Qantas says passengers to benefit

6 Sep 2012, 5:49 pm   -   Source: AAP

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce says passengers will benefit from the alliance with Emirates.

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Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce says he is unconcerned about losing passengers to Emirates as a result of the two airlines entering a 10-year global partnership.

From April 2013, Qantas will shift the stopping point for its services to London to Emirates' home port of Dubai instead of Singapore.

Qantas passengers headed to destinations other than London can transfer to Emirates flights carrying the QF airline code, as part of the wide-ranging alliance that includes reciprocal frequent flyer benefits.

Passengers wishing to buy Qantas tickets to Europe from other Australian capitals, such as Perth, Adelaide or Brisbane, will be flown on Emirates aircraft.

The Australian flag carrier said it would cease flights to Frankfurt, its only other European destination, and end codeshare arrangements with Cathay Pacific to Rome and Air France to Paris.

The long-running joint-services agreement between Qantas and British Airways would be terminated, although a BA spokesperson in Australia said the airline would continue to fly to Sydney via Singapore.

Mr Joyce said Qantas passengers would receive the same benefits when travelling on Emirates as they would on the Flying Kangaroo.

Asked if the move risked losing customers to the Dubai-based carrier, Mr Joyce said many of Qantas's 8.6 million frequent flyers would still travel domestically and to the US, South America and Asia on the Australian flag carrier.

"There is absolutely no worries about our customers flying on Emirates," Mr Joyce said.

"What we are doing is treating each other's customers exactly the same as we would treat our own.

"This is great for customers because it gives them an amazing network around the world and I think it is great for our frequent flyer partners."

Once the changes are implemented, Qantas would have in the space of a year to cut its European presence from five flights a day to two.

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