United Airlines and Virgin Australia Team Up in the Sky with New Partnership
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The friendly skies just got a lot friendlier with United Airlines’ new partnership with Virgin Australia. Shortly following a partnership with Qatar Airways, United Airlines became the latest airline to partner with Virgin Australia, the Virgin Airlines brand’s largest fleet.
Get ready to check off the Australian Outback from your bucket list because your United MileagePlus miles will get you there in no time!
What this means for MileagePlus Members?
This new partnership announcement is mutually beneficial because it gives Virgin Australia access to a new North American customer base and United’s expansion into Australia. As for flyers, United MileagePlus members can look forward to a host of new perks that let your miles take you a lot further around the world.
If you’re a United MileagePlus Member, you can look forward to getting these perks when traveling with Virgin Australia:
- Access to new routes
- Book reward tickets on Virgin Australia
- Accrue miles when you fly on Virgin Australia
Here’s what you can look forward to now with the United and Virgin Australia partnership.
Access to new routes
The 15-hour transcontinental flight between North America and Australia now feels much closer! The Australian-based airline now gives United MileagePlus members more options when traveling between continents and around Australia. The partnership increases the airlines’ flight coverage in the US three-fold and makes more exciting destinations in Australia more accessible to United MileagePlus Members.
The new United and Virgin Australia partnership has added more than 100 new routes. United is adding regular routes to Sydney and Melbourne from the US. As early as October 2022, you can take advantage of a nonstop flight between San Francisco and Brisbane.
Book reward tickets on Virgin Australia
Use your United MileagePlus miles to book your bucket list vacation to Australia! United reward flights can now be used to book reward flights on Virgin Australia. Thanks to the new partnership, routes on Virgin Australia are included when searching for reward flights on United.com.
It wouldn’t be a true Virgin Australia announcement without launching the partnership in festive fanfare. The airline partnership will give United MileagePlus members a chance to win a luxury vacation package on the inaugural partnership flight. If you’re already a United MileagePlus Member, you can bid for the package here starting August 31.
Excited to book a trip to Australia? Take advantage of credit card offers for United MileagePlus miles bonuses that you can use towards your flight.
Accrue miles when you fly on Virgin Australia
Already a frequent flyer on Virgin Australia? Miles flown on the Australian airline now count towards your United MileagePlus miles. So, regardless of whether you’re flying on a Virgin Australian flight between Australia in the US or the carrier domestically in Australia, you’ll earn miles on each flight.
The same policy applies to members of Virgin Australia’s frequent flyer program. Its members will now earn Velocity Points for flights on United Airlines.
Miles flown on Virgin Australia can take up to 14 days to show in your United MileagePlus account.
