This is interesting because United seems to be trying to get Delta's partners.
The partnership between United Airlines and Virgin Australia will be approved by the government. The partnership will give United customers access to Virgin Australia's short haul network and give Virgin Australia customers access to United's long haul network.
The following perks are available to United MileagePlus and Virgin Australia Velocity members.
There are redemption opportunities for mileage.
Priority check-in, priority boarding, priority baggage handling, priority security clearance, and lounge access.
United has a great route network to Australia. The only US airline that consistently maintained service to Australia during the Pandemic was it, and it also operated more flights to Australia pre-pandemic than any other US airline.
Currently, United has daily flights from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Australia, and it is expected that flights to Houston will resume later in the year.
Virgin Australia and United have a partnership.
United is being dumped by Delta.
Delta and Virgin Australia had a transpacific joint venture. Virgin Australia was a great partner to Delta when they operated long haul flights.
Virgin Australia entered voluntary administration in 2020. Delta and Virgin Australia suspended their partnership. Virgin Australia is focusing on short haul flying with a new business plan.
When the Delta and Virgin Australia partnership was suspended, the narrative was that it would return. That is not the case anymore.
Virgin Australia confirmed that it will end its partnership with Delta.
It seems like a big win for Virgin Australia, since United has a bigger network to Australia than Delta does, so more passengers will connect to Virgin Australia flights.
It seems like a big loss for Delta, since the airline will no longer have a connection to Australia unless a new partnership is launched.
While American and Qantas are still the strongest alliance between the United States and Australia, United is looking a lot more competitive with the new Virgin Australia partnership.
The partnership is great news for United passengers.
The bottom line.
A new partnership has been launched by United and Virgin Australia. The codeshare agreement, mileage earning and redemptions, and elite perks will be introduced by the two airlines.
This announcement may not seem like a big deal, but I think the implications are significant. When you consider the size of United's network to Australia, it makes sense for Virgin Australia to dump Delta. Delta is not often dumped.
What do you think about the partnership between United and Virgin Australia?
