Australian-based travellers now have even more routes to choose from when planning to get across to Europe.
Emirates has launched thrice-daily flights from Melbourne, bringing the Australian city back up to pre-pandemic speed.
In a twist, the fifth freedom Melbourne route stops in Singapore, meaning frequent flyers once again have the option to fly with the Qantas partner from Melbourne to the Lion City.
Also taking of three times a day, the Sydney flight will fly direct to Dubai in the coming months.
Both new services will take place on the Boeing 777-300ER, which unfortunately means there won’t be any first class shower or upper-deck bar spoils.
In saying that, this is still good news for Qantas Frequent Flyer members (providing we see some award availability), who now have even more routes to play with.
Here’s what to know about the additional flights.
Melbourne – Dubai (via Singapore)
Melbourne flights have now boosted to three times a day, with the addition of a flight to Dubai via Singapore.
Qantas Frequent Flyer members will be pressed for luck to lock in a Classic Flight Reward, with Emirates availability all but disappearing off the Qantas website.
Emirates Skywards members, on the other hand, can enjoy decent availability over the popular European summer months at the cost of some beyond hefty carrier charges.
A business class award seat onboard flight EK405 will set you back 152,500 Skywards miles plus an eyewatering $1,215.85 AUD in carrier charges.
Safe to say we’ll be crossing our fingers (and toes) for some Qantas award availability with much friendlier taxes.
The new Melbourne service will operate as follows:
- EK405 will leave Melbourne at 3:25am, landing in Singapore at 8:15am, before continuing to Dubai at 9:40am, for a pleasant 1pm (local time) touch down.
- On the return leg, EK404 will see wheels up from Dubai at 9:15pm, landing in Singapore at 8:50am. Then. The flight will continue to Melbourne at 10:25am, arriving at 8:35pm local time.
Sydney – Dubai
Sydney’s third-daily flight will soon follow suit, operating on the following schedule:
- EK417 will see wheels up from Sydney at 8:10pm, arriving in Dubai at a bleary-eyed 4:30am.
- EK416 will jet off from Dubai at 9:30pm, landing in Sydney at 5:20pm the next day.
Final thoughts: Good news
Australia has a reignited love for travel, and Emirates is boosting its schedules to supply the demand.
We recently saw Emirates double Brisbane-Dubai services and can expect more routes to return in the near future.
By the middle of this year, Emirates will be operating 63 weekly services to Australia, offering over 55,000 passengers access to the gateway city of Dubai.
This is a big win for Qantas Frequent Flyer members, who can (hopefully) use Qantas Points to secure some of the most desirable reward seats in the sky.
We’ll be sure to update you with any award availability as we hopefully come across it!
Will you be heading overseas with Emirates this year?
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