Qantas is reshaping its network with Project Sunrise, new Western Sydney services and the largest fleet renewal in its history.
This page tracks the latest Qantas updates, current fares from Sydney, fleet changes, baggage rules and Frequent Flyer news.
Latest Qantas updates
Last updated 13 August 2026.
Qantas fares right now
Wego pulled the fares below from live searches on its own metasearch engine on 13 August 2026, drawn from real availability on the day. Every figure is the cheapest return economy fare found for one adult departing Sydney on 22 September 2026 and returning on 29 September 2026, filtered to Qantas, quoted per person in US dollars.
The spread across the network is wide. A Melbourne shuttle return came in at US$243, while the cheapest London itinerary was almost seven times that. Short-haul domestic and trans-Tasman routes hold up well on price, and the long-haul end sits near the top of its usual range with only weeks left before departure.
Qantas: cheapest return fare by route, Sydney departures
Source: Wego, fares sampled 13 August 2026. Cheapest return economy, one adult, Sydney departing 22 September 2026 and returning 29 September 2026, in USD. Melbourne, Auckland, Perth, Singapore and Bali fares are nonstop on Qantas aircraft. The Los Angeles and London figures are the cheapest Qantas-filtered itineraries returned and involve connections and partner-operated sectors, so a nonstop on Qantas metal costs more. A Tokyo search returned only expensive partner-operated itineraries and has been left out.
Fares on these routes move daily and September pricing will not hold into the October school holidays. Check current fares on Wego before you commit to dates, and compare a Melbourne or Perth positioning flight against a single through fare, because on long-haul the through fare usually wins on baggage and protection if a leg goes wrong.
Hub, network and route map
Sydney Kingsford Smith is the centre of the Qantas network and the origin of its flagship long-haul flights, including QF1 to Singapore and QF11 to Los Angeles. Melbourne is the second-largest base and the busiest domestic market, served through the day by the QF400-series shuttle. Both cities feed a dense domestic grid operated by mainline and QantasLink.
Perth is the western gateway and the reason Qantas can offer some of the longest nonstops in the world. The airline flies Perth to London Heathrow and Auckland to New York JFK, and Perth also feeds Asia with QF71 to Singapore. That structure lets travellers from Melbourne or Sydney reach Europe with a single stop on Qantas services.
Jetstar handles the low-cost end of the group and is often the cheaper way into leisure markets, and it opens Western Sydney International first, in October 2026, with mainline Qantas following five months later.
From 2027 the group has a third Sydney-basin option, and demand for hotels in Sydney is likely to spread west with it. Our separate guides cover the Sydney to London nonstop and the Western Sydney airport opening in more detail.
Fleet and aircraft
- Airbus A350-1000ULR (12 on order): Purpose-built for Project Sunrise, first delivery April 2027, 238 seats in four cabins and an onboard Wellbeing Zone developed with the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre. At 72.25 metres it is roughly as long as the A380 and is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines.
- Airbus A350-1000LR (12 on order): A separate order under Project Fysh, arriving from FY28, which together with new Dreamliners will progressively replace the A330 fleet.
- Boeing 787-9 and 787-10: Fourteen Dreamliners are in service on routes to the United States, United Kingdom and Europe, with 12 more on order, four 787-9s and eight 787-10s, from FY28.
- Airbus A321XLR (48 aircraft from June 2025): Replacing the Boeing 737, five metres longer, seating 197 in its initial recliner-business layout with 66 per cent more premium seats than the 737, and a range of 4,700 nautical miles. Lie-flat business seats arrive on 16 of them from 2028.
- Airbus A220-300: Flown by QantasLink and progressively replacing the Boeing 717, with 137 seats across 10 business and 127 economy, up to 25 per cent more capacity than the 717 and close to double the range.
Baggage allowance and check-in
Checked baggage is included on every Qantas-operated flight. Economy gets one piece up to 23kg on Australian domestic services, one piece up to 32kg to and from North and South America, and a 30kg weight allowance for the rest of the world.
Premium Economy doubles that to two pieces domestically and to the Americas, or 40kg elsewhere, and Business gets two pieces at up to 32kg each. No single bag may exceed 32kg on any route, and where your allowance is expressed in kilograms there is no cap on the number of pieces.
Carry-on differs sharply between domestic and international. Domestic economy and business allow one overhead bag, one underseat bag and one personal item, up to 14kg total with a maximum of 10kg per item. International economy is tighter at one overhead bag plus one personal item, 7kg maximum. Long-haul premium cabins return to the 14kg allowance.
Flights departing India are restricted to one overhead bag with no additional personal item, 7kg in economy and 10kg in business. QantasLink Dash 8 Q400 services cap carry-on at 7kg, and small wheelie bags are collected at boarding.
Check-in opens 24 hours ahead on the Qantas app and online. Airport check-in opens two hours before departure for Australian domestic flights and three hours for international, extending to four hours at London Heathrow, New York JFK, Delhi, Dallas Fort Worth, San Francisco and Vancouver.
Domestic check-in closes 30 minutes before departure on QF400-and-above services, 45 minutes if you are connecting to an international flight, and 60 minutes on international departures numbered QF1 to QF399.
Loyalty programme
Qantas Frequent Flyer is the group’s loyalty programme. Members earn Qantas Points on flights, credit cards and a large partner network, and earn Status Credits that determine tier: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One. Points buy Classic Rewards, which are capacity-controlled award seats released at fixed points prices, and Classic Plus, which prices reward seats dynamically and opens up far more availability at a higher points cost.
The February 2026 overhaul is the biggest change to status in the programme’s history. From 2027 each tier moves to a single Status Credit target with no separate retain threshold, set at 300 for Silver, 700 for Gold, 1,400 for Platinum and 3,600 for Platinum One.
Members can also earn up to 140 Status Credits a year from everyday non-flying activity, unused Status Credits roll over within tier caps, and Points Club and Green Tier are being phased out. A new international Classic Reward search tool launched in March 2026 to show award availability across Qantas and 30 partner airlines.
How to contact Qantas or manage a booking
Most changes are faster to make yourself than by phone. Manage Booking on qantas.com handles seat selection, meal requests, contact details, name corrections and paid or points upgrades using your six-character booking reference. The Qantas app does the same, holds your boarding pass, and pushes gate and delay notifications, which matters most on a disrupted travel day when call centre queues are long.
If a flight is delayed or cancelled, Qantas will usually offer a rebooking option in the app before an agent can reach you, so accept or decline it there first.
Keep receipts for any meals or accommodation you pay for during a disruption, since claims are assessed against your fare conditions and the airline’s customer commitments.
For bookings made through a travel agent or on a partner airline’s ticket, the issuing carrier or agent handles the change, which is worth knowing before you spend an hour on the wrong helpline.
Frequently asked questions
When will Qantas start flying Sydney to London nonstop?
Qantas has confirmed October 2027 for the launch of Project Sunrise, with tickets on sale from February 2027. The first Airbus A350-1000ULR is due to be delivered in April 2027, and the Sydney to London leg is planned at around 20 hours.
Is Qantas a punctual airline?
It ranked first among major global airlines in OAG’s June 2026 on-time performance table, with 87.16 per cent of 22,617 flights on time, its best June result since 2017. It slipped to third in July 2026 at 84.92 per cent, so the trend is strong without being settled.
When do Qantas flights start from Western Sydney International Airport?
Jetstar operates the airport’s first passenger flight, JQ362 to the Gold Coast, at 11am on 25 October 2026. Qantas mainline begins on 28 March 2027 with four weekly flights each to Melbourne and Brisbane on QantasLink Embraer E190s.
How much carry-on baggage can I take on Qantas?
Domestic economy and business allow one overhead bag, one underseat bag and one personal item up to 14kg in total, with 10kg maximum per item. International economy is one overhead bag plus one personal item, 7kg maximum. Flights departing India allow one overhead bag only.
Was I affected by the Qantas data breach, and was Qantas penalised?
Around 5.67 million customer records were exposed in the incident that began on 28 June 2025, covering names, contact details, dates of birth, frequent flyer numbers and seat and meal preferences. On 16 July 2026 the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner closed its preliminary inquiries without opening a formal investigation, saying the available information did not indicate a likely Privacy Act breach. The report did not make concluded findings; separate complaints and a proposed class action remain underway.
What is changing with Qantas Frequent Flyer status?
From 2027 each tier has a single Status Credit target, replacing the separate attain and retain figures: 300 for Silver, 700 for Gold, 1,400 for Platinum and 3,600 for Platinum One. Members can earn up to 140 Status Credits a year without flying, unused credits roll over within caps, and Points Club and Green Tier are being retired.
Sources
- Airbus newsroom (A350-1000ULR first flight on 2 June 2026, MSN 707, certification campaign, fuel system modifications)
- Simple Flying (maiden flight detail and April 2027 first delivery)
- Forbes (17 June 2026 rollout, October 2027 launch, 238 seats, February 2027 ticket sales, 20-hour flight time)
- Qantas, investing in our aircraft (fleet orders and specifications for the A350-1000ULR and LR, 787-9 and 787-10, A321XLR and A220-300)
- AeroTime (Western Sydney International launch dates, routes, frequencies, aircraft and launch fares)
- Aviation A2Z (OAG June 2026 on-time performance ranking and figures)
- OAG on-time performance (July 2026 global airline ranking)
- OAIC (preliminary inquiry decision, breach timeline and records affected)
- Investing.com (1H26 underlying profit before tax, shareholder returns, dividend, aircraft deliveries)
- Flight Hacks (February 2026 Qantas Frequent Flyer status and reward changes with effective dates)
- Qantas checked baggage allowances and carry-on baggage allowances (baggage figures by cabin and route)
- Qantas check-in (check-in opening and closing times, app and online eligibility)
- Wego flight search data, fares sampled 13 August 2026 (fare figures in the chart)
Disclaimer: fares, schedules and baggage rules change often and were accurate at the time of writing. Confirm details with Qantas or on Wego before booking.
