"Pacific Island" Flights

[777]

With the recent hook up between VA and NZ, there is one exception to the general case that NZ flights earn VA status credits/ points and lounge access: flights to the pacific islands. I assume that this is because of the competition implications of two of the largest competitors flying to the Pacific teaming up not being allowed by the various Island states that they both fly to or not being worth their while to seek competition exemptions for from so many small states.

BUT there are also several pacific islands where they don't actually compete so "pacific islands" as a catch all is a pretty blunt instrument. Surely at some point the reciprocal arrangements could be extend to include those destinations?

Both VA and NZ fly to:

Port Vila (Vaunatu)
Nadi (Fiji)
Nuku'alofa (Tonga)
Apia (Samoa)
Raratonga (Cook Islands)

NZ only flies to:

Noumea (New Caledonia)
Papeete (Tahiti)
Honolulu (USA - although i note there is deal with Hawaiian for VA to cover this)
Norfolk Island

VA only flies to:

Honiara (Soloman Islands)
Port Moresby (PNG)

That's from a quick look at both web sites - so may not be 100% accurate. What to people think the odds are of the VA will eventually allow NZ flights to Noumea and Papeete be elligible for points and/or SCs?

 

[maninblack]

Again more problems of the ridiculous inconsistency and randomness of dealing with Virgin and Velocity. What constitutes "Pacific Islands"? Are NZ flights to HNL and PPT excluded fron SC earns on Velocity. Well I rang the call centre to ask, they didn't know, the supervisor there didn't know, no-one knew and I still don't have an answer from them :!:

 

[Coathanger]

Equally frustrating is the randomness around lounge access etc.

I'm doing SYD-AKL in J but AKL-PPT in Y. From the Velocity website I won't have lounge access on the outbound AKL-PPT sector as:

**Excluding flights to the Pacific Islands, Bali, Honiara and Port Moresby. Conditions of entry: Presentation of membership card and boarding pass for same day travel on Air New Zealand or Pacific Blue, when flying on Trans-Tasman or domestic New Zealand sectors.

It's a shame that there are so many caveats on the reciprocal benefits.

 

[dandandan]

yes randomness around lounge access is frustrating

 

[oz_mark]

yes randomness around lounge access is frustrating

The scope of the alliance with Air New Zealand is the trans tasman routes, and any connecting domestic sectors on either side. So it's not really so random.

 

[maninblack]

So what constitutes "Pacific Islands"?

Appears that no-one here knows either and Virgin just make generalised statements like "Pacific Islands" which could mean almost anything without proper definition. Are HNL and PPT in or out? The actual agreement must be documented somewhere but I doubt staff at the call centre have access to that. It has this rather charming amatuer hour feeling because Virgin do it in such a friendly manner. It's quite funny really.

 

[777]

So what constitutes "Pacific Islands"?

Appears that no-one here knows either and Virgin just make generalised statements like "Pacific Islands" which could mean almost anything without proper definition. Are HNL and PPT in or out? The actual agreement must be documented somewhere but I doubt staff at the call centre have access to that. It has this rather charming amatuer hour feeling because Virgin do it in such a friendly manner. It's quite funny really.

I don't think it's quite as bad as all that and i think it's understandable in the context of the new nature of the arrangement and the complex competition issues that would apply on overlapping routes. However there is a need to further clarify the definition and ideally to relax it places where there are no competition issues. It would definitely be clearer if they did it by destination and not by the catch all "Pacific Islands" category and hopefully they will take that feedback on board.

 

[oz_mark]

So what constitutes "Pacific Islands"?

Appears that no-one here knows either and Virgin just make generalised statements like "Pacific Islands" which could mean almost anything without proper definition. The actual agreement must be documented somewhere but I doubt staff at the call centre have access to that. It has this rather charming amatuer hour feeling because Virgin do it in such a friendly manner. It's quite funny really.

Perhaps reading the access conditions from the point of view of when you do have access:

Presentation of membership card and boarding pass for same day travel on Air New Zealand or Pacific Blue, when flying on Trans-Tasman or domestic New Zealand sectors.

rather than when you don't, makes it easier. i.e. on Trans-Tasman or domestic NZ sectors. Trans-tasman, for the purposes of the alliance is defined as a sector that goes between a point in Australia and a point in New Zealand.

As for earnings, from the perspective of Air New Zealand, the pacific islands, as disclosed in the ACCC submission are Raratonga, Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tahiti, Noumea, Norfolk Island, Tonga and Niue.