Velocity Chief Nick Rohrlach departs in management shakeup

[aus_flyer]

100,000s of once veery happy and content and rusted-on Elites have jumped ship, or are in the process of it.

What's your source for this stat?

 

[dandandan]

VERY clearly it is connected.

100,000s of once veery happy and content and rusted-on Elites have jumped ship, or are in the process of it.

Qantas should send Rohrlach a very large 'Thank You' cheque, and a case of Moet.

This current half coughd, and very poorly communicated frantic attempt to claw back the herds of departing Elites, by handing out millions of SC for flights already taken and paid for is clearly panic stations on full maximum alert in there.

Someone with some brains looking at market share has probably stepped in.

SC cost zero (versus free points) - they can hand out billions of them at zero dollar cost really. Virgin are now frantic to retain as many elites they can after 12 months of actively driving them away.

Just booked a SYD-ADL-SYD with points, as zero interest in handing those dopes a red cent.

This is spot on, Rohrlach has been booted as his strategy has failed. In his position this is warranted,. This also shows VA their position isn't as strong as they think, it's strong, however they simply can't charge the premiums Qantas charge and their SC earn based on revenue left them out on their own in the Aus market, when they didn't need to change it and only add in lifetime status.

Maybe tweaking member earn SC's was fine, however the revenue based SC earn has spectacularly backfired. The question is do they quickly revert to the previous SC earn chart.

 

[dandandan]

What's your source for this stat?

I don't think a source is needed, the current events speak for themselves, however plenty of people on this forum (I would say in the thousands as AFF has over 65,000 members I believe) told VA what they would do. Pretty naive not believe the word of the most hard core loyalty members

 

[ozstamps]

The evidence is clearly there for all with 2 eyes, and a few spare grey brain cells!

If 62.4% - literally 100s of folks just on this one small board alone agree they will be demoted under this crazy new system, it clearly has been a DISASTER plan.

Extrapolate that nationally, and little wonder Rohrlach is out the door. They are handing out millions of SC like Candies for flights taken even last month! Even on LITE fares. Retaining Elite levels for folks who got vaguely close, as we have seen reported here.

According to today's AFR, Qantas is expected to launch a DSC promo within a week for UNLIMITED flights, and the blood loss will just worsen for Virgin.

Qantas loyalty program blitz offers fast path to platinum status

A double points blitz from the national carrier aims to trump a capped Velocity offer, promising a “zero to hero” path to platinum for business travellers.

www.afr.com

If this were election polling at 62.4% negative response, the Bookies would have paid out already.

Thread 'Will you still earn/retain Velocity status beyond 2025?'

Nov 1, 2024

I'm sure most people reading this are already familiar with the recent changes announced to Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer program. In particular, from next year:

• You'll earn status credits for Virgin Australia flights based on the amount you spend,
• You'll earn fewer status credits on partner airlines, and
• To earn or retain any status level, you'll need to earn at least half of the required status credits from VA marketed flights you personally fly (i.e. not from family pooling, partner airlines, etc.)

Put simply, this will make Velocity status harder for...

• AFF Editor
• airline status
• Replies: 1,088
• Forum: Virgin Australia | Velocity

• 

 

[dandandan]

The evidence is clearly there for all with 2 eyes, and a few spare grey brain cells!

If 62.4% - literally 100s of folks just on this one small board alone agree they will be demoted under this crazy new system, it clearly has been a DISASTER plan.

Extrapolate that nationally, and little wonder Rohrlach is out the door. They are handing out millions of SC like Candies for flights taken even last month! Even on LITE fares. Retaining Elite levels for folks who got vaguely close, as we have seen reported here.

According to today's AFR, Qantas is expected to launch a DSC promo within a week for UNLIMITED flights, and the blood loss will just worsen for Virgin.

Qantas loyalty program blitz offers fast path to platinum status

A double points blitz from the national carrier aims to trump a capped Velocity offer, promising a “zero to hero” path to platinum for business travellers.

www.afr.com

If this were election polling at 62.4% negative response, the Bookies would have paid out already.


View attachment 498613

Thread 'Will you still earn/retain Velocity status beyond 2025?'

Nov 1, 2024

I'm sure most people reading this are already familiar with the recent changes announced to Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer program. In particular, from next year:

• You'll earn status credits for Virgin Australia flights based on the amount you spend,
• You'll earn fewer status credits on partner airlines, and
• To earn or retain any status level, you'll need to earn at least half of the required status credits from VA marketed flights you personally fly (i.e. not from family pooling, partner airlines, etc.)

Put simply, this will make Velocity status harder for...

• AFF Editor
• airline status
• Replies: 1,088
• Forum: Virgin Australia | Velocity

• 

And the Qantas DSC has now officially launched.

 

[SCM]

I really don't get this latest promo, it feels like a haphazardly adhoc promo which makes little sense - obviously some desperation there.

 

[ozstamps]

I really don't get this latest promo, it feels like a haphazardly adhoc promo which makes little sense - obviously some desperation there.

The ONLY reason is the vast outflow of elites. giving folks a large bunch of SC for flights they made LAST MONTH even on (near worthless for SC) LITE fares, is a sign they are DESPERATE to stem the massive haemorrhage, even if it costs them many millions of SC tossed to the winds.

WHY does it make ANY sense to give someone who flew Sydney-Ballina last month for $60 each way a huge 45 x extra SC??!!!! AND a handful of bonus miles to boot. For flights ALREADY taken.

Totally panic stations in there, with no plan to even communicate this to members, so as to make some BUCKS from it. Qantas will be laughing their heads off.

 

[aus_flyer]

WHY does it make ANY sense to give someone who flew Sydney-Ballina last month for $60 each way a huge 45 x extra SC??!!!! AND a handful of bonus miles to boot. For flights ALREADY taken.

Might want to check your maths

 

[ozstamps]

Might want to check your maths

You might want to check yours.

Or maybe just your compreeeheenshunnn skills?

 

[aus_flyer]

You might want to check yours.

View attachment 498617

How do you get 45x the number of status credits?

Ah I think you meant “45 extra SC” not “45 x extra SC”

 

[ozstamps]

''How do you get 45x the number of status credits?''

WHY does it make ANY sense to give someone who flew Sydney-Ballina last month for $60 each way, a huge 45 x extra SC??!!!! AND a handful of bonus miles to boot. For flights ALREADY taken.

 

[SCM]

Why not just fix their changes, that will be way more effective in retaining status pax.

 

[odysseus]

I really don't get this latest promo, it feels like a haphazardly adhoc promo which makes little sense - obviously some desperation there.

Given it's partially retrospective, that part can't influence customer's decisions/bookings, let alone increase revenue. So all that's left that it will do is to boost member numbers.

Now that they're a listed company, they may be reporting member numbers after the changes, or it may be to do with metrics for their shareholder QR. Either way it seems to be window dressing to cover up what would otherwise look to be a disaster, given the cost to run this campaign and reverse some of the effects of their changes, for no earnings benefit.

 

[odysseus]

Why not just fix their changes, that will be way more effective in retaining status pax.

It looks even worse. To the uninvolved/uninterested and the market generally, this just appears to be another promo. Whereas rolling back the changes tells the market it was a bad move; again, looks to be impression management for the sharemarket now that they're listed.

 

[aus_flyer]

View attachment 498619

''How do you get 45x the number of status credits?''

There’s a difference between 45 and 45x. Sorry if you don’t get that

 

[SeaWolf]

The evidence is clearly there for all with 2 eyes, and a few spare grey brain cells!

If 62.4% - literally 100s of folks just on this one small board alone agree they will be demoted under this crazy new system, it clearly has been a DISASTER plan.

You can't seriously think that a poll on AFF is a sample that is in any way representative of the general customer base of Virgin.

Even you yourself are saying that, despite your grievances, you've (supposedly) kept flying Virgin during the last year so much that you've now been able to gift Platinum. Seems like you've stayed pretty engaged even though you claim you're going to disengage "any day now".

The reality is that all the catastrophising and prophecies of doom on this forum just aren't based on reality. Even a standard marketing offer that comes around every time this year is seen on here as a vision of imminent doom. A change in staff (that this thread was originally about) is seen as sign of the impending end times. But, even though the prophets of disaster on here react to every change with all the grace of a duck being sucked into a jet engine, the airline is now actually profitable. Its just impossible to mount a credible case that the business is making all the wrong moves when, coming out of administration, those changes have moved the business from making consistent losses to now making consistent profits.

 

[simmomelb]

There’s a difference between 45 and 45x. Sorry if you don’t get that

Exactly, it's quite simply a bucket of 45 bonus status credits for a return flight/if you take 2 flights (in many cases, this is lower than DSC (2 x), depending on the value of the flight) - 22.5 status credits per flight if you take 2 flights.
You also have to register in advance - it's just a status promo like any other and expected at this time of the year, like almost every other year since VA1 & VA2 have been in business.
Did you see Qantas has a Double Status offer now, open to EVERYONE? They must be so desperate, about to fail, this isn't looking good...
Ohhhh wait, Qantas does the same at this time of the year, every year, phew, just business as normal

 

[MELso]

I really don't get this latest promo, it feels like a haphazardly adhoc promo which makes little sense - obviously some desperation there.

I think that at its core, VA's loyalty team forgot it's a small-ish domestically-focused mid-tier airline with several ad hoc airline partnerships with varying degrees of recognition of VA members. Simply put, they need to make it easier - much easier - to obtain status than Qantas given Qantas' proper alliance membership in Oneworld.

Hopefully, the powers that be are using this promo as a face-saving way to achieve this goal before quietly winding back the changes made last year (or perhaps there'll be nearly permanent 'bonuses' to achieve the same goal).

 

[dajop]

I think that at its core, VA's loyalty team forgot it's a small-ish domestically-focused mid-tier airline with several ad hoc airline partnerships with varying degrees of recognition of VA members.

Or perhaps were pushed by Bain to follow the currently preferred US loyalty approach tying status directly to spend (except AS).