Thursday, 5 December: The long-awaited reunion of Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand is now officially “official”, bringing enhanced travel options and seamless experiences for Virgin Australia passengers crossing the Tasman.

From today, under the new codeshare agreement between the two trans-Tasman carriers, travellers can directly book Virgin Australia flights operated by Air New Zealand with a VA flight number into Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch for travel from 9 December 2024 onwards. These flights are in addition to Virgin Australia’s existing services to Queenstown.

Virgin Australia guests and Velocity Frequent Flyer members can also enjoy a variety of benefits and rewards when booking and travelling on around 300 services between Australia and New Zealand each week on Virgin Australia flights operated by Air New Zealand (with a VA flight number). These include:

• Earning Velocity Points and Status Credits*
• Lounge access for Velocity Gold and Platinum members*
• Seamless customer experience when connecting onto a Virgin Australia flight on its Australian network, including transfer of baggage and boarding passes issued for the entire journey.
• Velocity Gold and Platinum Status entitlements including one additional checked bag (up to 23kg), priority check-in and priority boarding*
• Virgin Australia Business Flyers will also have access to exclusive discounts and benefits in addition to options for corporate customers*

Virgin Australia Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, Alistair Hartley, said the much-anticipated partnership gives Virgin Australia customers greater access to New Zealand destinations.

“The connection between Australia and New Zealand has always been deeper than just a stretch of ocean, and our new partnership with Air New Zealand celebrates that enduring bond.

“This codeshare agreement isn’t just about flights – it’s about creating seamless travel experiences that give Virgin Australia customers more ways to explore, connect, and adventure. We’re committed to delivering unprecedented network coverage, loyalty rewards, and travel flexibility that make crossing borders as easy as crossing the street.”

Air New Zealand General Manager Australia, Kathryn O’Brien, said this partnership with Virgin Australia makes it even easier for Australians and Kiwis living in Australia to make the short hop across the ditch.

“Whether it’s for a weekend with friends and family, a business trip, or simply an excuse to experience some breathtaking scenery, this partnership seamlessly opens up more opportunities and destinations across New Zealand.

“From today, we’re excited to extend a big Kia ora to Virgin Australia customers onboard and deliver our signature Kiwi hospitality, giving them a taste of Aotearoa at 30,000 feet.”

Routes included in the codeshare agreement (travel dates available from 9 December 2024, flights can be booked to depart from Australia):

• Sydney Auckland
• Sydney Christchurch
• Sydney Wellington
• Adelaide Auckland
• Brisbane Auckland
• Brisbane Christchurch
• Brisbane Wellington
• Melbourne Auckland
• Melbourne Christchurch
• Melbourne Wellington
• Gold Coast Auckland
• Gold Coast Christchurch
• Perth Auckland
• Cairns Auckland (seasonal)
• Hobart Auckland (seasonal)
• Sunshine Coast Auckland (seasonal)

Virgin Australia flights operated by Air New Zealand (with a VA flight number) are currently on sale here and operating from 9 December 2024.

## Hi res image and video assets, including VNR, can be downloaded here ##

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITOR

About Virgin Australia

Founded in the Year 2000 by Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Australia is now one of the largest Australian airlines operating an extensive domestic network as well as short-haul international services, charter and cargo operations. The Group employs more than 7,000 people and has been a competitor in the Australian aviation landscape for 24 years. Virgin Australia is incredibly focused on providing wonderful travel experiences through award-winning service, optionality to fly the way you want to, and value with competitive airfare pricing. Three seating choices are offered when flying with Virgin Australia; Business Class, Economy X (extra leg room Economy) and Economy.

About Velocity Frequent Flyer

Virgin Australia’s award-winning loyalty program, Velocity Frequent Flyer, boast more than 12 million members who can use their Points to redeem flights to over 600 destinations around the world through Virgin Australia and the airline’s extensive list of international partner carriers, including Virgin Atlantic, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, United Airlines and more. The program is also partnered with Flybuys (Coles, Coles Express, Bunnings and more), Myer, Luxury Escapes, DiDi and more, giving members more choice than ever before when earning and redeeming Points.

About Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand’s story started in 1940, first taking to the skies between Auckland and Sydney on a flying boat – a Short S30. Known for its warm Kiwi hospitality, today, the airline has operating aircraft ranging from Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners and Airbus A320s to ATRs and Q300s, offering customers comfort in the latest most efficient jets and turboprops. It’s a modern fuel-efficient fleet with an average age of 8.7 years. Air New Zealand’s global network of passenger and cargo services centres around New Zealand. In 2023, the airline flew more than 16 million passengers. Air New Zealand was named 2024 World’s Safest Airline by the Australian rating service AirlineRatings.com, highlighting the airline’s laser-focus on safety and won Best Corporate Reputation in New Zealand in 2023 – the 9th year in a row. 

Air New Zealand has a well-connected domestic business, connecting customers and cargo to 20 different regions around New Zealand. Internationally, the airline has direct flights to major cities across Australia, Asia, the Pacific Islands and the US, and through its strong relationships with alliance partners, offers customers more choice and convenience to connect further afield to hundreds of destinations. Air New Zealand has a particular focus on sustainability and its Sustainability Framework helps guide the airline’s efforts in tackling some of New Zealand’s and the world’s most complex challenges. Airpoints, Air New Zealand’s loyalty programme, is seen as the most valuable loyalty programme in New Zealand with more than 4 million members. It allows members to earn Airpoints Dollars™ and Status Points for VIP benefits in the air and on the ground. Air New Zealand aircraft are proudly identified by its distinct tail livery of the Mangōpare, the Māori symbol of the hammerhead shark which represents strength, tenacity, and resilience.

*Terms and Conditions

Velocity Points and Status Credits earn Terms and Conditions: Points and Status Credits can only be earned on eligible fare classes on eligible flights operated by Air New Zealand and marketed by Virgin Australia (VA) with a VA flight number. Status Credits accrual is based on single flight segments that consist of individual flight numbers. An itinerary that involves a change in aircraft but retains the same flight number is considered a single flight segment. An itinerary that consists of a change in flight numbers, even if the same aircraft is used for the entire itinerary, is considered two flight segments. Check the Velocity Membership Terms and Conditions for more details.

Lounge access: Velocity Gold and Platinum members will have access to Air New Zealand Lounges in the following international airports before their trans-Tasman flight when travelling on a VA-marketed flight operated by Air New Zealand: Auckland (Strata Lounge), Wellington, Christchurch, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth. Each Velocity Gold and Platinum member may bring one guest into the lounge, provided the guest is also flying on the same VA marketed trans-Tasman flight operated by Air New Zealand. For Velocity Gold and Platinum members travelling from Adelaide and the Gold Coast, lounge access will be available at the Virgin Australia Lounge, subject to operating hours and the Virgin Australia Lounge terms and conditions. Access to all other Air New Zealand domestic lounges or any other worldwide lounges is not permitted for Virgin Australia guests and Velocity tier members as part of this arrangement. For more information, please visit the Air New Zealand partner page on the Velocity website.

Gold and Platinum Velocity member benefits: Priority Check-in, baggage & boarding are available at selected ports. See https://www.velocityfrequentflyer.com/flyingstatus/benefits-at-a-glance for more information. When travelling in Business class, the maximum permitted baggage allowance is 3x 23kg bags.

Business travel discounts: Virgin Australia Business Flyer members and eligible corporate customers will have access to discounts under the Virgin Australia Business Flyer program and their Corporate Air Agreement respectively, on flights operated by Air New Zealand with a VA flight number between Australia and Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. More information can be found on the Virgin Australia Business Flyer webpage for Virgin Australia Business Flyer members, or by contacting the Corporate Sales team for eligible corporate customers.