Qantas and Air New Zealand Part Ways in April
The Qantas–Air New Zealand partnership ends on 7 April 2027. Here's what changes for codeshare bookings, lounges and Qantas points, and what to do now.
Qantas and Air New Zealand’s partnership ends on 7 April 2027. From that date, Qantas codeshare flights operated by Air New Zealand can no longer be booked, and Qantas members lose access to Air New Zealand lounges.
Nothing changes for travel before 7 April. After it, here is what Qantas says.
Bookings
- Travelling before 7 April 2027: no action needed.
- Booked on a QF codeshare for 7 April or later: Qantas or your travel agent will move the booking to a flight with an Air New Zealand (NZ) flight number. You still earn the Qantas Points and Status Credits you would have earned on the original booking.
Points and rewards
- Classic Flight Rewards on Air New Zealand flights can be booked until 6 April 2027.
- Reward booked for after 7 April? Contact Qantas to rebook onto select Jetstar flights, subject to availability, or ask for a refund.
- Lounges: eligible Qantas members can use Air New Zealand lounges on eligible Air New Zealand domestic flights until 7 April 2027. The access ends after that.
Qantas’s partner page doesn’t say how Status Credits will work on Air New Zealand after the partnership ends.
What comes next
Air New Zealand and Virgin Australia have asked the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to authorise a wider partnership (AA1000742-1, lodged 14 September 2026). It would cover a reciprocal codeshare on trans-Tasman flights, excluding Queenstown, and connecting domestic flights, plus reciprocal frequent-flyer earning, redemption and status benefits worldwide. They are seeking authorisation for five years. Submissions close on 21 October, with a draft determination expected in November and a final decision in early 2027.
For advisors
- Check every trans-Tasman and domestic NZ booking on a QF codeshare for travel from 7 April 2027, and confirm the reissue to an NZ flight number.
- Reward clients: book Air New Zealand Classic Flight Rewards before 6 April 2027 cuts them off.
- Lounge-reliant clients: flag the change now for winter 2027 travel.
- Watch the ACCC: the draft decision on Virgin–Air New Zealand is due in November.
Sources
Catherine Crowe is Pacific Market Editor at Not An Atlas, leading our Australia and New Zealand coverage from just outside Wellington, on the southern coast of New Zealand's North Island, by way of Canada. A speech-language pathologist, mother and former model, she travels the way she listens: closely, and for the story underneath. She still writes on family and wellness travel, and the long-haul logistics of both.