Amazing! Virgin Australia is Aeroplan’s new airline partner

Aeroplan continues its juggernaut with an exciting addition to their partnership portfolio. Virgin Australia (VA) will be officially added to Aeroplan’s growing roster of airline travel partners, as of January 19th. This is in addition to the exciting partners Aeroplan already added in 2020 – Etihad, Azul, Vistara, and Air Serbia. Virgin Australia and Aeroplan partnership will allow Aeroplan members to earn and redeem for travel to all prominent destinations in Australia and the South Pacific, served by VA. 

Virgin Australia and Aeroplan partnership – TLDR

• Ability to earn and redeem Aeroplan points for travel to destinations served by VA
• Members can earn Aeroplan points based on distance flown on all scheduled flights operated by VA
• For VA flights wholly within Australia, members can earn Status Qualifying Miles (SQM) and Status Qualifying Segments (SQS), as well as Status Qualifying Dollars (SQD) for VA domestic flights ticketed by Air Canada
• VA flights will be priced based on Aeroplan’s pricing for partner airlines
• Members will be able to book VA flights online at aircanada.com, as well as via Contact Centre
• VA flights can be combined with flights operated by Air Canada and other international airline partners
• The partner booking fee will apply for flight rewards which include travel on VA

Virgin Australia Route Map

VA has been a major Australian airline, connecting over 30 destinations within Australia, and several international destinations in the South Pacific. A snapshot of VA’s route map is below, which opens some amazing award booking possibilities with Aeroplan!

Virgin Australia route map (Credit: Flight Connections)

Currently (pre-pandemic), Air Canada flies directly from Vancouver to three Australian destinations – Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. It’s easy to see how this partnership will significantly increase the Aeroplan footprint within the region. Vancouver – Christmas Island, anyone?

Booking Virgin Australia flights with Aeroplan

Aeroplan’s zone and distance based chart includes Australia in Pacific zone, and VA flights will be priced accordingly;

Aeroplan zone/distance chart: Within Pacific

• Sydney – Melbourne (439 miles): 8,000 points in Economy, or 20,000 points in Business;
• Sydney – Perth (2041 miles): 25,000 points in Economy, or 45,000 points in Business;

Image Credit: VA; SYD-PER in Business Class (45k Aeroplan points)

• Perth – Christmas Island (1618 miles): 12,500 points in Economy, or 30,000 points in Business;

Earning Aeroplan points with Virgin Australia flights

For VA flights wholly within Australia, members can earn Status Qualifying Miles (SQM) and Status Qualifying Segments (SQS), as well as Status Qualifying Dollars (SQD) for VA domestic flights ticketed by Air Canada. The earning chart for VA flights, as shared by Air Canada;

Earn Aeroplan points on VA flights

Take Away:

Aeroplan continues to impress with the expansion of their partner portfolio. VA’s route map complements Air Canada’s direct service routes from Vancouver to Sydney, Brisbane, and Melbourne, really nicely. Although I have not personally flown VA yet, this Virgin Australia and Aeroplan partnership may just be my trigger to use some points for an upcoming trip to Australia!

Title Image Credit: Virgin Australia