In a word: seamless.
Just last month, Qantas changed the game with direct flights between London and Western Australia. But Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia are taking their own partnership to new heights, in a bid to offer a refined experience between Australia and the UK. With shared benefits and the option to travel east or west, this could become a seriously competitive answer – and certainly one we’d like to explore…
Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia have teamed up to offer increased codeshare flights between the UK and Australia. Meaning? You’ll soon experience the Virgin brand for the duration of your long haul journey with far less effort. Virgin Atlantic will soon offer seamless connections in Hong Kong to Virgin Australia flights bound for Sydney or Melbourne, bags will transfer automatically and you’ll only need to check in once. The new codeshare will launch July 2nd, 2018 and fares start at just £638 round trip!
All travelers can now receive Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles or Virgin Australia Velocity points for their entire journey. Miles = good. In addition to redeemable points, customers will also gain elite status credit. Eligible frequent flyers from each loyalty program will gain complimentary access to each airline’s respective lounges, even when flying economy. So yes, an eligible Virgin Australia elite member would gain access to Virgin Atlantic’s Clubhouse, and Virgin Atlantic Gold members would receive complimentary access to Virgin Australia lounges too.
In theory, this new codeshare agreement means you’ll soon be able to fly the Virgin brand all around the world, crossing both the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean en route between the UK and Australia. This added routing flexibility not only matches Qantas on convenience, with one check in and seamless connections, but offers the opportunity to do business in London, Hong Kong, Sydney and Los Angeles on a single return journey. That’s pretty hard to argue with…
Will you be giving this new Hong Kong route a go?
