Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand end alliance
It's time to say farewell to trans-Tasman codeshare flights.
After a seven-year alliance, Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand have decided to call it quits, ending their trans-Tasman alliance with the last flights taking off in October.
Any customers travelling codeshare on a flight between Australia and New Zealand prior to 27 October will be unaffected.
Those booked on a Virgin Australia trans-Tasman flight operated by Air New Zealand, or vice-versa, following this date will be contacted by the airline they booked with. They will be given further information about the situation as well as information about possible travel changes.
The agreement not to renew their alliance in October was mutual with Air New Zealand chief revenue officer Cam Wallace stating it was time for each airline to focus on its own objectives. "Australia is the largest source of inbound visitors to New Zealand and Air New Zealand has built up a significant presence in the market," he said.
"This move will enable us to deliver a more consistent customer experience by using our own fleet and delivering an improved schedule, which we'll provide more details about shortly."
At the moment, it's unclear how this will affect lounge access and points earning for both airlines. We'll update you when we learn more.
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