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Australian regulator issues interim approval of Virgin Australia and United Airlines partnership
May 16th 2022
Australia's competition regulator has granted interim authorisation for Virgin Australia (VA) and United Airlines (UA) to commence a code-sharing and pricing agreement. Read More » The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ruling permits VA and UA to place their respective airline codes on each other's flights and allow UA to set the fares VA may sell for services operated by the U.S. carrier. The fares either can be sold as a standalone itinerary or as part of an itinerary that includes flights operated by VA. “The ACCC’s preliminary view is this proposed code-share arrangement with United Airlines is likely to result in a public benefit as it will help Virgin Australia re-establish its international network,” ACCC commissioner, Stephen Ridgeway, said. “These arrangements are not likely to lessen competition as there is no operational overlap on any routes between Virgin Australia and United Airlines and other airlines are operating on the routes.” The ACCC is expected to deliver its final decision on the partnership in July or August of this year.
