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(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.”

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