For now, it appears that VX can’t do interline ticketing in AiRES. They’re working on system improvements that will allow both interline and codeshare. I’m told there are no government issues/concerns with VX and V Australia. The US government focus has been and appears to remain on the relationship between VX and VS, since Sir Richard has a higher ownership stake in VS.

To me it looks as if the Virgin company plans on cutting Virgin America.

When it’s two different airlines – and VA and VX are definitely two different airlines – then you have a host of other issues – especially baggage – to deal with. But as Sfeastbay pointed out, VA and VX don’t even issue each others’ tickets. VX in fact doesn’t appear to have interline ticketing agreements with anybody but (oddly – GSA agreement?) Air Astana.

Meaning VX is sticking to its LCC model. And adhering to that politically correct bright line of separation between themselves and the other Virgin Group carriers. I suspect that, one fine day when the Obama adminstration has settled in and is busy with other matters (AA strikes, perhaps?), VX will discreetely, casually – nothing to see here! – change their SEA (and other) schedules, for whatever reason. And they’ll discover – how’d that happen??? – that they can now interline with VA.

Ellis – like I said, speculative. Only, as the guy from AS pointed out in the FT forum, it doesn’t make much sense for VA to be pimping its ‘partnership’ with AS. SPA contracts like that are common as dirt among airlines. If AS is a ‘partner’ then any airline with whom VA has a SPA is a ‘partner’ – and anyone who has an interline baggage agreement, etc. Which will eventually be, in theory, most airlines in the world as VA grows into other markets. It would be like me advertising my ‘partnership’ with the guy who delivers our bottled water.

It’s a third-world airline kind of thing to do, which doesn’t seem very much like Virgin Group’s style. But if one wanted to reassure regulators that there was nothing hinky to see in the growing web of Virgin Group carriers, then one might tiptoe around relationships with VX etc and aggressively promote one’s ‘partnership’ with homegrown airlines. Remember a lot of people in AU freaked out when BA was going to buy QF – it is an even bigger issue here in the US, esp. with the new government.

Of course, it could be a thousand other things – technology, prorate disagreements between VA and VX, etc. If VA and VX are truly separate carriers, then it would follow that they might not see eye to eye. And AS as noted in the FT forum is really easy going about codeshares so long as it’s not with a Star Alliance carrier – their CS agreements out of SEA and LAX are pretty broad. There may be a richer relationship in the pipeline, therefore a shout out from VA about the partnership.