V-Flyer

I'm looking at flying from London to the Cook Islands in the South Pacific, via LAX. Air New Zealand fly this route, and according to the Virgin Atlantic website, ANZ are a 'partner' airline.

Virgin website says I can earn FC miles on ANZ flights, and spend miles to get free tickets (eg. 110,000 miles for UK to Cook Islands in economy). Does anyone know whether this extends to using FC miles to upgrade on ANZ flights, or to get 'companion' rewards?

Also, can I book my end-to-end itinerary through Virgin, or do I need to book directly with ANZ?

In answer to your points related questions, the answer to both is no. Star Alliance is going to introduce upgrade awards across the member airlines' FF schemes but clearly this won't include Virgin.

If you want to redeem Virgin FC rewards for your ticket you need to talk to VS direct. If you want to earn FC points on your ticket you can book with whoever you want, just ensure you give your Virgin FC number when you book (and it always pays to check they have the number when you check in too).

BC

Bear in mind that earning rates on Air New Zealand are quite poor with Flying Club. For example, only Premium Economy and full fare Y class will earn you 100% miles, discounted Y only 70%. Really cheap tickets don't even accrue any miles.

If you are buying a revenue fare then it may pay to credit them to another FFP with slightly better earning rates, such as bmi's diamond club. As BlackCat has said, you can't use FC miles to upgrade on Air New Zealand.