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

[johnnyfive]

And BNE-DUD survives for now...

"Dunedin's thrice-weekly Brisbane flights will continue and the city will retain its international airport.

Virgin Australia announced yesterday the flights would continue after October, despite an alliance with Air New Zealand ending that month."

City keeps Brisbane service

 

[docjames]

Until bookings drop off and they can it.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Well if it was ever going to survive, it will be through the summer months. Would bet it drops completely April-September and returns as seasonal.

 

[Dee#]

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

well there is not much out of Perth now with Etihad and air NZ (to Auckland) partnership gone. Only Singapore and SAA (but who wants to go to SA). How do Perth people get SC's now?

 

[Bagpuss]

well there is not much out of Perth now with Etihad and air NZ (to Auckland) partnership gone. Only Singapore and SAA (but who wants to go to SA). How do Perth people get SC's now?

For me :
Singapore Airlines to Europe
Virgin Australia to USA
Delta in USA
Flying domestically

Etihad have also been hinting to Perth is a suspension not a cancellation. Though if that was the case I thought they would have held out for the Christmas period.

 

[johnnyfive]

Seems like NZ will still use VA for domestic add-ons within Australia when flying TT.

https://p-airnz.com/cms/assets/NZ-A...de_sales-efft-25Apr18_travel-from_28Oct18.pdf

 

[Ekka]

Having dealt with Air New Zealand while working with another one of their former "partners" this does not surprise me.

They do not play nice with the other children and have serious delusions of grandeur about their own pulling power and ability to do it all themselves.

Too true. It's a problem which exists in all areas, not just aviation.

Typical small-person-with-chips-on-both-shoulders behaviour.

 

[pauly7]

An interesting NZ / VA observation - Work colleague about a week ago had their NZ flight cancelled (NZ cancelling flights all over the place apparently due to their 789 disaster).

Anyway, queued up with about ~100 people at the airport to be rebooked the CSM’s were only rebooking onto QF and NZ metal flights. People were on their phones and showing the agents ‘better timed’ avails on VA that day but the CSM’s held firm and were only rebooking onto QF and NZ, stating they were not able to book people onto VA anymore....

Just thought interesting, I know rival airlines do this but would have thought NZ would preference throwing some bones to a weaker VA on TT rather than a resurgent and recently upgauged QF....

 

[serfty]

Just thought interesting, I know rival airlines do this but would have thought NZ would preference throwing some bones to a weaker VA on TT rather than a resurgent and recently upgauged QF....

I believe the boss of AirNZ has an issue with the boss of VA; they tried to have him removed when AirNZ had shares in VA. When that failed they sold their VA shares.

I guess it must be personal.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

If so, not the best look for him then. Personal grievances should not get in the way of good business decisions.

 

[pauly7]

I believe the boss of AirNZ has an issue with the boss of VA; they tried to have him removed when AirNZ had shares in VA. When that failed they sold their VA shares.

I guess it must be personal.

Maybe but the CEO wouldn’t have gone into that meeting with such a position without board approval and support (and implied shareholder support) so it is possible that a much broader set of people had issues with VA’s performance and leadership.... it’s a murky and dirty series of events that’s for sure.

Anyway just thought interesting to share - QF kicking back and lapping it up is an amusing characture.

 

[NZflygirl]

An interesting NZ / VA observation - Work colleague about a week ago had their NZ flight cancelled (NZ cancelling flights all over the place apparently due to their 789 disaster).

Anyway, queued up with about ~100 people at the airport to be rebooked the CSM’s were only rebooking onto QF and NZ metal flights. People were on their phones and showing the agents ‘better timed’ avails on VA that day but the CSM’s held firm and were only rebooking onto QF and NZ, stating they were not able to book people onto VA anymore....

Just thought interesting, I know rival airlines do this but would have thought NZ would preference throwing some bones to a weaker VA on TT rather than a resurgent and recently upgauged QF....

A number of years ago my flight was delayed and I was going to miss my connection so NZ rebooked me on QF. This was before anything happened with NZ/VA and they were still happy families (if a time actually did exist). So I'm not sure if it's due to the VA split although that is a lot of people to rebook onto QF.

 

[pauly7]

A number of years ago my flight was delayed and I was going to miss my connection so NZ rebooked me on QF. This was before anything happened with NZ/VA and they were still happy families (if a time actually did exist). So I'm not sure if it's due to the VA split although that is a lot of people to rebook onto QF.

Oh I agree it’s not out of the norm. VA have rebooked me onto QF once when my VA flight was cancelled - and they are sworn enemies. It was just interesting that the NZ CSM was saying they can no longer book VA....implying they once could.

 

[Falcs]

Last year QF booked me onto NZ when their flight to NZ was cancelled, they're usually decent if trying to clear irrops

Sounds like there's some NZ egos at play if they're going out of their way to avoid VA

 

[Virgin Bart]

... unrelated to above discussion... But still no news about lounge post divorce.

 

[AviationNZ]

Just thought interesting, I know rival airlines do this but would have thought NZ would preference throwing some bones to a weaker VA on TT rather than a resurgent and recently upgauged QF....

A number of years ago my flight was delayed and I was going to miss my connection so NZ rebooked me on QF. This was before anything happened with NZ/VA and they were still happy families (if a time actually did exist). So I'm not sure if it's due to the VA split although that is a lot of people to rebook onto QF.

Oh I agree it’s not out of the norm. VA have rebooked me onto QF once when my VA flight was cancelled - and they are sworn enemies. It was just interesting that the NZ CSM was saying they can no longer book VA....implying they once could.

Last year QF booked me onto NZ when their flight to NZ was cancelled, they're usually decent if trying to clear irrops

Sounds like there's some NZ egos at play if they're going out of their way to avoid VA

I've spoken to a friend a few times that works in airport operations in Sydney, and she said that QF are a hundred times better to deal with in disrupt situations compared to VA. QF make things easy and just get the job done, where as VA take so much longer to help. So my guess is that it's not so much to do with who they can book or want to book, but instead who is going to help in the shortest amount of time.

 

[Cryptarcadian]

Data point... a friend was flying LAX-AKL-SYD on NZ and the first leg was running late enough it would've meant a missed connection in AKL, so NZ just rebooked him on the VA direct to SYD (so he ended up arriving earlier).

And that was only about a month ago! Wonder if that would still happy today?

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

I think that (Air)NZ will be able to up prices for subclass of J after the divorce.
Right now, if you/a person wanted, they could book a VA flight Au - NZ or vv in subclass of J for about $6xx or $7xx, but VA is selling its subclass of J higher.
Personally, I prefer flying the wide jets, so would go NZ in premY, but if I was that way inclined, I would book subclass of J for an VA metal flight plane, but using an (Air)NZ flight number on it.
I am sure after Oct, (Air)NZ will be upping prices for TransTasman flights, it would then after that keep all the revenue, and would not have to share it with VA, either $ wise or FF points wise.
Its lounges also would be less full, as VA J pax would no access.
Lots of speculatory about it, but I think that (Air)NZ would probably gain more from this divorce, than VA would.
VA might go the PP priority pass system for lounge access.
Don't think they (VA) would continue to put J pax Koru's way, and pay (Air)NZ for the previledge.

 

[grubbidok]

It was just interesting that the NZ CSM was saying they can no longer book VA....implying they once could.

To be fair sometimes you can't even book a VA flight from the VA website, I'd imagine their disrupt bookings are even harder!

On another note, I was asked to do a survey very recently (this last week), where NZ was still listed as a VA partner

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Seems that Air NZ is still selling VA tickets for December 23 this year on VA metal, which is odd in the sense that the blurb on their website is that its/all is no broken, ie, no more agreements about selling Air NZ tickets on VA.
Must be a fluke or am I reading something wrong.
Maybe someone at Air NZ didn't get the memo!