Virgin Australia gets green light for Air New Zealand partnership

Virgin Australia is setting its sights on the Tasman as its partnership with Air New Zealand is cleared for take-off (again). The deal unlocks the ability to earn and spend Velocity Points on selected Air NZ flights. There are also perks for Velocity members flying with New Zealand’s national carrier as part of the bundle.

A partnership with Air New Zealand isn’t a new thing for Virgin Australia. The two airlines shared a longstanding tie-up some years ago, though it eventually broke down. But now, with fresh leadership and higher-than-before travel demand, it seems the time is ripe to rekindle the relationship.

Australians share our love of New Zealand and its national carrier and we can’t wait to reignite this partnership before the end of the year. The regulators’ endorsement reflects the strong consumer benefits the partnership will unlock, including greater value, choice and loyalty rewards for travellers across the Tasman.

– Alistair Hartley, Virgin Australia Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, August 2024

Benefits of the Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand partnership

The new unilateral partnership between Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand would take on a different shape than before. There’d still be several similar elements though. Here are some of the benefits that Virgin Australia aims to achieve:

• Virgin Australia will codeshare on Air New Zealand’s flights from Australia into Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. It won’t apply to routes that Virgin Australia already flies (i.e. Queenstown).
• Velocity Frequent Flyer members will be able to earn and redeem points, at least on Air New Zealand’s trans-Tasman flights.
• Gold and Platinum members of Velocity can enjoy airport lounge access when flying between Australia and New Zealand

The latter two benefits may be restricted to flights booked on the VA codeshare only, but that’s to be confirmed.

Plan your New Zealand escape with Velocity Points.

The partnership now has the green light from both the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and New Zealand Ministry of Transport.

Air New Zealand already has a partnership with Virgin Australia’s arch-rival, Qantas. Interestingly though, the tie-up between Qantas and Air NZ only covers the domestic skies of each country. But on trans-Tasman flights, the two airlines compete head-to-head. At this stage, that arrangement will remains unaffected.

Overall, the upcoming Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand partnership is good news for Velocity Frequent Flyer members, who will gain another partner to earn and use points on.

Also read: Air New Zealand Boeing 777 Business Premier review (Brisbane – Auckland)

Feature image courtesy of Virgin Australia. This article was previously written by Chris Chamberlin.