The deal, which starts in April, would provide travellers with access to more destinations and more benefits when travelling to cities across the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and South America, Virgin said. 

The deal will also mean the end of a decade-long codeshare agreement with Delta Airlines.

United will also have access to Virgin’s domestic network and would mean the airline would offer more flights to Australia than any other US carrier, including daily direct flights from San Francisco and Los Angeles to Sydney, with flights from Houston and direct services to Melbourne expected to resume later in 2022. 

Virgin chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka said the partnership was an exciting opportunity for Virgin Australia customers while tripling the airline’s reach into the United States.    

“The United States is a key market for Virgin Australia, and we know Australians are excited to be able to travel overseas again, so we’ve created hundreds of new ways they can do that through United’s extensive services to and from Australia.   

“Virgin Australia customers will have significantly more options for travel from Australia to the States, with more than three-times as many services available to them, which is great news for Australian travellers.   

“We are grateful to have such a strong partner in United. They have proudly been one of Australia’s most loyal and long serving aviation partners and their market strength both to Australia and in the United States brings great value to our guests. 

United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby said Virgin was the perfect partner for United. 

“Our partnership provides considerable commercial value for both airlines and a shared commitment to offer the best travel experience for our customers,” he said. 

The new partnership will also see Virgin Australia and United work together to improve customer experience and share best practices in areas such as innovation and sustainability.