Meet the ten millionth Qantas Frequent Flyer

His name is Grant Welsh, he's an easy-going 52 year old Victorian who wants to take the wife on a Harley Davidson road trip around Hawaii, and he's the ten millionth member of the Qantas Frequent Flyer scheme.

Welsh's lucky number came up when he enrolled in the airline's reward program last month, although his wife Lauren was already a member.

“I fly half a dozen times a year in Australia and overseas, we shop at Woolies and we are about to sign up for a credit card that earns Qantas Points, so it’s great that I can get points for doing what I already do" Welsh says.

"I will be cashing in those points to take my wife to either Bali or Hawaii for a holiday" he adds, although the hog-ride around Hawaii is clearly his preference.

The million-member milestone comes some 27 years after the Qantas Frequent Flyer program began in 1987, with the scheme only topping five million members in 2007.

Those last seven years have been a rocket ride propelled by 2008's launch of the online Qantas Store and Any Seat Award flight rewards and the debut of the Woolworths partnership the following year.

The membership card has also been transformed from a mere slip of plastic to a smartcard capable of tap-and-go checkin for domestic flights along with a 'travel money' function covering 11 currencies.

“Qantas Frequent Flyer was originally designed for people who travelled for business and wanted to earn Qantas Points for personal use and this remains core to the program today" says Lesley Grant, Qantas Loyalty CEO.

"But it has really expanded in recent years to benefit those who fly from time to time and earn points all the time via other means."

Qantas is marking the milestone by giving away 10 million Qantas frequent flyer points, in ten batches of a million points each.

“One million Qantas Points is a significant windfall and we look forward to seeing what people would do with them to change their life" Grant says.

Read: Ten million Qantas Frequent Flyer points up for grabs

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David Flynn

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.