Aer Lingus and Qantas to end frequent flyer link from June

Since Aer Lingus left the oneworld alliance in 2007, they kept the odd link with alliance airlines for frequent flyers. Earning points remained possible with Qantas, Cathay Pacific and British Airways.

Australian Business Traveller is reporting that the link between Qantas and Aer Lingus ends on 30 June 2019. After this date, flights will no longer earn points in either airline’s programme.

Ending A Frequent Flyer Link

At present, members of the Aer Lingus AerClub and Qantas Frequent Flyer earn points on each others services. That means a member of the Irish programme flying the Australian airline earn Avios based on their class of travel and vice versa.

Removing the link is probably not as big a deal as it once was. In recent years, it is possible to fly from Dublin to Australia and back with just one stop. Airlines such as Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways and Cathay Pacific all offer a one stop connection between Ireland and Australia.

Since the Qantas and Emirates partnership began, it is possible to fly one stop to Australia with Qantas. However, the entire journey would be with Emirates under a Qantas flight number, routing Dublin to Dubai to Sydney for example.

Many Irish people visit Australia or have friends and family living there, but compared to some other countries, loyalty programmes in the Republic of Ireland are not as mature as those at the other end, or indeed, in some other European countries.

Overall Thoughts

It came as a surprise that this particular link is ending. Nothing has been said with regards to the arrangement with Cathay Pacific and things may change again if Aer Lingus takes up oneworld Connect membership.

No statements have yet been made by Aer Lingus, with all the information coming from the Australian end. Either way, I can’t see this having a huge effect on frequent flyers overall, but I’m happy to be proven wrong.

What do you think of this news? Is this going to affect your Avios earning in Aer Lingus’ AerClub? I’d be interested to hear your thoughts. Thanks for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.

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Featured image via Aer Lingus.
Qantas Emirates image via Qantas.