Canadians looking to head “down under” will find even more flight options, thanks to a new partnership between Air Canada and Virgin Australia.

The two airlines are looking to start a codeshare agreement in early 2017. At that time, Air Canada passengers will be able to travel to an additional 10 cities throughout Australia and Sydney on Virgin Australia’s flight network, all on a single ticket. The Virgin Australia-operated flights connect with Air Canada's existing daily service to Sydney and Brisbane.

"This agreement with Virgin Australia lays the groundwork for a mutually beneficial commercial cooperation that will offer Air Canada customers more travel options and frequent flyer benefits when travelling within Australia and New Zealand," said Calin Rovinescu, president and chief executive officer. "We look forward to introducing Air Canada codeshare service on Virgin Australia's flights and welcoming Virgin Australia's customers on our flights beginning in the near future."

Still subject to regulatory approvals, once the partnership is complete, Air Canada will share codes on Virgin Australia flights to Adelaide, Canberra, Cairns, Melbourne and Perth as well as to Christchurch and Auckland, New Zealand. Air Canada codes will also appear on flights from Sydney to Brisbane, Sydney to the Gold Coast and Brisbane to Wellington, New Zealand.

Air Canada passengers travelling on these shared-code flights will be able to earn Aeroplan Miles in Air Canada’s loyalty program, but full details on the frequent flyer arrangement are still pending.

Conversely, Virgin Atlantic passengers arriving in Los Angeles via Sydney and Brisbane will be able to connect to Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal on Air Canada flights. When travelling on these codeshare services, eligible Virgin Australia customers will earn Velocity Points.

Future plans also include the development of reciprocal frequent flyer benefits as well as Virgin Australia codes on Air Canada's flights from Vancouver to Sydney and Brisbane.

Air Canada operates daily non-stop flights year-round from Vancouver to Sydney on 777-200LR aircraft and to Brisbane on Boeing 787 aircraft.

For more information, visit www.aircanada.com or www.virginaustralia.com. 

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