From the CEO

For snow-starved Australians, this winter will be the first real opportunity to hit the slopes in 18 months.

The international border closure stopped Australians from making their annual trip to the ski fields in New Zealand, North America, Europe and Japan. And the COVID-19 outbreak in Victoria last year all but wiped out the entire 2020 season, while NSW ski resorts had significantly limited capacity. Thankfully for skiers and snowboarders – and the resorts and towns that rely on the snowsports industry – this winter is looking more promising. With the virus being well-managed across Australia and New Zealand, the resorts on both sides of the Tasman are gearing up for a bumper season.

To cater for this demand, Qantas is making it even easier for customers to get to the alpine regions. Next month, we’ll begin our first services from Sydney and Brisbane to Cooma, the gateway to the NSW ski fields. And we’ll also launch flights from Brisbane to Albury for those heading to Victoria’s High Country.

Best of all, our services are timed so skiers and boarders can spend a long weekend at the snow without having to face a drive home that feels almost as long.

We’ve also seen strong demand for Queenstown, in the heart of New Zealand’s Southern Alps, this winter, following the opening of the trans-Tasman bubble. So much so that we’ve added more flights there from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. It means we’ll be flying three times a day from Sydney to Queenstown during the ski season.

And Frequent Flyers can now use their points to redeem lift passes at six of New Zealand’s most popular resorts, which is another great way to spend some of those stockpiled points.

We’re looking forward to welcoming you on board this winter.