Australian travel brand Luxury Escapes is giving 250 lucky travellers the chance to fly direct from Melbourne to the Maldives for just one Societe Point — its in-house loyalty currency — plus $100 in taxes and surcharges, in what the company is calling its "Points Plane to Paradise" promotion.

The offer goes live at 7pm AEST on Thursday and will remain open for 48 hours, or until all seats are claimed. The one-way flight departs Melbourne on November 3, operated by Maldivian Air on an A330 aircraft, with Malé as the destination.

How the Melbourne to Maldives deal works

The promotion is built around Societe, Luxury Escapes' free loyalty program that launched in 2025, which lets members earn and redeem points across travel bookings. Under normal circumstances, a single point would hold nowhere near the redemption value being offered here — but this deal is anything but normal.

Luxury Escapes CEO Adam Schwab explained that the promotion came about after the company identified a "dead leg" — an underbooked one-way flight with plenty of empty seats on what is the final Melbourne-to-Malé service of the year.

"We have a flight to the Maldives that goes every week. We have what's called a dead leg, so a single leg to the Maldives, which was pretty empty," Schwab said. "So I thought, we only got one way. Why don't we give our customers a great chance to get to the Maldives for a single point?"

He noted that competing airline loyalty programs typically offer redemption values of up to 11.5 cents per point, whereas this promotion delivers roughly $700 of value for a single point. "It's holiday math but make it real," Schwab said.

Passengers booking the deal can also add return travel and accommodation to their reservation, meaning the one-point flight could serve as the entry point for a full Maldives holiday package.

Why the Maldives — and why now?

Schwab said the Maldives has been among the most sought-after destinations for Luxury Escapes members throughout 2026, with some customers visiting twice within a six-month window. The destination's enduring bucket-list status made it the obvious candidate for a headline-grabbing loyalty promotion.

"The Maldives is a bucket-list destination for a reason. It's absolutely extraordinary and we love the idea that one Société Point can help get you on a plane to paradise," he said. "Great loyalty programs should unlock experiences that feel genuinely special. For 250 Australians, that's exactly what this flight will do."

The promotion arrives at a strategically significant moment for the company's route network. Luxury Escapes is preparing to transition its Melbourne-to-Malé service from a seasonal offering into a year-round weekly route, with that expanded schedule set to commence on January 12 next year. The airline launched the seasonal version of the direct service in May.

What travellers need to know before booking

  • The sale opens at 7pm AEST Thursday and runs for 48 hours or until the 250 seats are gone.
  • Cost: one Societe Point plus $100 in taxes and surcharges.
  • The flight is one-way, departing Melbourne on November 3.
  • The aircraft is an A330 operated by Maldivian Air.
  • Societe membership is free to join.
  • Return flights and accommodation can be bundled into the booking.

With just 250 seats on offer and considerable public interest expected, those looking to take advantage of the deal are advised to have their Societe account ready well before the 7pm opening window. Given the Maldives' reputation as one of the world's premium island destinations, competition for spots is likely to be fierce.