Singapore Airlines is boosting its operations Down Under with two notable partnerships for flights to and from Australia and New Zealand.
Australia
First, the airline has partnered with Virgin Australia to let members of KrisFlyer and Velocity Frequent Flyer convert their Miles and Points between both programs for the first time and receive innovative new benefits.
The new conversion innovation, which is exclusive to the two airline loyalty programs, will give members greater access to upgrades and reward seats across the combined domestic and international network of Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines. By converting their miles, KrisFlyer members will also be able to benefit from Velocity’s range of non-flight redemption rewards.
The new conversion capability will be available to members of both programs from November, as will an improved online booking capability for Velocity Frequent Flyers to redeem flights on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir.
A range of program enhancements have also been introduced to both KrisFlyer and Velocity members over the last 12 months and include:
- Redemption across all classes of travel on Virgin Australia with the inclusion of premium economy and the ability to earn Status Credits on domestic, Trans-Tasman and Pacific Islands codeshare flights operated by Virgin Australia for KrisFlyer members; and
- A reduction in the Velocity Points required for Reward Seats on Singapore Airlines and the ability to earn Points on all fare classes with Singapore Airlines and SilkAir for Velocity Frequent Flyer members.
New Zealand
Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand have confirmed January 6, 2015 as the launch date for their alliance, with codeshare flights going on sale on both airlines’ services between Singapore and New Zealand as of September 25.
The alliance will see the Star Alliance carriers operating one return service each per day on the Singapore-Auckland route and Singapore Airlines operating a daily return service between Singapore and Christchurch.
Through this alliance Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand are looking to increase their existing capacity between New Zealand and Singapore by up to 30 percent year-round over time. The alliance will offer increased capacity and additional frequencies between the two countries as well as codeshare connectivity to a further 40 destinations in the Air New Zealand network. In turn, Air New Zealand will codeshare to a further 50 destinations on the Singapore Airlines and SilkAir network.
Air New Zealand will operate newly refurbished Boeing 777-200 aircraft on the Auckland-Singapore route. Singapore Airlines will continue to operate retrofitted Boeing 777-200ER aircraft on the Singapore-Christchurch route. Airbus A380s will be used on the Singapore-Auckland route during the Northern Winter operating season, reverting to Boeing 777-300ERs during Northern Summer.
The combined Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand schedule from January 6, 2015 will be as follows:
