Virgin upgrades trans-Tasman offering as it prepares for battle

Virgin Australia is upgrading its trans-Tasman product to give all passengers food, drinks, luggage allowance and wi-fi as it gears up for a three-way battle from the end of October. The upgrade comes as Virgin girds itself to compete against departing alliance partner Air New Zealand as well as arch-rival Qantas on trans-Tasman routes. Air New Zealand announced in April it was ending the alliance with Virgin in a surprise trans-Tasman shake-up and later revealed it would codeshare with Qantas on domestic routes. READ: Air New Zealand ends the alliance with Virgin Australia However, all three airlines will compete against each other on routes between Australia and New Zealand. Breaking away from the “seats-to-suit” model imposed by the AirNZ alliance,  Virgin will provide a full-service offering to all passengers flying to Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown, Wellington and Dunedin. This will include a substantial meal and drink, at least 23 kilos of luggage, wi-fi on all flights and the ability to earn increased Velocity Frequent Flyer points and status credits. Flights from New Zealand will earn Velocity members five points for every Australian dollar-equivalent spent from October 28 while Velocity platinum, gold and silver members will continue to earn a points bonus. The wi-fi will include 15 minutes of complimentary access to allow people to check their emails or social media. “Last year, 1.5 million Australians flew to New Zealand and we’re looking forward to making their trip across the ditch even more enjoyable with a meal and drink as well as WiFi so they can keep connected whilst in the sky,” Virgin Australia group executive Rob Sharp said in the announcement. “We’re committed to expanding our presence in New Zealand with new services including flights from Sydney to Wellington; Melbourne to Queenstown; and Newcastle to Auckland as well as extra flights to Auckland, all of which commence in the next couple of months.” New benefits in Virgin’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program will extend not just to New Zealand but also to Bali, Fiji and Samoa. “For the first time, Velocity members will earn Points per dollar spent for short-haul international destinations, rather than based on the distance travelled,’’ Velocity chief executive Karl Schuster said. “Members will earn more Velocity Points when travelling to these destinations and we believe our points offer for New Zealand flights is one of the best. “Members will also experience improved status credit earn to many short-haul international destinations including flights to and from New Zealand. This means members can achieve a higher Velocity status faster and unlock further membership benefits.” Virgin Australia also Wednesday announced a codeshare arrangement with Singapore Airlines on flights between Melbourne and Wellington, for travel from October 28. Singapore operates four-times weekly between Melbourne and Wellington using a Boeing 777.