The skyway between Adelaide and Auckland is set for a five-star upgrade from mid-April, when Qatar Airways will tempt travellers to make that short hop across the pond in the luxury of its business class Qsuites.
The Gulf carrier and Oneworld member switched its marathon non-stop flight from Doha to Auckland to detour via Brisbane from August 2020, before adding that Australia-Auckland leg onto its Doha-Adelaide service.
And while the direct Doha-Auckland flight is expected to return later this year, New Zealand’s decision to unlock its borders to Australia from April 13 – with scores of other countries to follow from May 1 – means Qatar’s long-legged Boeing 777-300 jet will now be able to shuttle Aussies and Kiwis between Adelaide and Auckland.
With Air New Zealand currently not scheduled to resume Adelaide flights until early July – and then on a singe-aisle Airbus A321neo without business class – this definitely gives Qatar Airways an edge, even when the trans-Tasman ride lasts just 4-5 hours.
- Flight QR914 departs Adelaide at 10.25pm to reach Auckland at 5.05am the next day
- Flight QR915 is wheels up from Auckland at 6.25pm, arriving into Adelaide at 8.50pm
Business class on the Boeing 777 features 42 of the airline’s superb Qsuites – spacious, well-appointed cribs with sliding doors for privacy.
With Qatar Airways now using the same Avios frequent flyer ‘reads currency’ as British Airways among others, this is also an excellent chance for first-time Qatar Airways flyers to join the carrier’s Privilege Club loyalty program and pocket up to 7,500 Avios as a starting bonus – and on top of that, haul in a further 10,000 Avios by making your Adelaide-Auckland booking using the Cash+Avios option.