Qantas Expands Neighbour-Free Trial to Select International Flights

Dark/Light Mode (19/10/23)  Following the success of Qantas’ Neighbour-Free trial on domestic flights earlier this year, the Australian flag carrier this week expanded the option to a select number of international flights.

The airline is trialling Neighbour-Free seating on 19 international routes where some Economy Class passengers may get the option to keep the seat next to them free.

The Neighbour-Free option will start from A$45 on trans-Tasman flights, A$100 between Australia and Singapore, and A$225 between Australia and America.

Customers booked on a flight with spare capacity will be emailed 48 hours before their flight with the option of selecting a Neighbour-Free seat.

It has to be stated, however, that the seat is not guaranteed until departure, with customers receiving a refund if the seat is subsequently sold.

During the trial, Neighbour-Free will only be available for flights that are operated by Qantas aircraft and for select customers.

Qantas aircraft at Changi Airport in Singapore. Picture by Steven Howard of TravelNewsAsia.com

Passengers who have purchased additional products, such as extra legroom, have requested an upgrade, are travelling with an infant or have an unaccompanied minor in the booking will not be eligible for Neighbour-Free during the trial. Customers travelling as part of a group booking will also be ineligible.

The trial routes are:

• Singapore – Brisbane
• Singapore – Melbourne
• Singapore – Perth
• Brisbane – Auckland
• Brisbane – Christchurch
• Brisbane – Los Angeles
• Brisbane – Wellington (from 29 October 2023)
• Melbourne – Auckland
• Melbourne – Christchurch
• Melbourne – Dallas
• Melbourne – Los Angeles
• Melbourne – Wellington
• Sydney – Auckland
• Sydney – Christchurch
• Sydney – Dallas
• Sydney – Honolulu
• Sydney – Los Angeles
• Sydney – San Francisco
• Sydney – Wellington

Qantas is expected to further expand the trial to more international routes in the coming months, following evaluation of the initial trial.

The service is now available on the majority of Qantas’ domestic network.

“We’ve had a really positive reaction from customers who’ve opted to travel Neighbour Free on our domestic network and customers have told us they want the option on our international flights too. The data shows its most popular with customers on our longer flights between the east and west coasts, so rolling it out to our international flights makes a lot of sense,” said Catriona Larritt, Chief Customer and Digital Officer at Qantas. “Whether they’re hopping across the Tasman or taking a longer flight to the United States, we think customers will value being able to secure some extra space. International bookings can be a little more complex, which is why we’re starting with select routes and bookings without additional products to test our processes, before expanding the program in the coming months.”

Latest exclusive video interviews: Future of Air Travel - Interview with Sumesh Patel, President of SITA Asia Pacific; Miss International Queen 2024 (MIQ 2024) - Interview with Alisa Phanthusak, MD, Tiffany's Show Pattaya, Thailand; 16 HD Video Interviews from Routes Europe 2024 in Aarhus, Denmark; 9 HD Video Interviews from Routes Asia 2024 in Langkawi, Malaysia; Standard to Open Residences in Hua Hin and Phuket, Thailand; Video Interview with Amar Lalvani, Executive Chairman; 9 Exclusive Video Interviews from ASEAN Tourism Forum 2024 in Vientiane, Laos; 8 NTO Press Conferences from ASEAN Tourism Forum 2024 in Vientiane, Laos; 13 HD Video Interviews from World Travel Market 2023 in London, England; 5 HD Video Interviews from APG World Connect 2023 in Monaco, France; and 15 HD Video Interviews from Routes World 2023 in Istanbul, Türkiye.