Carriers Aim To Unseat Qantas On LAX-Sydney Run

Two airlines with big plans to go after Qantas on the lucrative LAX-Sydney route will join forces. Virgin Blue international subsidiary V Australia and Delta Air Lines have signed an Australia-US interline agreement, allowing travelers to purchase a single ticket from their travel agent, V Australia or Delta for travel between the US and Australia on either carrier.

The agreement gives Delta an early foothold into the LAX-Sydney market, while providing V Australia a boost in ticket sales while working to establish its foothold in the US.

Delta is the world's largest airline, and the second largest domestic US carrier. As ANN reported, Delta announced the start-up of its planned daily LAX-Sydney run last December, with the first flight scheduled for July 1.

V Australia commenced flying between Los Angeles and Sydney on February 27... two months later than originally planned, due to last year's machinists strike at Boeing. That delay also pushed off V Australia's planned starts on other routes, due to lack of available aircraft; as it stands, the airline will commence direct flights from Los Angeles to Brisbane on April 8, and plans to start service from Los Angeles to Melbourne in September 2009.

FMI: www.vaustralia.com, www.delta.com