Major changes to Velocity Frequent Flyer announced 17/10/24

[anat0l]

Too much VA flying needed - now they don't fly to USA and AUH, there is no way to earn decent amount of status with them.

I think you can fly VA marketed codeshare flights and they are treated the same as if VA was flying. I thought that was the whole point.

So you could fly VA marketed UA operated flights and it counts as if you flew VA anyway. Same with the QR wet lease flights - in fact, these are even closer - the flight is basically VA marketed and operated; it just so happens that the aircraft comes from QR, isn't repainted for VA and is operated with QR crew.

A couple of things I'm not entirely sure of, which are whether it is always (or much more) cheaper to purchase a given fare on a UA operated flight with a VA flight number or the base UA flight number (this tends to be a problem on many codeshare agreements). Also, I haven't tracked how much the international flight earn has changed, because SC earn for international flights (including partners) is different to domestic flights or short haul international operated by VA.

 

[Flyingwombat]

I think you can fly VA marketed codeshare flights and they are treated the same as if VA was flying. I thought that was the whole point.

So you could fly VA marketed UA operated flights and it counts as if you flew VA anyway. Same with the QR wet lease flights - in fact, these are even closer - the flight is basically VA marketed and operated; it just so happens that the aircraft comes from QR, isn't repainted for VA and is operated with QR crew.

A couple of things I'm not entirely sure of, which are whether it is always (or much more) cheaper to purchase a given fare on a UA operated flight with a VA flight number or the base UA flight number (this tends to be a problem on many codeshare agreements). Also, I haven't tracked how much the international flight earn has changed, because SC earn for international flights (including partners) is different to domestic flights or short haul international operated by VA.

In my experience, the VA flight number adds to the costs significantly and it is a real nuisance with seating and checking in (in some cases - caveat that my experience is a few years old).

I'm going to earn my UA and SQ flights towards my mileage plus account now (no expiry of points!) and I am not flying EY anymore.

 

[jeppetto367]

I think you can fly VA marketed codeshare flights and they are treated the same as if VA was flying. I thought that was the whole point.

So you could fly VA marketed UA operated flights and it counts as if you flew VA anyway. Same with the QR wet lease flights - in fact, these are even closer - the flight is basically VA marketed and operated; it just so happens that the aircraft comes from QR, isn't repainted for VA and is operated with QR crew.

A couple of things I'm not entirely sure of, which are whether it is always (or much more) cheaper to purchase a given fare on a UA operated flight with a VA flight number or the base UA flight number (this tends to be a problem on many codeshare agreements). Also, I haven't tracked how much the international flight earn has changed, because SC earn for international flights (including partners) is different to domestic flights or short haul international operated by VA.

You can book UA tickets as VA tickets but I find they're generally around 20% more. Additionally the VA earning on a UA flight (on a VA ticket) is less than before, and the UA earning (on a UA ticket) has literally been halved.

 

[PERLHR]

Yeah I have just compared VA code share on SQ metal to Hanoi from Perth. Biz class results in 700 dollars difference flying with VA number against SQ!! How can that ever be justified or even allowed? Same flights.and from what I see, same conditions of ticket.

 

[ozstamps]

I think these changes are too much and will hurt them in the long term. Yup, QF are making some changes to QFF that are reducing its attractiveness - but Velocity have really downgraded their status earning in a huge way. For me, there is simply no incentive other than a much cheaper fare to pick VA at all. And the flow on, is that I don't care about Velocity points at all so won't bother trying to earn them on the ground.

Matt Graham's mass email today pointed to the majority of those posting here holding that view.

Virgin really did push the needle way too far in the wrong direction - at a time they should not have touched it.

100,000s of once loyal flyers really do not give a toss now, as the Q4 market share figures will tell us all I feel sure.

Virgin have not listened - their call. Folks are not paying to fly therm as much - their call.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Matt Graham's mass email today pointed to the majority of those posting here holding that view.

Virgin really did push the needle way too far in the wrong direction - at a time they should not have touched it.

100,000s of once loyal flyers really do not give a toss now, as the Q4 market share figures will tell us all I feel sure.

Virgin have not listened - their call. Folks are not paying to fly therm as much - their call.

Those ‘loyal’ flyers weren’t in fact ‘loyal’.

They were price-conscious, value-driven individuals.

There’s no loyalty when you fly simply based on price.

Perhaps VA offered some incentives for you to fly with them over, say Jetstar. And maybe VA has woken up that they’re not really competing with JQ.

So they don’t need the incentives.

But that’s nothing to do with loyalty.

 

[nutwood]

Those ‘loyal’ flyers weren’t in fact ‘loyal’.

They were price-conscious, value-driven individuals.

There’s no loyalty when you fly simply based on price.

Perhaps VA offered some incentives for you to fly with them over, say Jetstar. And maybe VA has woken up that they’re not really competing with JQ.

So they don’t need the incentives.

But that’s nothing to do with loyalty.

Opens up the question of defining loyalty. I would suggest that loyalty is continuing to fly with an airline when there are better alternatives. I'm not sure there's very much of that sort of loyalty out there? I would suspect the primary factor is another L word; laziness. You get accustomed to who you fly with. Changing is an effort and unless pushed, plenty of people just stay where they are. Making significant changes prods people to check out the grass on the other side of the fence and that's exactly what VA have done here. Increase prices and reduce returns is not a good combination.