Virgin Australia & Air New Zealand Partnership: Flights, Lounge Access & Points Bookings

Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand are proving that some breakups are only temporary, with the two carriers hard launching round two of their relationship earlier today. Codeshare flights are already available for booking via Virgin Australia, for travel from 9 December 2024.

The refreshed trans-Tasman romance is unilateral, with VA flight numbers added to Air New Zealand services between Australia and Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington. These flights are in addition to Virgin Australia's existing offering into Queenstown. Being unilateral, the partnership won’t work the other way around, so don’t expect to see NZ codeshare flight numbers on Virgin flights.

Velocity Frequent Flyers will gain access to elite perks with another Star Alliance carrier, with Gold and Platinum members unlocking access to the Kiwi flag carrier’s airport lounges when travelling on VA-codeshare Air New Zealand flights. Priority check-in and boarding, as well as an additional checked baggage allowance, is also on offer.

Members will earn Velocity Points and Status Credits on these codeshare services, with the ability to book Air New Zealand flights with Velocity Points a new opportunity.

Virgin Australia’s Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, Alistair Hartley, says the new partnership isn’t just about flights.

“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…We're committed to delivering unprecedented network coverage, loyalty rewards, and travel flexibility that make crossing borders as easy as crossing the street,” he adds.

Kathryn O’Brien, Air New Zealand’s General Manager for Australia, mentioned that the partnership creates yet another excuse to fly across the ditch.

"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."

Air New Zealand Flights You Can Book Via Virgin Australia

From 5 December 2024, passengers can book selected Air New Zealand trans-Tasman flights via Virgin Australia, with a VA flight number. That’s flights between Australia and Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, with Virgin already operating their own services to Queenstown.

Air New Zealand’s VA codeshare flights also unlock connectivity from/to Virgin Australia’s own domestic network. But unfortunately, you can only book VA codeshare flights operated by Air New Zealand with an Australian departure point. While return bookings are possible, you can’t make a one-way booking from New Zealand to Australia.

Travellers can book the below Air New Zealand routes via Virgin Australia, for travel from 9 December 2024 onwards.

Velocity Status Benefits When Flying With Air New Zealand

When travelling on an Air New Zealand flight with a VA flight number between Australia and New Zealand, Velocity Gold and Platinum members gain access to the following perks;

• Priority check-in
• Priority boarding
• Priority baggage
• One additional checked bag of up to 23kg
• Air New Zealand Lounge access

Booking Air New Zealand Using Velocity Points

While there is currently no word on Velocity opening up Reward Seats for travel with Air New Zealand, you can make an Any Seat booking for Economy and Business Class. Keep in mind that Velocity Any Seat Rewards generally offer poor value, as they require significantly more points than standard Reward Seats.

Velocity members cannot redeem points for Business Class upgrades on Air New Zealand flights.

Summing Up: Virgin Australia & Air New Zealand Reunite

Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand benefited from a longstanding partnership until October of 2018, when the flying Kiwi dumped Virgin for Qantas. Being Star Alliance and OneWorld carriers respectively, the move was unexpected but is limited to a codeshare on domestic flights within Australia and New Zealand.

A Virgin Australia source tells Flight Hacks that this new agreement is unlikely to affect the current Qantas partnership. Unlike the Qantas agreement, this agreement is unilateral and does not cover domestic services in either country.