Air Berlin and Virgin Atlantic announced a code share agreement and said the deal would come into effect beginning August 1, 2013. Both the airlines will also benefit the customers of Etihad Airways. Dubai based Etihad holds stakes in both Air Berlin and Virgin Australia.

As per the deal Air Berlin will uses its AB code on flights to six Australian destinations of Adelaide, Ayers Rock, Cairns, Darwin, Gold coast and Perth. Virgin Australia operates flights to all these six places. Air Berlin serves the cities of Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Air Berlin will also use its code on Virgin’s nonstop flights on Abu Dhabi-Sydney and Phuket-Perth routes.

Air Berlin’s flights on Berlin-Abu Dhabi and and Dusseldorf-Abu Dhabi routes will display Virgin Australia’s VA code. It is good news for passengers who can now book plane tickets in any one of the two airlines on one of these cities for a smooth and hassle free journey to their destinations.