Virgin Australia and United Airlines have formed a new codeshare partnership on Australia-US routes, meaning Virgin Australia is splitting from long-standing US partner Delta Air Lines.
Virgin and United will begin codesharing from April 2022, subject to regulatory approval, and the two airlines will also cooperate on their loyalty programs and airport lounge access. This relationship will replace the Virgin-Delta alliance that has existed for more than a decade and included a joint venture (JV) for transpacific flying. The JV was paused in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic following Virgin cutting its Los Angeles (LAX)-Sydney (SYD) route.
“We’d like to thank Delta Air Lines for their long-standing commitment and relationship with Virgin Australia,” Virgin Australia Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said in a statement. “As a strategic partner with Virgin Australia for many years, Delta Air Lines has shared a wonderful journey with us, and we appreciate and value the many achievements we made together.”
The United partnership will more than triple the number of US destinations available to Virgin passengers, the Australian airline said. Virgin passengers will have one-stop access to 92 US destinations via United. The Chicago-based airline said it will enhance its Australian network through access to Virgin’s domestic network, specifically citing new access for United passengers to Adelaide (ADL), Brisbane (BNE) and Perth (PER).