Cruise Guru, which lays claim to being the only online agency to take bookings in realtime, has formed an alliance with Qantas to create the airline’s first foray into cruise.

Qantas Cruises will not only allow seamless flight bookings “from Ballina to Barcelona”, in the words of Cruise Guru joint managing director Justin Montgomery, but also frequent flyer points.

To underscore the point, the new site is offering double points on bookings until February 14.

“Unique to Qantas Cruises is the ability for customers to access to a full range of cruise lines and ships, with live cabin availability and prices, and instant confirmation,” says a company spokesman.

Cruise Guru Joint managing director Justin Montgomery said at a launch aboard the Celebrity Solstice today that he was thrilled to be able to use Cruise Guru’s unique technology to create new opportunities for the growing number of Australians choosing cruise.

“With 17 international cruise lines, 162 ships and over 10,000 cruise itineraries, Cruise Choice technology leads the way for the Australian consumer,” maintained Mr Montgomery.

Industry insiders said many had tried to convince Qantas of the importance of cruise, but this was the first deal which had finally persuaded the airline to get directly involved.

It unlocks the airlines’ massive data base for the industry for the first time.

Qantas Cruises are available to book from Tuesday at qantas.com/cruises.

WORDS: Peter Lynch