Air New Zealand and Virgin propose trans-Tasman alliance

Air New Zealand and Virgin Blue have announced a proposal to create an alliance on trans-Tasman routes between Australia and New Zealand.

The airlines said the partnership would allow them to provide a number of benefits for travellers, including frequent flyer programme bonuses, cheaper fares, higher frequencies and better connections.

Brett Godfrey, chief executive of the Virgin Blue group, said an alliance between the two carriers would "stimulate a new wave of competition in Australasian aviation".

He added: "A great alliance should deliver great value and consistent product and service standards and that is where we will make new inroads.

"Virgin Blue is close to unveiling our 'airline of the future' concepts which in our tenth year will reveal the fresh direction of the 'new blue' and likewise Air New Zealand has signalled its future product and design direction."

The proposal, which could eventually provide benefits for people catching flights to Auckland, Sydney, Wellington and other cities, will be assessed by government regulators in Australia and New Zealand over the coming months.

It was announced yesterday (May 3rd) that Continental Airlines and United Airlines have merged to create the world's largest carrier.

Posted by Kate, 04 May 2010 17:04

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• Auckland
• Air New Zealand
• Virgin