Qantas partners IndiGo to start direct flights between Sydney-Bengaluru from September 14

Qantas is entering into a codeshare partnership with Indian airline Indigo, based on this partnership the Australian carrier will start flights between Sydney and Bengaluru.

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Australian carrier Qantas has announced flight services between Sydney and Bengaluru will begin on September 14 and that it is finalising a codeshare agreement with Indian carrier IndiGo. Each carrier on its distribution system can sell seats on the other's flights under a codeshare relationship. IndiGo has codeshare partnerships with Turkish Airlines, Qatar Airways, and American Airlines at the moment.

The Sydney-Bengaluru flight will operate four times a week from September 14 onwards on an A330 aircraft, a joint statement by both the airlines stated. "These are the first direct flights between Australia and southern India by any airline, cutting almost three hours off the current fastest trip between Bengaluru and Sydney," it noted.

Currently, Qantas operates flights to India on only one route -- between Melbourne and Delhi -- five times per week. "Travellers are also set to benefit from improved one-stop access to Sydney from more than 50 Indian cities, as part of a proposed codeshare agreement between Qantas and IndiGo," the statement noted.

Once finalised, customers will have more convenient access from not only the major Indian cities but many popular regional cities such as Pune and Goa, it mentioned. The proposed codeshare agreement will enable seamless connections via Bengaluru, Delhi, or Singapore to Australia's largest capital cities, it noted.

"As part of the proposed agreement, customers who join the Qantas Frequent Flyer program will be able to earn and redeem points on connecting IndiGo flights (QF code only), and IndiGo will recognise Qantas Frequent Flyer benefits for tiered members (Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One) including priority check-in, additional baggage allowance and priority baggage," it said.

Qantas customers travelling on IndiGo will enjoy the same baggage allowance for the entire journey as well as complimentary food and drinks, it mentioned. "The partnership will extend to Jetstar customers who will be able to book connecting flights on IndiGo services through its Jetstar Connect platform on jetstar.Com, currently intended to start from late April," it noted. Jetstar is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Qantas.

"IndiGo will introduce reciprocal benefits for its customers to connect on Qantas and Jetstar in the future. Sydney-Bengaluru flights go on sale today starting from Rs 78,380 return," it mentioned. After the coronavirus-induced suspension of two years, India resumed regular international flights on March 27 this year.

With inputs PTI