Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines today announced that they will expand their partnership enabling Australians to travel to Mexico. Customers of both airlines will now be able to fly from Australia to six different cities in Mexico on one ticket as part of the alliance’s continued commitment to strengthening its offering.

The new destinations include Mexico City, Cancun, Guadalajara, San Jose Del Cabo, Puerto Vallarta and Cozumel. Virgin Australia recently received regulatory approval allowing it to codeshare on flights into Mexico as part of its growing alliance with Delta Air Lines, which was launched in November 2011.

Judith Crompton, Virgin Australia’s Chief Commercial Officer, said, “Our international network continues to expand and we now offer Australians the ability to fly to more than 400 destinations around the world. Thanks to our alliance with Delta Air Lines we now have over 180 codeshare and interline destinations available.

“We continue to work with our partners to ensure we offer an international network that meets the needs of our customers. Mexico is very popular with Australian leisure travellers and I am delighted we can now offer these cities on codeshare flights from Australia.”

“Codesharing on services to Mexico is yet another important step forward in the development of our alliance with Virgin Australia,” said Steven Crowdey, Delta’s general manager – Australia, Philippines and Micronesia.

Velocity Frequent Flyer members will be able to earn points and status credits on these new routes. The award-winning loyalty program of Virgin Australia has several hotel partners in the region, including the Intercontinental Hotel Group and Hilton Hotels, allowing travelers to earn additional Velocity Points during their stay in Mexico.

SkyMiles members will also be able to earn and redeem miles on these new routes and partner hotels in the region. Delta offers many ways to redeem frequent flyer miles, including airline tickets on Delta and partner airlines, mileage upgrades, car rentals, hotel stays and Delta Sky Club memberships, and is the only major airline with miles that don't expire.

Virgin Australia and Delta Air Lines fly from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane into Los Angeles allowing customers to connect onto Delta Air Lines’ extensive North and Central American network.

The new destinations are on sale from today at www.virginaustralia.com and www.delta.com.