Everything you need to know about Qantas’ new ‘Neighbour Free’ initiative
Qantas has unveiled a new initiative that gives passengers the chance to travel without having to sit next to someone for their journey.
The Neighbour Free program, which was previously reserved for high-tier frequent flyer members only, gives travellers the option of booking not only their own seat on an upcoming flight, but also to reserve the seat next to them to remain empty.
The announcement of the initiative already has travellers excited, with people wanting to know more about how to stay neighbour-less for their next plane journey.
Here’s everything you need to know to have a peaceful and quiet trip without risking a pesky seat neighbour.
How do you book an empty seat?
When you initially book your flight, you won’t be able to instantly request an empty seat next to you.
The “Neighbour Free” initiative is only available on certain routes, so if your flight is eligible, you will be sent an email invitation where you can purchase a Neighbour Free seat between 48 hours until one hour before your scheduled flight departure.
If you choose to request an empty neighbour seat, you will see a highlighted Neighbour Free option you can select before providing your payment details and submitting the request.
Passengers will then be able to see both their own seat and the Neighbour Free seat reservation appear on their boarding pass.
However, the airline has noted the spare seat can't be used "for infant seating or to place items such as carry-on baggage, or musical instruments."
How much does a neighbour Free seat cost?
The cost of the empty seat varies depending on your route.
Each flight can range from $30 to $65 on top of your standard economy fare, and you cannot use your Qantas points to pay the extra fee as Neighbour Free can only be reserved using an eligible credit or debit card.
You also won't earn any additional points or status credits by booking the empty seat.
Neighbour Free seats are subject to availability and may need to be changed "for operational, safety or security reasons, even after boarding the aircraft", Qantas explains.
If that is the case, the fee paid to reserve that spare seat will be automatically refunded within two weeks. And if your flight is cancelled your reservation will not carry to your new flight so you'll also receive a refund.
On which routes can I request a Neighbour Free seat?
The initiative is currently only available on select Qantas operated Australian domestic flights.
At this stage there are 14 domestic routes that could offer the choice to pay for an empty seat at the following cost:
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Sydney - Gold Coast: $30
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Adelaide - Melbourne: $30
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Adelaide - Sydney: $45
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Adelaide - Brisbane: $65
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Adelaide - Darwin: $65
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Adelaide - Perth: $65
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Brisbane - Darwin: $65
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Brisbane - Perth: $65
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Darwin - Melbourne: $65
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Darwin - Sydney: $65
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Melbourne - Gold Coast: $65
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Perth - Darwin: $65
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Perth - Melbourne: $65
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Perth - Sydney: $65
While the Neighbour Free initiative is currently limited to travel within Australia only, a Qantas spokesperson told Executive Traveller there are "plans to further expand the initiative to other domestic routes in the months ahead."
Image credits: Qantas