You Can Now Book Philippine Airlines Business Class With Qantas Points - but is it better?
You Can Now Book Philippine Airlines Business Class With Qantas Points - Here's What It Means for Your City
This isn't just a Brisbane story. Every major Australian city now has a new way to reach Manila - and beyond - using Qantas Points. What that means depends a lot on where you're flying from.
Reward seats on Philippine Airlines via Qantas are released periodically - submit a seat search request to be first in line when more become available.
The quick version
| What's new | Philippine Airlines (PAL) bookable with Qantas Points as a Classic Flight Reward |
| Who it affects | Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth - all 4 cities PAL flies from in Australia |
| Biggest news for Melbourne + Perth | Qantas has no direct flight to Manila from either city - PAL opens this up entirely |
| Biggest news for Brisbane | Qantas switches to A321XLR (no flat bed) from Oct 2026 - PAL becomes the lie-flat option |
| Sydney angle | More availability + same great A330 product as Qantas' own flights |
| Seats available? | Released periodically - check the Qantas Flight Reward Finder regularly |
The news: Philippine Airlines is now a Qantas Classic Reward partner
Qantas has added Philippine Airlines as a partner for Classic Flight Reward seats. You can now use Qantas Points to book seats on Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights - including all four routes PAL operates between Australia and Manila - directly through qantas.com.
Philippine Airlines isn't part of any major airline alliance, so until now there was no practical way to book their Australia-Manila routes using points earned here. That's changed. And depending on where you live, the impact is very different.
How to search: Go to qantas.com, search flights as normal and switch to the Rewards view. PAL flights will appear alongside Qantas-operated options with a Classic Reward price in Qantas Points. Seats are released periodically - check the Qantas Flight Reward Finder tool regularly and be ready to book when you see availability on your dates.
What this means, by city
PAL operates four direct routes between Australia and Manila. Each one tells a slightly different story.
Melbourne and Perth - the biggest winners
Qantas does not operate a direct flight to Manila from Melbourne or Perth. That means if you're in either city and want to fly Manila on points, your previous options were limited to connecting through Sydney or Brisbane first - adding cost, time and complexity.
With PAL now bookable on Qantas Points, Melbourne and Perth travellers have a direct Manila option for the first time. That's not a marginal improvement - that's a genuinely new redemption that didn't exist before.
Melbourne gets PAL's Airbus A330 flying 5 times a week - a widebody with proper lie-flat business class. Perth gets PAL's A321neo running 3 times a week, with a 2-2 fully lie-flat business class configuration despite being a single-aisle aircraft.
Sydney - more availability, same great product
Sydney already has a direct Qantas flight to Manila on the A330, so the product comparison here is like-for-like. PAL also flies the A330 on this route, daily, and interestingly their business class uses the same Vantage XL seat platform as Qantas' own A330, A380 and 787.
For Sydney flyers, the benefit is less about product and more about access to more reward seats. Qantas Classic Reward space on the Sydney-Manila route has historically been limited. Having PAL's daily A330 flights added to the pool meaningfully increases the chances of finding availability - particularly for families or groups needing multiple business class seats in a single booking.
Brisbane - a product decision from October onwards
Brisbane has a Qantas direct flight to Manila too. But from late October 2026, Qantas is switching that route from an A330 to an A321XLR. The XLR's business class has recliner seats - they don't go fully flat. On an overnight flight, that's a meaningful downgrade.
PAL's Brisbane-Manila flights use the A321neo with a 2-2 fully lie-flat business class - same narrow-body category as the Qantas XLR, but a genuinely different experience at the pointy end. From October, PAL becomes the only lie-flat option on the Brisbane-Manila route that doesn't require you to reposition to Sydney first.
The routes and points at a glance
| City | PAL Aircraft | Frequency | Points Zone | Direct QF option? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | A330 - lie-flat | Daily | Zone 5 | Yes - A330, 82,100 pts |
| Melbourne | A330 - lie-flat | 5x weekly | Zone 5 | No direct QF flight |
| Brisbane | A321neo - lie-flat 2-2 | Daily | Zone 4 (~90,000 pts J) | From Oct: XLR, no flat bed |
| Perth | A321neo - lie-flat 2-2 | 3x weekly | Zone 4 (~90,000 pts J) | No direct QF flight |
Zone 4 vs Zone 5: Brisbane and Perth are Zone 4 on the Partner Classic Reward table - fewer points needed. Sydney and Melbourne are Zone 5 due to the greater distance. Check qantas.com for confirmed Zone 5 PAL business class rates when seats open - the Partner table is always slightly higher than Qantas' own Qantas table for the equivalent route.
How does the PAL product compare to Qantas?
For Sydney and Melbourne flyers choosing between Qantas and PAL on the A330, the business class seats are genuinely comparable - both use the Vantage XL flatbed platform. The decision there comes down to points cost and which airline has availability on your dates.
For Brisbane from October, the PAL A321neo lie-flat versus the Qantas A321XLR recliner is a clear product difference. The Qantas XLR will be cheaper at 68,400 points - but you're sacrificing a flat bed.
- Fully lie-flat seat
- 2-2 configuration, 12 seats
- Zone 4 - lower points cost
- Only lie-flat from BNE from Oct
- Only direct option from PER
- Reclines, does not lie flat
- Cheaper at 68,400 points
- Qantas lounge access
- Hard sell on an overnight flight
What about Qatar Avios - aren't those bookable on PAL too?
Yes - PAL also partnered with Qatar Airways Privilege Club this week, so Avios can also be used to book PAL flights. But for Australians, Qantas Points are the far better currency.
The transfer rate difference: Amex Membership Rewards transfers to Qantas at 2 Amex points = 1 Qantas Point. The same Amex points transfer to Qatar Avios at 3 Amex points = 1 Avios. That's a 50% premium in points cost just to use the wrong program. Qantas Points are also far easier to accumulate in Australia through Woolworths Everyday Rewards, Qantas credit cards and the Qantas Shopping portal. File Avios as a backup - Qantas Points are the play here.
The one thing that always matters more than points cost: availability
None of this is useful if you can't actually find a seat. At time of writing, Classic Reward seats on Philippine Airlines via Qantas haven't opened yet. Keep checking the Qantas Flight Reward Finder tool - and when they do open, getting in early matters.
On connecting through Manila to the US - reward seats from Manila to North America on Philippine Airlines aren't currently showing in the Qantas reward seat finder. That said, searching manually on qantas.com sometimes surfaces availability that the Finder tool doesn't display, so it's worth checking both. This is one to watch as the partnership matures.
New partnerships often show the best availability at launch before demand catches up. If you need 3 or 4 business class seats together in one booking, move early - that combination is always the hardest to find.
This is genuinely new access. A direct points redemption to Manila that didn't exist before. If Manila - or a connection through it - has been on your list, this is the time to start building your points balance.
Not going to the Philippines? Manila might still be your best ticket to Europe
Manila is a seriously underrated transit hub for European travel. Qantas has codeshares with both Air France and KLM operating direct from Manila - to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) on an Airbus A350 (Air France AF209, 15 hours 10 minutes non-stop) and to Amsterdam (AMS) via KLM. Both are bookable with Qantas Points.
The two-segment strategy: use Qantas Points to get to Manila on PAL, then use Qantas Points again for the Manila-Paris leg in business class on an A350. One currency, two redemptions, no Europe-from-Australia availability headache. You could even tag a few nights in the Philippines on the way through.
Manila to Paris (Air France AF209, bookable via Qantas): Airbus A350 non-stop, 15h 10m. Business class from 125,400 Qantas Points + taxes. Economy from 51,800 Qantas Points. 5+ seats showing at time of search.
Manila to Amsterdam (KLM, bookable via Qantas): Also direct from Manila - check qantas.com for current points pricing on this route. Two European gateways, one transit city.
What to do next
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1Check the Qantas Flight Reward Finder regularly for PAL availability
Seats are released periodically - not all at once. Check the Finder tool at qantas.com regularly and also search manually on the flights page, as that sometimes surfaces availability the Finder doesn't show. When you see seats on your dates, move quickly.
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2Melbourne and Perth flyers - start building your balance now
This is brand new access to a direct Manila redemption. Zone 4 (PER) and Zone 5 (MEL) points requirements are fixed once seats open. If you're not near that balance yet, now's the time to work out your earn strategy.
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3Brisbane flyers - decide on your product priority before October
If lie-flat matters to you, PAL's A321neo at ~90,000 points is your option. If you just want to get there cheaply and don't mind a recliner, Qantas' XLR at 68,400 points still gets you there. Just go in with eyes open on what you're buying.
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4Consider Manila as a Europe transit point
The Air France MNL-CDG A350 is worth building a two-segment strategy around if you're eyeing Europe. Use Qantas Points for both legs and you've got a strong itinerary at a competitive overall points price.
Want us to find your reward seats?
Submit a seat search request and we'll keep an eye on PAL and Qantas availability for your route - and reach out when the right seats show up. And grab the free Qantas Upgrade Guide if you want to understand how upgrades work alongside Classic Rewards.
Points values, award availability and Qantas Classic Reward pricing are subject to change. The ~90,000 Qantas Points figure for Zone 4 routes (Brisbane and Perth) is approximate - confirm current rates on qantas.com. Zone 5 rates (Sydney and Melbourne) are higher - verify on qantas.com. PAL Classic Reward seats are released periodically and may no longer be available by the time you search. Manila-US reward seat availability is currently limited on the Qantas platform - check both the Reward Finder and manual search. The 2:1 Amex Membership Rewards to Qantas Points transfer rate is current at May 2026. General information only, not financial advice.
