Stopover #2).
  4. Rome to Doha with Qatar Airways (Transit).
  5. Doha to Adelaide with Qatar Airways (Stopover #3/break in the holiday).
Malaysia-Airlines-Business-Class-A350
Fly Malaysia Airlines Business Class to London and save on carrier charges.

Holiday #2 (yellow path)

You’re using a stopover in your hometown of Adelaide as a break between holidays. This break can be weeks or months – it’s up to you. Remember, you just need to finish the whole trip within 12 months of your first flight on the ticket (Denpasar to Kuala Lumpur from Holiday #1).

When you’re ready to embark on the second half of your ticket, your flights are:

  1. Adelaide to Hong Kong with Cathay Pacific (Stopover #4).
  2. Hong Kong to Tokyo with Japan Airlines (Stopover #5).
  3. Tokyo to Hong Kong with Japan Airlines (Transit).
  4. Hong Kong to Adelaide with Cathay Pacific (end of the ticket).

All up, that’s 32,780 miles travelled, including the positioning flight from Adelaide to Denpasar. We need to take that into account as you’re finishing in a different city from where you started.

Add on a trip in Cathay Pacific Business Class with our overseas hack.

Summing up

While living outside of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane narrow your choices somewhat, you can still enjoy a big round-the-world holiday out of Perth and Adelaide without any backtracking. Qatar Airways, Malaysia Airlines and Cathay Pacific are the main carriers you’ll be looking at.

Qatar Airways does have the amazing Qsuites product, but keep in mind its carrier charges are also the highest. Malaysia Airlines and Cathay Pacific are more modest with charges. And if you simply can’t find any reward seats, try flying via the eastern states as a last resort.

Finally, Qantas Classic Flight Rewards are flexible during COVID-19. Check the Qantas website to see what the latest fee waivers are for changing or cancelling a reward seat booking.

Have you successfully redeemed your Qantas Points for a oneworld reward out of Perth or Adelaide? Let us know in the comments!

This guide was originally written by Daniel Sciberras.

Booking a Qantas ‘Round the World’ trip from Perth or Adelaide was last modified: December 19th, 2023 by Brandon Loo