Rare First Class Qatar Airways Avios availability to Perth for spring 2025

Qatar Airways blocks Avios redemptions in First Class on its A380 fleet between London and Doha (although I booked one for my wife via ba.com ….. go figure!) and its rare to see it on other routes.

This is why I thought it worth mentioning that a decent chunk of Qatar Airways First Class Avios availability has appeared between Heathrow and Perth for spring 2025.

Because you can’t book First Class on the leg from London to Doha, even if you choose an A380 service, you can only book First on the Doha to Perth leg.

This is fine though. London to Doha is just over six hours and perfectly slummable in Qatar Airways business class – especially if you avoid an A380 and choose an aircraft with Qsuite instead. (The A380 Qatar Airways business class seat is old school, see our review here, although the food, service, IFE etc is the same as the other aircraft).

Doha to Perth, on the other hand, is blocked at over 11 hours, so having First Class here is more interesting.

Now, I need to be clear. The First Class seat on the Qatar Airways A380 isn’t necessarily a lot better than a Qsuite business class seat on another aircraft type. It’s a very open cabin for a start – no high wall around your seat and certainly no doors. I reviewed it here, albeit quite a few years ago and very briefly. A PR photo is above.

If you want to try Qatar Airways First Class though – and the amazing Al Safwa First Class Lounge in Doha – this is a good opportunity.

First Class is available for Avios, at least for one person, on many dates between January and March next year between Doha and Perth.

To be honest, on many of those days it is a ‘Flexi’ award which requires 2x Avios for that leg. On some days, however, it is bookable for ‘standard’ Avios.

Qatar Airways business class between London and Australia is 180,000 Avios return on off-peak dates. If you fly between Doha and Perth in First Class, it jumps to 270,000 Avios return.

Here’s an example I found, with business class to/from London and First Class to/from Perth, all on a day with ‘standard’ pricing:

As you can see, it is 270,000 Avios + £588 for one person.

Whilst this screenshot is from the Qatar Airways website, ‘standard priced’ Avios seats should also show at ba.com. You only need to book via the Qatar Airways site if you want to book a ‘Flexi’ ticket using double Avios. This article explains how to link your British Airways and Qatar Airways account.

Thanks to Alison for this.

PS. What about Sydney, you may ask, which is also an A380 route? There is a LOT of ‘Flexi’ First Class Avios award availability – so priced at double Avios – but I struggled to find anything at standard pricing.

PPS. As per the comments, Qatar Airways does not block First Class redemptions on the Paris route. You could book Paris to Doha to Perth and get First Class all the way if you wish.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2025)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.