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Qantas and Jetstar are giving customers an extra 12 months to use their COVID credits, which are a carry-over from the unprecedented upheaval to borders and travel during the pandemic.Credits have been extended three times since 2020 and this final extension to the travel date is designed to make it easier for customers to use their remaining credits for domestic or international travel.
Before today, customers had to book and complete their travel by 31 December 2023. Following this change, they will still have to book by 31 December this year but have until December 2024 to complete their travel[1].
This extension follows a number of other initiatives introduced over the past year to make using COVID credits easier. They include a dedicated Qantas help line with specially trained staff, monthly reminder emails on credit balances and prompts to use flight credits in the online booking engine. Qantas customers can call the Travel Credit Concierge Team on 1300 171 505 or visit the Travel Credits Hub. Jetstar customers can use LiveChat to locate their voucher details.
Today’s change also adds to offers introduced to encourage customers to book travel before their credits are due to expire, including a double points offer for Frequent Flyers last December and a Qantas “Find My Credit” tool, which will launch in April to help those who have lost track of their original booking details.
The travel date extension makes the Qantas and Jetstar COVID credit program more flexible than our main domestic competitor and one of the most flexible among global carriers – some of which have already expired their COVID credits.ADVERTISEMENTComments
Qantas Group Chief Customer Officer, Markus Svensson, said both Qantas and Jetstar are focused on helping customers use their credits.
“We literally had millions of bookings that were cancelled during several waves of lockdowns and border closures. No airline had systems that were designed to manage that in a seamless way and we realise there’s been frustration for some customers as a result,” said Mr Svensson.
“Now that we’re flying again, a huge amount of effort has gone into making it easier to use your credit, from putting 250 specialists into our call centres to building dedicated websites.
“Our main goal is for everyone who has a COVID credit to be able to put it to good use, which is why we’re doing one final extension of the travel expiry date by 12 months. This is on top of all the system changes we’re making, so people can be reunited with credits they might have forgotten they even have.
“Whether it’s for a domestic flight in Australia or internationally, this year or next, the extension of the travel date really opens up more opportunities for our customers to plan their next trip.
“Our COVID credits can also be used on sale fares and frequent flyer flight promotions, so customers can get maximum value,” added Mr Svensson.
COVID credits through the pandemic
During the pandemic, Qantas and Jetstar provided customers with more flexibility for flight changes and credit redemptions than ever before. Each time borders closed, more travel credits were created as people were unable to take planned trips, amassing a total of $2 billion in credits over more than two years. More than $1.2 billion of this has already been refunded or used for travel, with millions of dollars in COVID credits being accessed by customers each week.
A recent analysis of the $800 million in COVID credits[2] still held by Qantas and Jetstar customers shows:
76 per cent of COVID credits are worth less than $500.24 per cent of COVID credits are worth between $500 and $5000.Less than 1 per cent of COVID credits are worth over $5000.There are two main types of Qantas COVID credits in the system – those that were triggered when the airline cancelled a flight (which are the most flexible for that reason) and those triggered when a customer elected not to travel. All Qantas customers in the first category remain eligible for a cash refund of their credit should they prefer.
As lockdowns ended, Qantas switched back to pre-COVID terms and conditions from 1 October 2021. Qantas customers were still given the flexibility to switch their flight into credit if they chose not to travel[3], however the expiry date of those credits remains at the standard 12 months and is unchanged from today’s announcement.
Qantas and Jetstar customers holding a COVID credit will be emailed the changes to their vouchers.[4] Customers who booked through a Travel Agent should contact their Agent directly to book travel using their COVID credit.
[1] At any point Qantas travel can be booked up to a maximum of 353 days in advance, which reflects system range. On 31 December 2023, this will mean travel can be booked up to 19 December 2024. Jetstar vouchers can be used to book any flight, which are generally made available for booking 12 months in advance of travel.
[2] As reported at Qantas’ half year results, around $800 million in COVID Credits were yet to be redeemed at 31 December 2022.
[3] Qantas’ Fly Flex allowed customers a fee free date change or flight credit on bookings made before 30 April 2022 for domestic travel and 30 June 2022 for international travel. Post these dates, all standard terms and conditions apply.
[4] Jetstar systems will be progressively updated and customers will be emailed changes to their vouchers by the end of March 2023.

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The third A321XLR flight test aircraft – MSN11080 – also known as “FT3”, which is dedicated to the in-flight validation of its cabin-related aspects, is currently in the midst of its busy flight test schedule, following its first flight on 20th October 2022.
This testing focuses on more than just the highly visible Airspace branding elements – such as new overhead stowage compartments (OHSC), ceiling panels etc. – but also the numerous ‘behind the scenes’ new system adaptations and features relating to thermal comfort, ventilation, water & waste, sound insulation, and so on. Together, all these aspects, among others, will contribute to achieving the best possible passenger and flight-crew experience, as well as airline and airport performance and flexibility – given the Xtra Long-Range routes on which this aircraft will routinely fly.
Inside this dedicated cabin flight test aircraft the teams will be able to test all sorts of things which passengers don’t actually see or hear but nevertheless do appreciate – such as water, waste and heating options available – notably including the optional 300 litre waste-water tank, the heated floor panels, the potable water storage and supply, and the associated freezing protection measures – which include ‘tape heaters’ for the water lines.The results from this campaign were recently validated by the programme’s internal steering committee as meeting the design requirements. Subsequently, FT3 has been fitted with flight test instrumentation (FTI) installations for the cold temperature campaigns which are planned to take place in Iqaluit in northern Canada. The freezing protection and insulation of the water lines will be tested as well as the complete waste tank itself and lavatory areas – so this is a big campaign for the team
Later this year there will also be a flight test campaign more oriented to gauging passenger perceptions. “This will include a dedicated flight of up to seven hours with Airbus employees – acting as passengers – on board. Various comfort aspects will be asked, not only from the passengers, but also for the crew. We will conduct surveys, to assess the passenger comfort level on the aircraft during the long flights with regards to temperature and noise,” explains Tuan.
The team will take the opportunity to make some direct ‘spot’ measurements – acoustic as well as temperature – using a hand-held sensing device. Crew noise exposure will be recorded, especially around the main door entrance areas.ADVERTISEMENT
The new Airspace cabin elements will be tested as well. For example, the new parts will be checked for any vibration or resonance during the phases of flight. Ergonomic aspects will also be assessed, such as how easy or hard it is to load and unload the new overhead bins. Airbus will also receive feedback on the visual aspects of the cabin.
Other design changes now being fine-tuned for the best possible in-flight experience inside the A321XLR include items such as the extra fuel pumps for the new underfloor Rear-Centre-Tank (RCT). There are additional pumps to supply fuel from this tank, and any acoustic energy they emit is monitored closely
Higher requirements for the A321XLR long range cabinFor the XLR’s long range missions there are now higher thermal and acoustic requirements for the cabin. “We have added insulation in the forward fuselage section and developed a new lining as standard within the door and door-surround structures, says Mehmet Altay, Cabin & Cargo Engineering Project Leader.“We have also developed an optional thermal/acoustic ‘Textile Door Cover’ for Doors-1 and Doors-4 which can be attached via magnets to each door by the crew during flight. “Additionally, in the Doors-1 and Doors-4 entrance areas we have new heated floor panels, as well as a quieter fresh air vent outlet.”
Comfortable 6,000ft cabin altitude during cruiseA notable passenger/crew wellbeing-related feature of the A321XLR during long cruise at high flight levels is the latest ‘cabin pressure control’ standard (introduced across all the A320 Family). The system actively schedules proportional cabin altitudes depending on the flight level. For the A321XLR this means that a cabin altitude of less than 6,000ft is achieved when the aircraft is cruising at 33,000ft. Low cabin altitudes create a more comfortable and less fatiguing in-flight environment for passengers and crew.
Improved sidewall and ceiling panelsThe teams have also developed a new visually improved lightweight sidewall and ceiling panels for the A321XLR. Of course the panels themselves are already qualified and have passed all the tests, and now the teams are making sure everything will be really robust in flight, as close as can be to airline operations.

New Flexible zone in forward cabinAnother key feature concerns the forward passenger cabin. “The cabin layout itself is becoming more complex than we used to know in the single-aisle business,” observes Mehmet. “While the galleys and other monuments haven’t really changed, we have many more combinations of monuments in the forward cabin.”
In particular, the XLR benefits from the so-called ‘full-flex zone’ which was first introduced on the A321neo “ACF” standard (ACF = “Airbus Cabin Flex”). This is the zone in the forward half of the fuselage between Doors-1 and Doors-2 where airlines can place monuments – such as galleys and lavatories – which conveniently allows them to segment the cabin into different seating classes. The trend for the -XLR is moving towards more ‘enriched’ cabins with at least two-class layouts and going to three-class.
Customer at HeartOverall, all the products developed and decisions made by the teams were customer-focused. “We involved our customers by inviting them to our ‘Customer Experience’ workshops in Hamburg,” says Tuan. “Having this interaction in the development phase was proven essential in getting useful feedback to improve our design.”
For example, based on the airlines’ valuable in-service feedback from their A321neos featuring the more recent ACF configuration, the C&C teams were able to define and implement further improvements proposed for the A321XLR, including the enhanced thermal and acoustic comfort at the forward and aft entrance areas (eg. adjacent to Doors-1 and Doors-4) by introducing insulation means, gap closures and optional textile door covers. This would bring benefits in particular for the cabin crews’ working environment, especially during long range flights.
Next step: MG13“The next step is the Milestone MG13 ‘Maturity Gate’. That means everything that we have developed is now in the phase to obtain EASA Type Certification, and then to hand it over to the series production organisation for Entry Into Service,” says Mehmet. “This is the main milestone we’re heading for now. Stay tuned.”

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