Virgin Australia is saying Konnichiwa to Japan with a significantly expanded partnership with world class airline All Nippon Airways (ANA). The agreement will see increased codeshare opportunities, reciprocal frequent flyer benefits and the ability to earn and redeem Velocity Points and Status Credits with the Japanese carrier.
It’s an exciting development for Australian frequent flyers, with ANA being Japan’s largest airline and presenting some of the world’s best premium cabins. This includes the fantastic “The Room” business class.
Velocity Frequent Flyer CEO, Nick Rohrlach, said that the expanded partnership marks a significant milestone for Virgin Australia and Velocity Frequent Flyer.
“We are very proud of this partnership with ANA, All Nippon Airways, and look forward to seeing our guests and members enjoy the choice, benefits and rewards that the alignment offers,”
“Following the commencement of our inaugural Cairns to Tokyo service last month, it is fantastic to be opening up more opportunities for our guests and members when travelling to, and within, Japan,” said Mr Rohrlach.
Here’s your comprehensive guide to Virgin Australia’s partnership with All Nippon Airways.
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Velocity Status Benefits With ANA
Those feeling special with a Velocity Gold or Platinum frequent flyer card will no doubt be disappointed that lounge access is not offered when they travel with ANA. For now, there are a few benefits for elite Velocity members booked on ANA flights, including;
- Priority check-in
- Priority tagged baggage
- One additional checked bag (23kg in Economy or 32kg in Business and First)
To enjoy the above benefits you will need to be travelling on an ANA-operated flight between Australia and Japan with a VA or NH flight number. For domestic flights within Japan, you will need to travel on a VA flight number.
Selected ANA-operated flights between Australia and Japan are available as Virgin Australia codeshare flights. For now, there are only two international ANA routes bookable with a VA flight number;
- Sydney to/from Tokyo Haneda – from 18th July 2023
- Perth to/from Tokyo Narita – from 29th October 2023
On the Virgin Australia booking page, ANA codeshare flights are given a VA flight number and will display “All Nippon Airways (ANA)” as the carrier. This is shown in red below.
These flights can be combined with domestic Virgin flights in Australia, and in some cases, domestic ANA flights throughout Japan. Virgin Australia can now sell the following ANA domestic destinations as interline fares;
- Fukuoka (FUK)
- Hiroshima (HIJ)
- Kochi (KCZ)
- Kumamoto (KMJ)
- Miyazaki (KMI)
- Nagasaki (NGS)
- Nagoya (NGO)
- Oita (OIT)
- Okinawa (OKA)
- Osaka Itami (ITM)
- Osaka Kansai (KIX)
- Sapporo (CTS)
Earning Velocity Points And Status Credits With ANA
Travel On A VA Flight Number
Here are the Velocity Points you can earn on All Nippon Airways codeshare flights with a VA flight number, before any status bonus;
If you’re more interested in earning Velocity Status Credits, here’s how many you can expect per ANA-operated sector. Remember that VA-marketed codeshare travel will count towards the Eligible Sector requirement for Velocity status.
Travel On A NH Flight Number
It’s worth keeping in mind that you don’t need to travel on VA-numbered flights to earn Velocity Points and Status Credits with ANA. Your Velocity number can be added to any ANA booking, even if the flight number begins with NH.
You’ll earn Velocity Points per mile flown with ANA, based on your fare class;
You can also earn Status Credits on NH-flights, although Velocity won’t count these as an Eligible Sector;
Earn More Points With Velocity Status
Elite Velocity members can enjoy bonus Velocity Points when travelling on ANA operated flights with a VA flight number. In addition to the base points earned, eligible members will receive the following multiplier;
- Silver: 50% bonus
- Gold: 75% bonus
- Platinum: 100% bonus
Booking ANA Flights Using Velocity Points
Velocity members can now redeem their hard-earned points for all ANA departures with a VA or NH flight number. That unlocks some world-class cabins to more than 130 destinations around the world, to the likes of New York, Vancouver, London, Paris and Seoul. Of course, All Nippon Airways also operates between Tokyo and Sydney, with Perth flights to restart in October.
Although ANA offers some world-class service, the booking experience for Velocity Reward Seats with the airline is far from pleasant. That’s because the ability to book ANA award seats online is not yet available. Instead, you’ll need to call the Virgin Australia Membership Contact Centre on 131 875 between 7:30am and 10:30pm AEDT.
All Nippon Airways follows the same Velocity partner reward table as United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic;
As both of All Nippon’s flights between Tokyo and Perth or Sydney fall within “Zone 6”, you’ll need the following points for a Velocity Reward Seat;
- Economy: 34,800 Velocity Points + taxes
- Premium Economy: 53,700 Velocity Points + taxes
- Business: 71,500 Velocity Points + taxes
