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Qantas, KLM launch codeshare on Amsterdam route

written by australianaviation.com.au | October 10, 2018

Qantas operates Airbus A330s (seen here), A380s and Boeing 737-800s between Australia and Singapore. (Seth Jaworski)
Qantas operates Airbus A330s (seen here), A380s and Boeing 737-800s between Australia and Singapore. (Seth Jaworski)

Qantas has expanded codeshare options for its passengers travelling to Europe through a new agreement with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

Under the deal, Qantas will add its QF airline code on KLM’s daily Singapore-Amsterdam nonstop flight operated with Boeing 777-300ER equipment.

At the same time, KLM will place its KL airline code on Qantas’s flights from Singapore to Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

The arrangement also included access for eligible members of both airlines’ frequent flyer program into Qantas’s premium passenger lounges in Australia and Singapore, as well as KLM’s lounges in Amsterdam.

Qantas international chief executive Alison Webster said deal with KLM was part of the airline’s strategy to give its passengers more travel options.

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“This codeshare provides customers with more choice of how they travel between Australia and Europe,” Webster said.

“It offers our customers another option to get to Amsterdam via our Singapore hub with more opportunities to earn status credits and Qantas Points.”

Currently, Qantas codeshares on Emirates’ services from Australia to Amsterdam via Dubai. The airline said this would continue.

The Emirates alliance that was formed in 2012 and recently renewed for a further five years covers destinations in Asia, Europe, Oceania, the Middle East and North Africa, as well as a reciprocal frequent flyer benefits.

The codeshare with KLM is the latest in a series of bilateral deals Qantas has struck in recent times to expand the network beyond where it flies to with its own aircraft.

In May, it reinstated a codeshare agreement with Air France on the Singapore-Paris route. A month later Qantas unveiled a deal with Air New Zealand for codeshare access on domestic flights within New Zealand.

And most recently, Qantas and Cathay Pacific forged a codeshare agreement covering 13 Australian domestic routes, two Australia-Hong Kong routes and 10 routes from Hong Kong to India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flies between Amsterdam and Singapore with Boeing the 777-300ER. (Rob Finlayson)
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flies between Amsterdam and Singapore with Boeing the 777-300ER. (Rob Finlayson)

Meanwhile, the new codeshare – a Qantas spokesperson told Australian Aviation it was the first time the airline had established a codeshare with KLM – will give the Dutch flag carrier another gateway for its passengers headed to Australia.

KLM has existing codeshare agreements with China Southern (via Guangzhou), Etihad Airways (via Abu Dhabi), Garuda Indonesia (via both Denpasar and Jakarta) and Malaysia Airlines (via Kuala Lumpur) for travel between Amsterdam and Australia, according to a dummy booking on the airline’s website.

The KLM website also lists itineraries that include Qantas-operated flights with a QF airline code.

KLM chief executive Pieter Elbers said he was pleased to have struck a new codeshare agreement with Qantas.

“Australia is an important destination for business and leisure travellers, which is why Qantas is such an important partner,” Elbers said in a statement.

“This also allows us to grow our presence in this beautiful part of the world.”

KLM last flew to Australia with its own aircraft in 2001.

The codeshare flights would be available for booking from November 1, for travel from November 8 2018.

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Comments (6)

  • Lechuga

    says:

    I wonder how far off the days are where airlines will fly to Australia again, rather than stop and half way and qantas take the rest, and vice versa. It can’t be too far.

    • Pappy

      says:

      Wherever it makes sense to do so.

  • David

    says:

    This is good news. I can now look forward to flying to AMS under this new arrangement that includes some Qantas metal, rather than flying Emirates. Hopefully all Qantas services will have good connection times in SIN.

  • Ben

    says:

    This is good news and KLM are a good carrier. However in the world of alliances it kind of doesn’t make sense.

    KLM are a skyteam carrier whereas QF are Oneworld. Would it not make more sense for KLM to codeshare with Garuda or Korean Air into Australia?

    Whereas on the oneworld side, Qantas only really seems to work together with AA. Emirates partnership did make sense when it started, as you could at least fly on QF metal for part of the journey, but that is no longer the case now that QF stopover in SIN or PER on their way to LHR. So if you’re wanting to use the EK network you have to now exclusively use EK metal. Unless you have QF regional domestic connection to an EK Australian gateway airport. So what’s the point – the only winner out of that arrangement is EK.

    If QF wanted to maximise it’s oneworld membership, it would make more sense to codeshare with CX to Europe. Not to mention HKG is roughly on the great circle SYD-LHR route. Therefore a Hong Kong stopover would be the shortest one stop route to London.

    If they wanted to persist with a Middle Eastern partner, Qatar would make more sense as they’re at least a oneworld member. QF could also codeshare with BA or Iberia for people wanting flights within Europe.

    Then again maybe the actual point of being in alliance these days is valuable in name only.

  • Mike

    says:

    Great to read of this Qantas/KLM codeshare service!
    KLM and Qantas share amazing longevity as companies and are both on the cusp of celebrating centenaries of air service, with the Dutch carrier just ahead of Qantas for that honour.
    This month happens to coincide with the 84th anniversary of the London to Melbourne air race in which a KLM DC-2 airliner (which was even carrying some passengers!) came a very narrow second place to a purpose built DH Comet racer. An amazing feat…still!
    KLM has had a long connection with Australia and it is great to see the code share agreement keeping that connection alive.
    Welkom terug!

  • Ben

    says:

    On re-reading the article in the context of my above post, it does seem that KLM is already code sharing with Garuda, Korean Air and other skyteam members on flights to Australia.

    QF is also already code sharing with CX to some destinations – although not to Europe – presumably because of it’s EK partnership.

    However QF have also announced a recent partnership with Air New Zealand who is a Star Alliance member – and presumably a real former arch rival – due to the fact that Air New Zealand once owned QF’s main rival, Ansett – albeit briefly and without success.

    All of these matters go to confirm my point even further though. What is being in an alliance actually worth these days? Especially if you are so willingly able to partner with airlines from rival alliances.

    Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for airlines partnering with other airlines if that’s what works for them. However they then need to question the reason they’re in alliance in the first place.

    Otherwise if they stick to their alliances, QF would be flying their own metal into AMS and KLM would fly their own metal into SYD, if both airlines needed more capacity into their respective markets beyond their existing alliance memberships.

    It just goes to confirm that there’s not much point in the traditional alliances anymore, beyond building frequent flyer status for the respective alliance FF plans.

    Here’s an idea: Why not abolish oneworld, star and skyteam alliances and just focus on frequent flyers earning status/credit points with who their nominated airline is partnered with.

    That would be the ultimate winner for the consumer – the airline would need to advertise who they are actually partnered with – rather than just advertising who they’re in an alliance with.

    Either that – or put their money where their mouth is and fly their own metal to the hub port of their code share partner.

    Just like the good old days – or maybe I’m just old fashioned.

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