Virgin Australia announces new South African and Delta Codeshares

[markis10]

Virgin Australia has announced new codeshare routes with South African Airways (SAA) and Delta Air Lines.
First, Virgin will add its VA airline code on South African Airways’ daily Perth-Johannesburg service, operated with Airbus A340-300 and A340-600 aircraft, from October 21.
Members of Virgin’s frequent flyer program Velocity can earn points and status credits on the new SAA codeshare flights when booked under the VA code, Virgin said in a statement on Wednesday.
SAA wound up it long-standing partnership with Qantas on the Australia-South Africa route earlier in 2014, withdrawing its SA code from Qantas’s Sydney-Johnannesburg flights. In turn, the Flying Kangaroo took its QF code off SAA’s services between Perth and Johnannesburg.
Separately, Virgin said it would add its VA code on alliance partner Delta Air Lines-operated flights to three new destinations from Los Angeles – Nashville, Kansas City and Raleigh/Durham http://australianaviation.com.au/2014/10/virgin-to-codeshare-on-south-african-airways-perth-service/

 

[Mr_Orange]

Virgin Australia has announced new codeshare routes with South African Airways (SAA) and Delta Air Lines.
First, Virgin will add its VA airline code on South African Airways’ daily Perth-Johannesburg service, operated with Airbus A340-300 and A340-600 aircraft, from October 21.

No real surprise after the QF/SA codes disappeared.

 

[cmon0005]

Strange that the regulator a couple of years ago was not willing to give QF/SAA the length of codeshare they wanted, due to the duopoly on the route, so how is it that VA are allowed to come in now that QF has left the codeshare?

Link: http://www.smh.com.au/business/qantas-code-share-with-saa-cleared-for-takeoff-20120917-261nk.html

 

[markis10]

Strange that the regulator a couple of years ago was not willing to give QF/SAA the length of codeshare they wanted, due to the duopoly on the route, so how is it that VA are allowed to come in now that QF has left the codeshare?

Link: Qantas | Qantas code with SAA share cleared for take-off

It was a JSA that was the issue, not just a simple codeshare.

 

[TomVexille]

Strange that the regulator a couple of years ago was not willing to give QF/SAA the length of codeshare they wanted, due to the duopoly on the route, so how is it that VA are allowed to come in now that QF has left the codeshare?

Link: Qantas | Qantas code with SAA share cleared for take-off

Because QF still fly to JNB and this doesn't really affect the duopoly.

 

[jsoprano]

Strange that the regulator a couple of years ago was not willing to give QF/SAA the length of codeshare they wanted, due to the duopoly on the route, so how is it that VA are allowed to come in now that QF has left the codeshare?

Because now there is actual competition in the AU-South Africa market: you can choose between SA/VA or QF. Previously (ignoring the short period of time when VA flew to JNB) it was only SA/QF under a JSA.

 

[cmon0005]

Because now there is actual competition in the AU-South Africa market: you can choose between SA/VA or QF. Previously (ignoring the short period of time when VA flew to JNB) it was only SA/QF under a JSA.

Yes understand your point of view, but they are flying from different locations/markets now, so really there isn't competition as they aren't technically the same routes or same side of the country..
SA/VA from Perth (west coast) QF from Sydney (east coast).

 

[jsoprano]

Yes understand your point of view, but they are flying from different locations/markets now, so really there isn't competition as they aren't technically the same routes or same side of the country..
SA/VA from Perth (west coast) QF from Sydney (east coast).

If you look at these flights simply as point-to-point then maybe, but that's not how it works these days. VA will clearly use this codeshare to also route people from SYD, MEL, BNE, ADL, ... through PER to JNB; that's what QF did regardless of their SYD-JNB flight. I am not sure who defines what "the market" for this flight is, but in my view it clearly is more than the West Coast.