Bar being cheaper, is there advantage/disadvantage of booking a NZ/Aus flight with Virgin Australia rather than Air NZ when its Air NZ you are actually flying with.

Bar being cheaper, is there advantage/disadvantage of booking a NZ/Aus flight with Virgin Australia rather than Air NZ when its Air NZ you are actually flying with. Price seems about $70 lower booking via VA than ANZ.

Mainly: If you're a member of a Star Alliance loyalty program, e.g. Singapore Airlines, or Lufthansa, then you won't earn miles when flying on the DJ-coded flight, even if the flight's on Air NZ. You'll also not get your free baggage entitlements etc that come with status.

However, in terms of booking a ticket, and flying, there's no difference at all.

I travel to NZ a few times a year and it's generally cheaper the other way round - booking on the Air NZ website, regardless of whose metal you actually fly on.

For me personally the disadvantage to booking via the Air NZ website is the sh*thouse rate that you earn Velocity points/SC's when you book with Air NZ.

I'd assume (wrongly or rightly) that being on this forum, chances are you're a velocity member so if you can book it cheaper with Virgin than I'd definitely recommend it. Aim for the AirNZ metal though as they definitely have a better trans-tasman service atm (especially if you're flying business/premium econ and can get on a 777).

I had one experience this year of a diverted flight requiring o'nite accommodation.  Status members of the metal you are flying seem to be looked after first and best. I got a hotel room to myself and was put on a flight next day.  Others got share rooms and were put on a bus for 8 hours - they had the wrong status...

Thanks for the answers. :)  I just wasn't too sure if you were put at a disadvantage by booking with VA compared with directly via ANZ.  Its Virgin Atlantic (and BA) that I'm a member of so would get Virgin miles I think either way for the flights regardless of which way I book them.

Actually, there's a good chance that you *won't* get Virgin Atlantic miles if you book through Virgin Australia – many programmes specifically disallow code-share flights from earning points or status.

I suggest asking Virgin Atlantic for a clarification, in writing.

Yes, chrisjrn is right to tell you to check: Virgin Atlantic's pages still refer to "V Australia" and don't refer to the trans-Tasman operation.

As a Virgin Atlantic Flying Club member myself, I know how many specific issues there are with earning, redeeming and lounge access across the Virgin airlines.