Qantas Frequent Flyer Launches Premium Food and Wine Community "Qantas epiQure"

Sydney, 08 June 2011

Exclusive access to award-winning wine, invitation to dinners with globally renowned chefs, and new points-earning opportunities. These are just a few of the benefits that will be available to members of a premium new wine and food community launched today for Qantas Frequent Flyers.

Qantas epiQure is a Frequent Flyer member-only on-line community available to all 7.8 million members to discover the Qantas cellar's diverse collection of wine, dine with globally renowned chefs and be part of a community with a shared appreciation of the finer things in life.

Qantas Frequent Flyer Chief Executive Officer, Mr Simon Hickey, said. "While there may be existing wine clubs, Qantas epiQure stands out as a program that offers much more than access to wine."

"We are excited about some of the opportunities this exclusive community will present to our new Qantas epiQure members, in particular the private dinners with globally recognised chefs, the on-line forums to gain knowledge from industry experts and an annual gala event and personalised winery tours in every Australian wine region."

Among the key benefits for Qantas epiQure members:

- The opportunity to purchase wine selected by the Qantas Wine Panel for the First and Business Class Cellars as well as access to limited release wine vintages available only through Qantas epiQure online.

- Exclusive points earning opportunities. Members will earn three Qantas Frequent Flyer points for every $1 they spend when buying wine and event tickets.

- No charges on wine delivery within Australia until June 2012

- The chance to earn four points per dollar when dining at over 250 partner restaurants

The Qantas epiQure website www.qantasepiqure.com.au forms the centre of a passionate community bringing together wine and food lovers, winemakers, producers, chefs, and industry experts to share knowledge and experiences. Members will get the first serve of up-and-coming chefs at the top of their game, get the inside scoop on new restaurants and have access to celebrity recipes.

Simon Hickey added, "According to our research, one of the key areas of interest for Qantas Frequent Flyer members, apart from travel, is in the food and wine arena, so we developed a premium program to cater to those desires by drawing on Qantas' exclusive access to wine vintages and industry experts."

Among the Australian chefs to be part of the community is Qantas in-flight consultant and multi-award winning chef, Neil Perry.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce and Neil Perry will host the inaugural Qantas epiQure showcase event at Rockpool Bar and Grill in Sydney and Melbourne in July.

The airline invests more than $25 million in the Australian wine industry each year through the Qantas Wine Program and has an existing commitment to promoting fine wine and dining through Neil Perry, who designs the international in-flight menu.

It also has an internal program "Sommeliers in the Sky" to educate Cabin Crew and Lounge staff about the wines they serve on board and in the Lounges.

"Simon Hickey added, "Qantas recently received top accolades in the Cellar in the Sky Awards and we want to share Qantas' commitment to promoting the best Australian wine and food with our members."

To join Qantas epiQure, members can pay $99 or 13,000 points and receive a welcome gift valued at $130, three points per dollar on cash purchases of wine and event tickets, 2,000 bonus points after purchasing their first case and access to all the exclusive events and online community.

Issued by Qantas Corporate Communication (5119)
Email: qantasmedia@qantas.com.au