Stop Defaulting to Dubai: Alternative Routes to Europe Using Qantas Points

For years, there’s been a default strategy for Australians redeeming Qantas Points to Europe.

Fly via the Middle East.

Dubai with Emirates, potentially accessing their famous Business and First Class.
Doha with Qatar Airways (prior to 2023), with their famous Qsuites as a fan favourite.

These routes dominated the conversation because they were convenient, widely marketed, and heavily integrated into the Qantas Frequent Flyer ecosystem.

But relying on a single region — or a single airline partnership — isn’t always the smartest way to play the points game.

Increasingly, experienced points collectors are building more flexible strategies: using alternate hubs, mixing carriers, and constructing multi-city itineraries that open up availability while sometimes reducing taxes or even total points required.

In other words: they’re not tied to one airline.

And when it comes to reaching Europe with Qantas Points, that approach unlocks far more options than most travellers may realise.

Why the Middle East Became the Default

The dominance of Middle East routings isn’t an accident.

Over the past decade, airlines like Emirates and Qatar Airways built massive hub networks designed to connect Australia with Europe in a single stop.

From a Qantas Frequent Flyer perspective, this created a simple redemption pathway:

Australia → Middle East → Europe.

The benefits are obvious:

• huge flight capacity

• simple one-stop connections

• excellent premium cabins

• strong airline partnerships

But the simplicity of this routing has also created a kind of tunnel vision in the points community.

When everyone is looking for the same seats on the same routes, award availability becomes scarce — and travellers overlook alternative ways to structure their trip.

The Strategic Shift Smart Points Collectors Are Making

Experienced Qantas Points users tend to approach redemptions differently.

Rather than asking:

“How do I get to Europe on Emirates?”

They ask:

“What combination of airlines and hubs gets me to Europe with the best availability and value?”

That shift in mindset opens up several advantages:

More availability

When thousands of travellers are competing for the same flights through the Middle East, alternative routings often have far better reward seat access.

Lower taxes and carrier charges

Different airlines have very different surcharge structures. Changing carriers — or even just changing your transit hub — can sometimes significantly reduce the cash component of a reward booking.

For travellers willing to think a little more strategically, being flexible can unlock routes that most people never consider.

Alternative Routings to Europe Using Qantas Points

Here are several lesser-discussed ways to reach Europe while staying entirely within the Qantas Frequent Flyer redemption system.

Alternative routes via Hong Kong, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur and Helsinki that many Qantas members overlook.

Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong

One of the most popular alternatives is Cathay Pacific.

Hong Kong has long been one of the major aviation hubs connecting Asia and Europe, and Cathay maintains a strong network into cities including:

• London

• Paris

• Frankfurt

• Milan

• Amsterdam

For Australians, the routing looks like:

Australia → Hong Kong → Europe.

While Cathay availability fluctuates, it can sometimes be easier to secure premium cabin reward seats here than on Middle Eastern routes.

Finnair via Asia

Another interesting option involves Finnair, one of Qantas’ Oneworld partners.

Finnair operates a large European network from Helsinki and uses northern polar routings that connect Asia with Europe efficiently.

A possible itinerary could look like:

Perth → Singapore → Helsinki → Europe
or
Melbourne →Bangkok → Helsinki → Europe.

Once in Helsinki, travellers can connect easily to destinations across Europe.

This routing is often overlooked by points collectors focused on Middle Eastern hubs — but it can offer excellent availability and smooth connections.

One of the biggest advantages of Finnair is that their taxes and carrier charges are amongst the lowest in the Qantas ecosystem, allowing travellers to get to Europe for hundreds, rather than thousands of dollars on top of their points.

Japan Airlines via Tokyo

Tokyo is another convenient gateway into Europe.

Japan Airlines offers routes from Tokyo to several European cities including:

• London

• Paris

• Frankfurt

• Helsinki

An itinerary could look like:

Australia → Tokyo → Europe.

Japan Airlines offers some of the best Business and First Class experiences available through the Qantas program, and reward seats occasionally appear with far less competition than Middle East routes. Getting to Tokyo can also be achieved through either Qantas or Japan Airlines itself.

Malaysia Airlines/British Airways via Kuala Lumpur

One of the most underrated ways to reach Europe using Qantas Points is via Kuala Lumpur.

For Australian travellers, the routing is simple:

Australia → Kuala Lumpur → Europe.

From Kuala Lumpur you can connect directly to destinations such as:

• London

• Paris

These connections can be operated by Malaysia Airlines or British Airways, depending on the destination.

This routing is often overlooked by points collectors who default to Middle Eastern hubs, but it has a few advantages:

Major Australian cities have direct flights into Kuala Lumpur, making it a straightforward transit hub.

Because the route receives less attention than Dubai or Doha, availability can occasionally be easier to secure.

Even if Malaysia Airlines seats aren’t available on every segment, you can sometimes combine them with other Oneworld carriers for the European leg.

For travellers willing to think beyond the most obvious hubs, Kuala Lumpur can be one of the simplest and most efficient ways to reach Europe using Qantas Points.

Qantas Direct Flights from Australia

Finally, there’s the most obvious option — flying Qantas directly.

Routes from Australia to Europe now include:

• Perth → London

• Perth → Rome

• Australia → Singapore → London

Some of these flights eliminate the need for any transit hub entirely.

The challenge is availability: reward seats on these routes can be extremely competitive, especially in premium cabins that make the ultra-long haul flights more enjoyable.

But for travellers who monitor releases and book quickly when availability appears, they remain one of the most straightforward ways to reach Europe using Qantas Points.

Comparison of different routing

The Points Pilot Strategy: Build Flexibility Into Your System

One of the biggest mistakes points collectors make is building their entire strategy around a single airline.

Airline partnerships evolve.
Award availability changes.
Routes appear and disappear.

Smart points collectors build a system that gives them multiple pathways to the same destination.

Instead of focusing only on:

Australia → Dubai → Europe

They keep several alternatives in mind:

Australia → Hong Kong → Europe
Australia → Tokyo → Europe
Australia → Asia →Helsinki → Intra-Europe
Direct Qantas flights.

This approach dramatically increases your chances of finding reward seats when you actually want to travel.

It also opens the door to more creative itineraries — including multi-city trips that combine different airlines and hubs along the way.

The Bottom Line

Flying through the Middle East has long been the default path from Australia to Europe using Qantas Points.

But it’s far from the only one.

For travellers willing to think strategically, alternative hubs like Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Helsinki can unlock routes that many Qantas members never even consider.

And that’s the real lesson for serious points collectors:

The smartest strategies aren’t built around one airline — they’re built around flexibility.

Want to Go Deeper?

If you want to go beyond the basics, The Points Pilot guides break down the exact systems experienced collectors use to consistently earn and redeem large volumes of Qantas Points.

Inside the guides you’ll learn:

• how to structure your earning strategy around major promotions
• how to stack multiple point-earning opportunities throughout the year
• how experienced collectors reach 100k, 250k or even 500k+ points annually

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to optimise your strategy, the goal is simple:

Helping you cut through the noise and make Qantas Points work for you.

Explore the guides, or book a strategy session, at The Points Pilot.

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