This week one of our members is finding it difficult to use their Virgin complimentary platinum upgrades. I tried to use a platinum comp upgrade, but there seems no award seats available. I’ve checked on expert flyer, and it seems there are only 6 passengers in J out of possible 36 seats. I was searching … Continued
Finding Velocity Frequent Flyer reward seats on partner airlines, such as Etihad, Delta, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin America, has proven a struggle for one of our members. The member wants to use their Virgin points to fly to the USA and Europe. However, they have been finding that award availability on some partner airlines has … Continued
In a move that is likely to put further pressure on rival Qantas, Virgin Australia has completely removed fuel surcharges from all of its flights. The fuel surcharge component will now be included in the base fare. The move is largely symbolic as Virgin previously only charged a surcharge on two of its routes; Sydney … Continued
This week one member’s selected seating was arbitrarily changed at the gate leaving them frustrated and resentful at Virgin ground staff. Our member was flying Darwin to Brisbane on a Virgin flight and requested, and was then duly allocated seat 5C upon check-in. When our member proceeded to the gate, the gate scanner flashed red … Continued
Earning Frequent Flyer points for money you are spending anyway is always an attractive proposition. Fuel has become a significant expense for many and an easy way to earn Qantas points through the Woolworths/Caltex tie up. Many of the Caltex service stations also allow you to earn Myer One points as a double dip. While … Continued
One platinum member this week is furious that they were pulled from a flight for arriving at the gate 15 minute prior to departure time. This resulted in our member having to fork out an additional $120 to catch a later flight. It would seem that Virgin made little effort to track our traveler down … Continued
Australian aviation history is littered with incidences of companies trying to be a successful third domestic airline. Not long after deregulation, we had Compass Mark 1 and shortly after Compass Mark 2, both short lived. Impulse airlines soon stepped into the role, and it ran successfully until capital was cut off by its backers. As … Continued
With the demise of the 767 as the Qantas mainstay for Transcontinental flights, much focus has been on its replacement, the Airbus A330. With Qantas operating aircraft that feature a 10 year old cabin, they were always going to struggle. After all, Virgin’s new deliveries featured a seat in Business Class that converted to a … Continued
One member this week is horrified at what they perceive is a potential fraud on behalf of Virgin when booking via the Virgin website. This member booked a flexi-fare and upon selecting the relevant fares and attempting to pay, the price was $17 more than the advertised price and no explanation was given for the … Continued
From the late 1940s until the 1990s, Australia operated under a two airline policy. That policy put in place a law that specified only two airlines could operate the routes between major cities. Over the time it was in place, travel by air was expensive, and often inflexible. For some routes, there would be two … Continued
When it comes to scams, unfortunately airlines are often good fodder for the scammers. As they are in the business of transporting thousands of people a day, it’s easy for the crooks to find a victim who recently took a flight. For the past few weeks, it has been Virgins turn, and a few of … Continued
Many of our members who have had the pleasure of flying through Albury in recent months might have noticed the same Virgin ATR72 aircraft parked there since late February. While parked aircraft are not unusual, aircraft that are in airline service don’t stand still for long. It was certainly noticed by the Industry with pilot … Continued