Star Alliance Connecting Partners is the cheaper option for Virgin.  Costs little money and it's basically affiliate level.Applying for full membership costs money, which Private Equity doesn't see it as valuable to "bump the value" for their IPO.   If Bain thought it was valuable,...

Unlikely you'd be able to use NZ Airpoints for VA for the short term future.  Submission states it's a one way (unilateral) agreement where VA buys seats (and lounge access for eligible J customers) and resells the NZ seats (and J lounge access) them to VA customers as a reseller.

Onward travel from NZ to mainland US/Canada is unlikely to occur for the foreseeable future when VA has UA and AC from mainland Australia.  There may be potential for Pacific Islands and HNL from NZ however through NZ.

Whilst NZ are majority owned by the NZ Government, I can't see that happening even if the other shareholders actually wanted to do so.  Plus NZ and SQ's history with Australian investments isn't very good, with the former still heavily blamed in the Ansett fiasco as the then-sole owner and S...

Singapore has done that twice with Tiger Airways and Virgin Australia, plus Singapore had an indirect involvement with Ansett Australia through Air New Zealand.  They would've lost billions on those three investments, and can't see them doing a 4th go.  Plus Singapore's records in inves...