Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia to end trans Tasman alliance in late Oct-2018

Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia announced (04-Apr-2018) plans to end their trans Tasman alliance on 27-Oct-2018, following seven years of partnership. The airlines commenced the strategic alliance at the end of 2010 to cooperate on services between New Zealand and Australia, and will not apply for renewal. Air New Zealand chief revenue officer Cam Wallace said market dynamics on the Tasman market have changed and the time is now right for each airline to focus on its own objectives. Mr Wallace said the move will enable Air New Zealand to "deliver a more consistent customer experience" on its routes to Australia "by using our own fleet and delivering an improved schedule, which we'll provide more details about shortly". Mr Wallace said the carrier remains "fully committed to our other alliance relationships and our overall global airline alliance strategy as a critical success factor in other markets." [more - original PR]