Taken Free Stuff - Who Wants to be a VA WP (Velocity Platinum)

[knobbs]

Although I don't post much on here (more lurking) I think I scrape by for the post count. Currently I don't think I could ever be in a position to attain platinum so this would be a once in a lifetime gift. I had gold for a period last year thanks to a flybuys deal and it was great to be able to take my mates into the lounge on our lads trip to Tasmania. However I think my wife would be the one to enjoy it the most, we love any chance to get into a lounge and arrive at least a few hours early just to indulge our self.

My photos are from our Canada/USA trip in 2018.

Lake Louise from beehive lookout

We then went through a few national parks including Sequia (would put it on your bucket list if you haven't been). I am 193cm tall and these things tower over me and the trunk diameter is massive.

Our final stop was in Zion national park with some landscape you can't get anywhere else. The picture is from observation point, but I can't find a photo of our walk up the Virgin river which was amazing as well.


This year we are looking at heading to Tokyo for the Olympics (MsKnobbs brother had made the team), Singapore and I am secretly hoping for another US/Canada stop

Thanks again Matt for this great offer, I am sure whoever wins will have a year to remember thanks to your generosity.

 

[CatherineC]

Hi Matt. A very generous offer and not something I’d normally put my hand up for but.....We all know circumstances can change rapidly and flight opportunities have been seriously curtailed this last year. With my elderly mother now living with us I am about to plunge down the status ladder with no immediate hope of stopping the fall! Previously enjoyed travelling regularly, particularly to see our sons who live in NYC. Daughter is also shortly moving to London so we will need to travel to see our kids! Respite care will hopefully help. Photo is of our son and daughter in law’s dog on an outing we took to Central Park. Very sweet reminder of them and all the joys of NYC and travel generally.

 

[Rod James]

Excuse my ignorance as I do not use VA but what is WA.
I cannot find any references in VA site

 

[Nee24]

I only ask for a photo as sometimes the odd one pops up and I think that looks like a nice to visit.

I don't qualify because I don't have enough posts, but figured if you are looking for nice photos to trigger something new, here's a photo from the Crouching Lion hike on Oahu in Hawaii. I'm in Hawaii every 2-3 months because it's like home for me (the day I get to live there will be the happiest day of my life), and I'll be back next month finally getting to do the Stairway to heaven hike.

Hawaii is a pretty magical place once you're getting around like a local. Can't recommend it enough.

 

[Ghost Flyer]

Who wants to be a WP with VA. Over the past couple of years I have given away VA SG companion status but not WP so this is a first. I have no one to give it to, MrsM has the QF complementary WP and does not need or want this one.

I have called the VA CC and they confirmed I am good to go. Like most of my "free stuff" posts there are a couple of conditions, being:

• AFF member for at least 3 months,
• At least 25 posts,
• a picture of your favourite travel destination (picture must be yours, i.e not pinched/ borrowed from the web)

I would prefer to give this to someone who will get some use out of it, if selected, you will need to provide me with your name and VA FF number, I need to give your details to VA. If you are not comfortable providing this detail don’t throw your hat in the ring.

I will leave the thread open for a while and when I think there is enough responses or pictures a decision will be made. As per other 'free stuff' posts I will ask MissM and MissM to agree on which response they like the best and that will be the winner. Simple.

All the best.

Edit: I have been informed by VA that companion platinum is just like normal platinum that being if you do not maintain you will fall back to gold so you will get a couple of years as either WP or SG.

Who wants to be a WP with VA. Over the past couple of years I have given away VA SG companion status but not WP so this is a first. I have no one to give it to, MrsM has the QF complementary WP and does not need or want this one.

I have called the VA CC and they confirmed I am good to go. Like most of my "free stuff" posts there are a couple of conditions, being:

• AFF member for at least 3 months,
• At least 25 posts,
• a picture of your favourite travel destination (picture must be yours, i.e not pinched/ borrowed from the web)

I would prefer to give this to someone who will get some use out of it, if selected, you will need to provide me with your name and VA FF number, I need to give your details to VA. If you are not comfortable providing this detail don’t throw your hat in the ring.

I will leave the thread open for a while and when I think there is enough responses or pictures a decision will be made. As per other 'free stuff' posts I will ask MissM and MissM to agree on which response they like the best and that will be the winner. Simple.

All the best.

Edit: I have been informed by VA that companion platinum is just like normal platinum that being if you do not maintain you will fall back to gold so you will get a couple of years as either WP or SG.

Who wants to be a WP with VA. Over the past couple of years I have given away VA SG companion status but not WP so this is a first. I have no one to give it to, MrsM has the QF complementary WP and does not need or want this one.

I have called the VA CC and they confirmed I am good to go. Like most of my "free stuff" posts there are a couple of conditions, being:

• AFF member for at least 3 months,
• At least 25 posts,
• a picture of your favourite travel destination (picture must be yours, i.e not pinched/ borrowed from the web)

I would prefer to give this to someone who will get some use out of it, if selected, you will need to provide me with your name and VA FF number, I need to give your details to VA. If you are not comfortable providing this detail don’t throw your hat in the ring.

I will leave the thread open for a while and when I think there is enough responses or pictures a decision will be made. As per other 'free stuff' posts I will ask MissM and MissM to agree on which response they like the best and that will be the winner. Simple.

All the best.

Edit: I have been informed by VA that companion platinum is just like normal platinum that being if you do not maintain you will fall back to gold so you will get a couple of years as either WP or SG.

Hi Matt, would love for my daughter to have WP. We live in Adelaide but she is studying paramedic science externally at ECU in Perth. As such, she has to travel to Perth 4 to 5 times a year and due to the weight of text books etc she is always having to buy extra luggage and Economy X and lounge access would be a great bonus. Thanks for the opportunity. Attached photo of Margaritaville at Cancún airport

 

[Denali]

I don't qualify because I don't have enough posts, but figured if you are looking for nice photos to trigger something new, here's a photo from the Crouching Lion hike on Oahu in Hawaii. I'm in Hawaii every 2-3 months because it's like home for me (the day I get to live there will be the happiest day of my life), and I'll be back next month finally getting to do the Stairway to heaven hike.

Hawaii is a pretty magical place once you're getting around like a local. Can't recommend it enough.

Please have your own thread when you do it because I thought the Stairway was prohibited

 

[knobbs]

Please have your own thread when you do it because I thought the Stairway was prohibited

It still is. We did it in 2016 having to trudge through knee high mud in a swamp to get around the guard who spotted us on the way back. It was torrential rail that morning/night and we didn't even get to see the sunrise due to complete cloud coverage. Plan VERY carefully if you do intend to try.

 

[Nee24]

Please have your own thread when you do it because I thought the Stairway was prohibited

Sorry I don't want to derail the awesome thread so I won't comment again, but there is a back way that is legal (this information comes from the many friends I have on the island). I don't plan on doing anything that will render me not able to return if I get caught, so the legal way is how I'll be doing it. Will be happy to post a thread about it (or anything else Hawaii related) if people are interested in that kind of info (feel free to PM me so I'm not derailing).
Cheers

 

[Jurahn]

What a wonderful gesture Matt, a very generous offer indeed. I would like to put my hat in the ring, if I may.

Since moving to Tasmania 18 months ago, we've struggled with maintaining status due to the costs of moving, getting ourselves set up here and of course, finding work (unfortunately the job I moved here for fell through). We both held Gold status for about 5 years, but the lack of travel opportunities and finances saw me fall back to Silver this year, and sadly, I will fall even further to Red in a couple of months as I have been pushing any SCs to Mr J to help him maintain Gold for the moment, but not sure how long we can keep that up. Things have improved somewhat, and we are planning to travel back to Switzerland later this year to visit friends and see more of that glorious country, and hopefully a trip to the US for myself during the next 12 months to stay with some "horsey" friends outside Seattle who I met on a ranch several years ago and who have very kindly invited me to stay and ride their horses. I always regard it as a tremendous privilege when someone else trusts me with their beloved steed! I would dearly love to have status for these trips, especially when travelling on my own, as it makes such a difference, especially with having lounge access available, not to mention long-distance upgrade options which aren't available to lowly Silvers and Reds , priority boarding, and all the other benefits Platinum status offers.

Below are a couple of photos from our favourite destination, Austria - another place we plan to return to and explore further. The first photo is of the beautiful Schonbrunn Palace in Vienna, a city we would love to return to, especially to see a performance at the Spanish Riding School (SRS). The second photo is from a trip we made out to Piber, outside Graz, where the Lipizzaners for the SRS are bred and raised, and where their retired stallions go to live out the rest of their lives in a beautiful and peaceful environment. It was early spring and the fields were full of of white mares with their gorgeous dark-coloured foals which were delightful to watch - and we even got to pat them! For those who may not know, the foals are born either black or brown - the black ones gradually turn grey and then are pure white by the age of 10, but the bay/brown foals remain that colour all their lives.



Thank you Matt for this opportunity, and good luck to everyone!

 

[leadlegs]

Who wants to be a WP with VA. Over the past couple of years I have given away VA SG companion status but not WP so this is a first. I have no one to give it to, MrsM has the QF complementary WP and does not need or want this one.

I have called the VA CC and they confirmed I am good to go. Like most of my "free stuff" posts there are a couple of conditions, being:

• AFF member for at least 3 months,
• At least 25 posts,
• a picture of your favourite travel destination (picture must be yours, i.e not pinched/ borrowed from the web)

I would prefer to give this to someone who will get some use out of it, if selected, you will need to provide me with your name and VA FF number, I need to give your details to VA. If you are not comfortable providing this detail don’t throw your hat in the ring.

I will leave the thread open for a while and when I think there is enough responses or pictures a decision will be made. As per other 'free stuff' posts I will ask MissM and MissM to agree on which response they like the best and that will be the winner. Simple.

All the best.

Edit: I have been informed by VA that companion platinum is just like normal platinum that being if you do not maintain you will fall back to gold so you will get a couple of years as either WP or SG.

A fabulously generous offer Matt. I'm a very occasional poster but a regular lurker on the site. Most of my trips are to Kathmandu, Nepal. They were initially for business but now just to visit my many friends there, especially a family who I'm now part of. I've been part of the lives of the now 18 and 16 year old children since they were born. My next trip in 6 weeks will be number 42, all since 2002. I'm hoping to take my 5 year old granddaughter with me soon. Lounge access and seat choice via Singapore airlines would make an even more exciting adventure for her.

My photos are snapshots of life in Kathmandu. It's a polluted ugly city, but is just beautiful. I love it now, but it was very confronting all those years ago when I first visited, and it still can be.

 

[debgow]

I agree with all, a very generous offer. I would love to put myself forward. I would never in my wildest dream be able to call myself a platinum velocity member. I travel enough to get to silver but no further. Our daughter passed away recently, and I’ve decided I want to visit again the places we’ve travelled to together that we both really enjoyed- Disneyland, Tassie and Malaysia. Being Platinum would enable me to get back to Disneyland quicker by earning more points and also able to upgrade with points on long haul flights. I also travel to and from PNG, so having lounge access and extra baggage allowance would make a huge difference to me. Here is a photo (very unflattering) of visiting Melawati Hill in Malaysia. The monkeys jump on you when they see you have food they like, this one got tangled in my hair. Also photo from parade at Disney.

 

[Matt_01]

Excuse my ignorance as I do not use VA but what is WA.
I cannot find any references in VA site

WA - maybe the abbreviation for Western Australia.

 

[Tamerton]

My favourite destination at the moment is Wellington NZ. My daughter has moved there With the 3 grandkids and I seem to travel there a lot. I love Wellington airport with the special Lord of the rings sculptures. They are huge and so life like.
I usually fly VA and think they are the best choice.
Thanks for the chance to win status you’re very generous.

 

[highland]

Who wants to be a WP with VA. Over the past couple of years I have given away VA SG companion status but not WP so this is a first. I have no one to give it to, MrsM has the QF complementary WP and does not need or want this one.

I have called the VA CC and they confirmed I am good to go. Like most of my "free stuff" posts there are a couple of conditions, being:

• AFF member for at least 3 months,
• At least 25 posts,
• a picture of your favourite travel destination (picture must be yours, i.e not pinched/ borrowed from the web)

I would prefer to give this to someone who will get some use out of it, if selected, you will need to provide me with your name and VA FF number, I need to give your details to VA. If you are not comfortable providing this detail don’t throw your hat in the ring.

I will leave the thread open for a while and when I think there is enough responses or pictures a decision will be made. As per other 'free stuff' posts I will ask MissM and MissM to agree on which response they like the best and that will be the winner. Simple.

All the best.

Edit: I have been informed by VA that companion platinum is just like normal platinum that being if you do not maintain you will fall back to gold so you will get a couple of years as either WP or SG.

Who wants to be a WP with VA. Over the past couple of years I have given away VA SG companion status but not WP so this is a first. I have no one to give it to, MrsM has the QF complementary WP and does not need or want this one.

I have called the VA CC and they confirmed I am good to go. Like most of my "free stuff" posts there are a couple of conditions, being:

• AFF member for at least 3 months,
• At least 25 posts,
• a picture of your favourite travel destination (picture must be yours, i.e not pinched/ borrowed from the web)

I would prefer to give this to someone who will get some use out of it, if selected, you will need to provide me with your name and VA FF number, I need to give your details to VA. If you are not comfortable providing this detail don’t throw your hat in the ring.

I will leave the thread open for a while and when I think there is enough responses or pictures a decision will be made. As per other 'free stuff' posts I will ask MissM and MissM to agree on which response they like the best and that will be the winner. Simple.

All the best.

Edit: I have been informed by VA that companion platinum is just like normal platinum that being if you do not maintain you will fall back to gold so you will get a couple of years as either WP or SG.

Hard one to pick for you, but I'm sure whoever it is will be deserving love your work.. We are in WA, travel over East often as both kids compete.. 1. Mountain bike, 2. Dancing. We are no where near the platinum so this would be amazing and make life so much easier for me. We live on a farm so I get take the kids most of the time. I will be travelling to the UK as ageing relatives need to be seen ah would be bliss . cheers...

 

[Gavra]

Very generous offer! I am not really qualify (less than 25 posts), but just wish to comment on Matt's generosity!

 

[fkn_ace]

Hi, everyone is right; This is a super generous prize. It's also a great way to see some amazing photos from our
fellow frequent flyers.
I'd like to enter please. Currently we have no status with virgin or Qantas. No big holidays last year as my wife gave birth to our son, but this year is a different story. I turn 40 today! and my wife turns 40 later in the year so we've got big travel plans to celebrate: Hamilton island, Japan, Europe and Vanuatu, on a mix of virgin and Singapore airlines so status would be absolutely amazing to be able to go in the lounges before the flights. Here's 2 pics. The first is from one of my fave places, the UK: it's from the cheese rolling festival where crazy people run down a hill chasing the cheese and end up in ambulance convoys to hospital. the second picture is from our fave place, the Greek islands (this pic is from Santorini but we love Paros and Chania in Crete too):



thanks so much for this competition.

 

[Matt_01]

Very generous offer! I am not really qualify (less than 25 posts), but just wish to comment on Matt's generosity!

As I posted up thread my conditions should be considered as guidelines and I thought I had an 'or' at the end of each condition but seem to have buggered that up. If you want to throw your hat in the ring it does not worry me.

 

[tdpali]

Hi Matt

Great offer. Planning to take all the fam again to Bali later this year, so could really use the Platinum.

Some photos of last trip with the crew in 2018.

1st photo. Which way to the beach...
2nd photo. My tip to you all, get your shots. I have a new friend, or is that a relative? Better check my pockets and back pack now....
3rd photo. Living like a local. For about 10 minutes

Good luck everybody!!

 

[gilldo]

This is a very generous thing that you're doing.

In 2018, we visited Lower Antelope Canyon near Page in Arizona. It's a sandstone slot canyon, one of a number in the area.

Every turn in the canyon provides a different tone, and the same places change colours throughout the day.

An amazing location and well worth the visit.

 

[auspal]

I would love this gift. My favourite travel destination is South America, colourful and so much fun. No status as yet with VA, have been loyal to Qantas for years, but retired now so looking at other options for the best value.