Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia have announced a new codeshare agreement, creating more travel options between the UK and Australia – and giving customers the opportunity to travel around the world purely on Virgin airlines.
From the end of January, travellers booking through Virgin Atlantic will be able to buy tickets directly to Melbourne, with flexibility to connect via either Hong Kong or Los Angeles from Virgin Atlantic onto Virgin Australia services.
Additionally, customers travelling through LA will be able to fly directly to Sydney and Brisbane as part of the new codeshare.
The codeshare is likely to prove popular amongst fans of the carriers – famous for their customer service and flair.
The deal will also open up more domestic options across Australia – enabling customers to easily add flights to or from eight Australian cities including Cairns, Brisbane and Perth operated by Virgin Australia
The joint Virgin codeshare provides significant customer benefits – encompassing all the destinations they want to travel to in one booking with a single check in and bag drop.
Shai Weiss, chief commercial officer at Virgin Atlantic, commented: “We are pleased to announce a new partnership with Virgin Australia which means customers can soon travel around the world using only Virgin airlines.
“The new deal will create more travel options between the UK and Australia by giving customers the choice of connecting through Los Angeles or Hong Kong to Melbourne and beyond.
“It also offers customers the security and ease of booking through a codeshare, as well as through check-in and a single bag drop for the entire journey.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming our Australian customers back on board, and couldn’t think of a more fitting way to do it than with our sister airline.”
Virgin Atlantic offers up to three daily flights between London Heathrow to Los Angeles with a further one daily to Hong Kong, creating the most flexible travel offerings to Australia than ever before.
Both routes are operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, the newest aircraft in its fleet.
On board, customers can enjoy a more comfortable journey in the light and airy cabin, with enhanced seating and ample legroom.
The Dreamliner boasts an enhanced customer experience with Wi-Fi on every aircraft and thanks to the lower cabin air pressure, customers will arrive in their destination feeling revived and refreshed.
Virgin Australia operates 18 services a week between Australia and Los Angeles on its Boeing 777 fleet and also offers a daily flight between Australia and Hong Kong.
Flights under this codeshare agreement will become available in the new year, subject to regulatory approvals.