Virgin Australia has become the first airline in Australia to launch flight search functionality inside ChatGPT, letting travellers find fares and Velocity Reward Seats through conversational search.
From today, Australian travellers can search for Virgin Australia flights directly within ChatGPT, using the airline’s app on the platform to describe what they want in plain language.
By describing a travel need, customers are directed to Virgin Australia flights and Velocity Frequent Flyer Reward Seat options without navigating separate website pages.
The move builds on Virgin Australia’s collaboration with OpenAI announced in November 2025, and marks the first time an Australian airline has embedded flight search in the chatbot.
How the ChatGPT flight search works
The tool lets travellers surface destinations based on budget or departure city, and highlights the best-value travel periods across different dates.
It also enables comparisons of cash fares or Points + Pay options in one place, and provides a summary of lowest fares across multiple days to help choose when to travel.
To use it, travellers open Apps in the ChatGPT sidebar, search for Virgin Australia, connect the app, then select “+” in the chat window and choose Virgin Australia to start planning.
What it means for Velocity members
The launch also adds the ability to search Velocity Frequent Flyer Reward Seats on Virgin Australia-operated flights, which the airline says makes it easier to locate seats and redeem Points.
The update instantly surfaces Reward Seat availability across multiple dates and lets members view Points, Points + Pay or cash fares in one place.
According to OpenAI, roughly 50 per cent of Australia’s adult population uses ChatGPT each week, a figure Virgin Australia points to as the rationale for meeting customers on a platform they already use.
Virgin Australia Chief Executive Officer Dave Emerson said the launch represents a step-change in how Australians plan travel.
“Through our collaboration with OpenAI, we’re giving our customers a faster, more intuitive way to plan and book their trips, all within a platform many are already using every day.
“Importantly, we’re also unlocking more value for Velocity members with a new way to locate Reward Seats directly within ChatGPT, making it easier than ever for members to redeem their Points on flights.
“Our landmark collaboration with OpenAI and the launch of our very own ChatGPT app is about removing friction from the travel experience and meeting our customers where they are, with smarter tools that make planning travel simpler and more personalised,” he said.
What it means for travel advisors
For travel advisors, the launch is another sign that flight search is moving closer to the top of the travel-planning funnel, before a traveller reaches an airline website, OTA or agency booking path.
The immediate impact is likely to be more customer expectation than customer replacement. Travellers may arrive with ChatGPT-surfaced fare options, Reward Seat availability or suggested travel periods already in hand, expecting advisors to validate, compare and turn those ideas into a workable trip.
That gives advisors a sharper role in the parts of travel planning that AI search still cannot own: checking the real value of a fare, understanding fare rules, building multi-stop or complex itineraries, advising on loyalty strategy, managing disruptions, and knowing when the cheapest option is not the smartest one.
It also raises the stakes for agencies and travel brands to think about visibility inside conversational search. As airline content becomes easier to access through AI tools, advisors will need to keep showing the value of human judgement, especially for travellers using ChatGPT as their first point of research.
For Velocity members, the ability to surface Reward Seats across multiple dates could also prompt more points-led enquiries, with customers asking advisors to help turn availability into broader holiday plans, package options or international connections as Virgin Australia expands the tool.
What’s coming next
Virgin Australia says further features will roll out in the coming months, including the ability to search partner airline flights and Reward Seats, and international flights to the USA, UK, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Members will also be able to view flight details for day-of-travel ease and access seat map insights and availability.
The announcement follows the carrier’s recent all-in-one flight search tool and a new mobile app and airport check-in upgrade the airline says reduces check-in time by up to 50 per cent.
KARRYON UNPACKS: Virgin Australia’s ChatGPT flight search gives travellers another way to bypass traditional search paths, putting more pressure on advisors to prove their value beyond finding a fare.
