Air New Zealand

Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia have officially launched their new trans-Tasman partnership, aligning fare structures, products and services.

For flights commencing 26 July, travellers can book tickets on either carrier with full code-sharing of flights across the Tasman including connecting domestic services.

“Customers are from today seeing the first benefits of the new alliance, which will continue to develop over coming months,” Virgin Australia executive commercial Liz Savage said.

 “Virgin Australia customers will have almost three times as many departure times for trans-Tasman travel as well as new products and services, including wide body business class,” Ms Savage said.

Other services the code-share will offer include reciprocal lounge access for eligible customers, priority seating and check in, baggage and boarding for premium guests. Also reciprocal frequent flyer programs enabling Airpoints and Velocity members to earn and redeem frequent flyer points on each other’s services.

“From July 26, Air New Zealand customers will benefit from Virgin Australia’s extensive domestic network, gaining access to 29 ports around Australia,” Air New Zealand general manger Bruce Parton said.

“We have also worked hard to ensure that the booking process is clear for our customers, spelling out which airline they will be flying on and the inclusions involved,” Mr Parton said.