Are Qantas and Virgin Australia part of iOS 26 Live Flight Tracking?

Yes. Apple named both Qantas and Virgin Australia in the airlines supporting the refreshed iOS 26 boarding passes with Live Flight Tracking, alongside American, Air Canada, Delta, JetBlue, Jetstar, Lufthansa Group, Southwest, and United. The boarding pass surfaces estimated arrival time and gate updates as a Live Activity on the lock screen.

Does the Qantas Wallet pass show Qantas Frequent Flyer status?

The Qantas-issued Wallet pass reflects the cabin and Oneworld or Qantas Frequent Flyer tier recognised at check-in, so Silver, Gold, Platinum, or Platinum One is tagged on the pass when the Frequent Flyer number is linked to the booking before check-in.

Will the Virgin Australia pass work at gates outside Australia?

Yes. The pass carries the same IATA-standard 2D barcode the printed Virgin Australia pass uses, so any gate scanner that handles Virgin Australia mobile boarding passes reads it the same way. Local airport rules at some stations may still require a printed copy, so check the airport's mobile boarding policy before departure.

What if my booking only sends a PDF e-ticket and no Wallet button?

Bookings made through corporate travel tools or online travel agents sometimes skip the airline's Wallet handover. The PDF still contains the same QR or Aztec barcode the gate scans. A pass app like NeatPass can read that barcode from a screenshot or PDF and create a Wallet pass with identical barcode data, with the original kept as a backup.

Qantas & Virgin Australia: Apple Wallet Boarding Pass

Q: Do Qantas and Virgin Australia both support Apple Wallet boarding passes?

Yes. Both Australian carriers issue mobile boarding passes from their iOS apps and offer an Add to Apple Wallet option after check-in. Qantas has supported Wallet boarding passes since the Passbook era, and Virgin Australia introduced mobile boarding passes for iPhone in 2012, well before most carriers.

Qantas and Virgin Australia both support Apple Wallet boarding passes through their iOS apps. Qantas has offered Wallet passes since the Passbook era, and Virgin Australia was one of the first carriers anywhere to ship an iPhone mobile boarding pass back in 2012. The flows are similar, with a couple of practical differences worth knowing.

This guide walks through the native flow for each carrier, covers the iOS 26 Live Flight Tracking upgrade that both airlines are confirmed for, and explains the PDF fallback for bookings that arrive without an Add to Apple Wallet button.

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Qantas Boarding Passes in Apple Wallet

The Qantas iOS app puts boarding passes into Apple Wallet directly after check-in. Once check-in opens, the boarding pass screen in the Qantas app shows an Add to Apple Wallet button. The Qantas Frequent Flyer membership card can also be added to Wallet from the account section.

The native Add to Apple Wallet flow inside the Qantas app is the cleanest path for most travelers.

Install the Qantas app

Download Qantas from the App Store and sign in with the Qantas Frequent Flyer account that holds the booking. Bookings without an account can be linked using the booking reference and last name.

Open the trip and check in

Tap the booking and complete check-in. Domestic check-in usually opens earlier than international; the boarding pass screen appears once check-in is approved.

Tap Add to Apple Wallet

On the boarding pass screen, tap Add to Apple Wallet. iOS opens Wallet with a preview. Tap Add in the top-right corner to confirm.

Repeat for each passenger

Multi-passenger bookings need one Add to Apple Wallet tap per traveler from each passenger's own boarding pass screen. AirDrop or iMessage works for sending passes to other phones.

Qantas Frequent Flyer status on the pass

The Qantas-issued Wallet pass reflects the cabin and Oneworld or Qantas Frequent Flyer tier recognised at check-in. Silver, Gold, Platinum, or Platinum One is tagged on the pass when the Frequent Flyer number is linked to the booking before check-in, so priority boarding and lounge eligibility show at a glance.

Virgin Australia Boarding Passes in Apple Wallet

Virgin Australia introduced iPhone mobile boarding passes in 2012, and the support has carried through every app version since. The Virgin Australia iOS app handles check-in, the mobile boarding pass, and the Add to Apple Wallet handover. Velocity Frequent Flyer login speeds up check-in and stores membership details locally.

Install the Virgin Australia app

Download Virgin Australia from the App Store and sign in with the Velocity Frequent Flyer account that holds the booking. Bookings without an account can be linked using the confirmation code and surname.

Check in inside the app

Open the trip, tap Check-In, confirm passenger details, and add any bags. The digital boarding pass is generated once check-in completes.

Tap Add to Apple Wallet

On the boarding pass screen, tap Add to Apple Wallet. The pass is signed by Virgin Australia and opens in Wallet with a preview before being added.

Optionally add the Velocity card

From the account section of the app, the Velocity Frequent Flyer membership card can also be added to Wallet so the membership number is one tap away during travel.

Once added, the pass surfaces through a lock screen widget as departure or boarding approaches, which puts the barcode a double-tap away without opening any app.

What Both Wallet Passes Carry

Across Qantas and Virgin Australia, the Wallet pass holds the same information airport scanners need.

Flight and seat details

Flight number, route, departure time, gate, seat, and boarding group where assigned

Standard 2D barcode

IATA-format QR or Aztec barcode that matches the airline's printed boarding pass for the same booking

Passenger and frequent flyer reference

Name as booked, plus Qantas Frequent Flyer or Velocity number when linked to the booking

Offline access once added

Apple Wallet shows the pass without a network connection, so a busy terminal or airplane mode is no obstacle at the gate

iOS 26 Live Flight Tracking

Apple named both Qantas and Virgin Australia among the airlines supporting the refreshed iOS 26 boarding passes with Live Flight Tracking. The upgraded pass turns into a Live Activity that follows the journey from the lock screen.

What the upgraded pass adds

Estimated arrival time and live flight progress shown on the lock screen as a Live Activity
Gate, terminal, and boarding time updates pushed straight to the pass
A Live Activity that can be shared with friends or family so they can track the flight
Indoor airport maps and a Find My link to checked bags where the airline supports it

Good to know

The Live Flight Tracking layer requires iOS 26 and a pass issued or refreshed by the airline
Apple rolls the feature out per airline, so timing can differ between Qantas and Virgin Australia
The barcode and core boarding details work the same on older iOS versions without the Live Activity
A pass imported from a PDF still scans and works, though the live tracking layer depends on the airline feed

Apple lists both Australian carriers

Apple's named list for the iOS 26 boarding pass refresh includes American, Air Canada, Delta, JetBlue, Jetstar, Lufthansa Group, Qantas, Southwest, United, and Virgin Australia. Both Qantas and Virgin Australia are on it, so travelers on either airline get the Live Flight Tracking experience once it goes live on their app.

When Only a PDF Arrives in the Inbox

Bookings made through corporate travel tools, online travel agents, or third-party portals sometimes drop the airline's Wallet handover and just send a PDF e-ticket or a check-in confirmation with the boarding pass attached.

The barcode on that PDF is the same QR or Aztec code the gate scans. A pass app like NeatPass reads the barcode from a PDF or screenshot and creates a native Wallet pass with identical barcode data.

Save the PDF on the iPhone

Open the airline email and save the boarding pass PDF, or screenshot the page that shows the barcode. Make sure no edge of the barcode is cropped.

Open NeatPass and import

Open NeatPass, tap the plus button, and pick the PDF or screenshot from the photo library or Files. On-device AI detects the barcode and reads flight details where it can.

Review the details

Check that flight number, route, seat, and passenger name match the original boarding pass. Adjust any field that needs fixing.

Add to Wallet

Tap Add to Apple Wallet. The new pass opens in Wallet and is double-tap accessible from the lock screen, with the same barcode the airline pass carries.

NeatPass works with every supported barcode format and offers several import methods, so even unusual e-ticket formats can land in Wallet.

When the Pass Does Not Behave

A few patterns repeat across both carriers and are worth knowing in advance.

No Add to Apple Wallet button - The booking may have come through a third-party channel; the PDF fallback above covers this case
Pass not on the Lock Screen - Wallet may surface the pass as departure or boarding approaches; outside that context, open Wallet directly
Seat or gate change after adding the pass - Re-open the booking in the airline app, grab the updated boarding pass, and add it again; delete the older Wallet version to keep things tidy
Multiple passengers missing - Each traveler needs their own Add to Apple Wallet tap from their own boarding pass screen, or the pass can be shared via AirDrop

Once added, the pass works in airplane mode and on weak networks, which matters on long-haul routes where in-terminal WiFi rarely cooperates.

Frequently Asked Questions

Convert an Australian carrier PDF into a Wallet pass

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Two Carriers, One Wallet Pass Format

Across Qantas and Virgin Australia, the cleanest path is the same: check in inside the airline app, tap Add to Apple Wallet, and the pass lands on the lock screen with the right barcode. Both airlines are on Apple's iOS 26 Live Flight Tracking list, so the pass keeps getting smarter. Where a booking dodges the native flow, a PDF screenshot and a pass app close the gap.

For the PDF route in detail, read how to convert a PDF boarding pass. For the full iOS 26 rollout, see which airlines support Live Flight Tracking, and for long-haul carriers, see Emirates, Qatar, and Etihad boarding passes in Apple Wallet.