Virgin Australia’s expanded ANA partnership takes off

Virgin Australia’s partnership with All Nippon Airways is moving beyond a mere handful of codeshares to include a wider array of frequent flyer benefits, including earning Velocity points and status credits on ANA flights.

From July 18, Velocity members can earn points on all ANA-operated departures sporting a VA or NH flight number.

That’s more than 130 destinations around the world, from Seoul and Los Angeles to Frankfurt, Vancouver and, of course, Sydney. Perth re-enters the mix from October.

In addition, Virgin’s partnership with ANA will unlock benefits across a dozen domestic connections for travellers within Japan to Sapporo, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Osaka-Itami, Kochi, Osaka-Kansai, Kumamoto, Nagoya, Nagasaki, Oita, Okinawa and Miyazaki.

Velocity Gold and Platinum members can also enjoy priority check-in, priority baggage and additional checked baggage allowance on selected ANA flights.

But for now, Velocity access to ANA lounges is not included in the Virgin-ANA alliance; another notable omission is the option of redeeming Velocity Points on ANA flights, although Virgin’s website states this will be “coming soon”.

The boosted ANA partnership comes less than a month after the debut of Virgin Australia’s non-stop Cairns to Tokyo-Haneda connection, which is currently jetting off on the Boeing 737-800 before switching to the factory-fresh 737 MAX at the end of July.

Virgin's new 737 MAX takes wing on the route from July 30.

Here’s a brief rundown of the Virgin-ANA partnerhip so far:

Velocity Points on ANA flights

Earning Velocity frequent flyer points on partner airlines is a highly appreciated perk. The bolstered Virgin-ANA partnership now allows travellers to:

• Earn Velocity Points when flying on ANA-operated flights with a NH or VA flight number, when flying to Japan, Asia, Europe and all other destinations in the ANA network.
• Supercharge their rewards balance with Bonus Points on top of base earnings. Silver members earn 50% bonus, Gold 75% and Platinum members 100%.

ANA flies twice daily between Sydney and Tokyo.

The exact number of points earned varies according to fare class and flight number, as well as your Velocity status. Here’s the earning table for hoovering up Velocity Points on a VA flight number.

To put that into perspective, a VA-coded business class flight between Sydney and Tokyo would earn you 9,726 Velocity Points, versus just 4,863 if you paid for a Flex fare. 

For comparison, this is how many points you’ll earn on an NH flight number:

Using Sydney to Tokyo as an example, an NH-coded flight in business class J would earn 7,294 Velocity Points, while a seat in premium economy G would nab you 4,863 points. With that in mind, booking your flight with a VA code is definitely the way to go. 

Virgin notes points cannot be earned on the following:

• Reward Seat bookings
• Charter Flight bookings
• Fare classes other than as specified in the tables above
• Codeshare flights (other than an ANA operated flight with a VA flight number or a Virgin Australia operated flight with an NH flight number)
• Upgraded fares: Members travelling on upgraded fares that were purchased with Points or by bidding for an upgrade will earn as per the rules of the original fare class purchased.

Velocity Points redemption on ANA flights is expected to take off soon.

The Virgin-ANA partnership unlocks flights to 130 destinations.

Velocity Status Credits on ANA flights

Looking to bolster your Velocity Status Credits tally on an ANA-operated flight? You’re now well placed to do so. The exact rates are as follows on tickets with a VA flight number:

And the below for ANA operated flights featuring a NH code:

Jetting between Sydney and Tokyo in business class on a VA-coded flight would earn you 160 status credits, the same as travelling with an NH flight number. 

Status credits cannot be earned on all flights. See the Points section above for exclusions.

Velocity status benefits when travelling on ANA

Hold a shiny Velocity Silver, Gold or Platinum frequent flyer card in your wallet?

You can now enjoy several status benefits – such as priority check-in, boarding and increased luggage allowance for Gold and Platinum members – on the following ANA flights:

• ANA-operated flights between Australia and Japan with a VA or NH flight number
• ANA-operated flights within Japan with a VA flight number

More details can be found on the Velocity website.

Gold and Platinum Velocity members are the biggest winners.

Velocity access to ANA airport lounges

Lounge access is currently excluded from the Virgin Australia-ANA partnership for Velocity Golds and Platinums, although it may be added at a later date.

If it does eventually come through, this will likely cover ANA-operated locations in Narita, Haneda, Kansai and Honolulu.

ANA doesn’t have its own lounges in Australia, relying on the lounges of fellow Star Alliance members such as Air New Zealand Singapore Airlines, so this doesn’t change the loungescape for Velocity Golds or Platinums heading overseas.