Air New Zealand ends alliance with Virgin Australia [goes with Qantas]

[AustraliaPoochie]

5000 KF miles needed to earn firstly, then will equal about 3700 VFF on transfer.
As mentioned on this website, it will the SC earn that won't carry across on transfer, but if you fly regularly with SQ you will have status without needing to transfer points to VFF.
2 years worth of trips using KF on higher fares, will as a base FF earn system will have enough points to transfer to VFF.
Thanks for the tips.
Have just joined KF and have a paper KF member card printed out from home printer.
Goodbye (Air)NZ as a main VFF partner, welcome KF inlieu.

 

[arbo]

Codesharing is stopping, along with the frequent flyer benefits. Interline bookings haven't stopped, and i'm sure you'll still be able to book regional travel into Aust and also into NZ with VA and NZ.

Agree but without the regional lounge access or status recognition

 

[stm1sydney]

VA, please join Skyteam now!

 

[atreides]

VA needs to join an alliance, their half assed DIY approach is a confusing risky mess.

 

[dajop]

The trouble with alliance, is which one? Strong relationship with DL excludes star alliance (and driving traffic to UA), ownership and strong relationship with SQ could exclude Skyteam. Although it could be possible to maintain a stronger bilateral with SQ (like QF to with EK and DL do with VS) whilst being a member of Skyteam.

Those advocating Skyteam, be careful what you wish for. No more lounge access flying domestically within US with DL!!

 

[serfty]

VA, please join Skyteam now!

Hope not - would then likely need say day international for SkyClub access ...

 

[ICUDr]

I know it's beating on a dead horse, but it would be great if this will finally encourage VA to join a proper alliance, even Skyteam would be good.

I recently met an executive from VA on a domestic flight and chat about many things (including AFF, which he had to leave due to, what he felt, would have been a biased view on his behalf)

Anyway I did bring up the lack of an international proper alliance to which he replied saying that the CEO of VA likes the freedom of not being a part of an international alliance and that it gives freedom to VA to choose who to have an alliance with

I also agree with you VA should join a proper alliance which is one of the reasons many people stick with QF

 

[glasszon]

I recently met an executive from VA on a domestic flight and chat about many things (including AFF, which he had to leave due to, what he felt, would have been a biased view on his behalf)

Anyway I did bring up the lack of an international proper alliance to which he replied saying that the CEO of VA likes the freedom of not being a part of an international alliance and that it gives freedom to VA to choose who to have an alliance with

I also agree with you VA should join a proper alliance which is one of the reasons many people stick with QF

Can't comment on the business side, but from a customer's prospective a proper alliance brings certainty, which is really important.

How many times you saw people ask in this forum about VA privilege not being extended on partner airlines? Not all partner Airline staff knows about the ad-hoc alliance their Airlines have with VA, but they sure know which alliance their airline belongs to. Plus this event shows that ad-hoc alliance is just that, they can be changed quickly based on business needs, whereby the membership of a proper Airline alliance is much more stable.

 

[coco50]

Air NZ are good at sticking the boot into Australian airlines. First, they killed Ansett and now this with VA. We should break off diplomatic relations with NZ or at least change our flag so that it doesn't look like theirs!

 

[AviationNZ]

Air NZ are good at sticking the boot into Australian airlines. First, they killed Ansett and now this with VA. We should break off diplomatic relations with NZ or at least change our flag so that it doesn't look like theirs!

Fairly <unusual> comment but each to their own...

New services have been announced today;
Air New Zealand adds trans-Tasman flights

 

[johnnyfive]

I wonder what this means for VAs BNE-DUD?

 

[pangwen]

I wonder what this means for VAs BNE-DUD?

Perversely given that it's the one bne route with a accc capacity floor (bne-wlg, bne-chc and bne-zqn being the others) that NZ hasn't(!) announced new flights for, it might be safe for a little longer.

 

[dajop]

The other thought on VA alliance membership, or lack thereof, is the Chinese shareholding ... are HNA going to want VA in bed with CZ/MU (Skyteam) or CA (*)?

 

[Standby]

Perversely given that it's the one bne route with a accc capacity floor (bne-wlg, bne-chc and bne-zqn being the others) that NZ hasn't(!) announced new flights for, it might be safe for a little longer.

Surely once the current alliance has expired the current ACCC route guarantees no longer apply.VA will make descisions based on route viability as any independent business should

 

[pangwen]

Surely once the current alliance has expired the current ACCC route guarantees no longer apply.VA will make descisions based on route viability as any independent business should

Naturally - just saying that I had thought BNE-DUD would be the first to be given the chop originally. But now with NZ competing on other BNE routes that are lightly loaded (otherwise why would the ACCC bother to force the partnership to give a guarantee of seats), those other routes might be at more risk.

 

[AviationNZ]

The other thought on VA alliance membership, or lack thereof, is the Chinese shareholding ... are HNA going to want VA in bed with CZ/MU (Skyteam) or CA (*)?

Given the massive changes happening at HNA (selling down their foreign debt/investment), I wouldn't be surprised if they end up parting with VA from an equity perspective.

 

[DaveB]

Have always tried to support VA whenever their planes attempted to compete with the competition.
With family in Tauranga and all flying based on most effective points offering rather than a particular airline availability, we made regular use of the VA/NZ alliance largely to fly on NZ's wide body offerings. Access involving reasonable points burn had noticeably dried up the past 12 months so had switched most flights to then EK's 380's and now QF's 330-200. VA's 737 offerings, typically involving a Sydney tarmac gate and bus ride is a poor alternative. Interesting what lounge offering they can come up though will still likely require a traipse back to Gate 26 for tarmac departures.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

They (VA) would probably go with PriorityPass for their non premium guests, those with the Lounge memberships but travelling Y.
Can you imagine EY/SQ lounges being filled up with VA flyers?
I have been into the SQ J lounge in SYDint and its not all that huge, plush? Yes. Nice? Yes. Huge? Nope.
VA have their own lounges domestically so that side is covered.
I am only presupposing that they would go with PP, they might go with EY/SQ, who knows.
Early days yet.
AirNZ might go back to QP for cities like ADL where they don't have their own lounges, as used to be allowed access for WorksDeluxe in the old days (Airbus320 departures to AKL).

 

[Bagpuss]

Given the massive changes happening at HNA (selling down their foreign debt/investment), I wouldn't be surprised if they end up parting with VA from an equity perspective.

Interesting read (including New Zealand code share with Hainan): Will a troubled HNA be forced to sell its Virgin Australia Holdings investment?

 

[Franky]

Heavyweights EK and EY don't need an alliance, and neither does VA.

And as we speak - there goes another international flight out of Perth with Etihad announcing they will cease operations from 01CT18!!