Velocity Platinum - whats the best way to fly from SYD or BNE to HKG?

[bigbadbyrnes]

Alright chaps and chappettes?

Elevated myself to Platinum after a prolonged period of SFLT'ing on VirginAustralia and parters, with whom I have been pleased, but I have a question:

As someone looking to fly with an airline on which I can earn SCs and Vel Points, whats the best way to get from BNE or SYD to HKG flying either Y or Y+. I can't really fork out for J class so Y+ on Virgin Altantic might be the way forward, the alternatives being flying Y with Singapore Airlines or Malaysia Airlines.

Can anyone share an opinion on how Premium Economy on Virgin Atlantic compares with Virgin Australia's premium economy on the new 777 long haul flights? I just came back from LAX->BNE in Y+ and was very impressed. How do Virgin Atlantic treat Velocity members? Any different?

Your input is very appreciated, thank you.

 

[The Rok]

VS wont really treat you any differently. The hard product is almost identical except that VA has a bar on board for Premium Economy (Self Serve) and the VS product is older and showing signs of wear.

 

[Mh4k]

AFAIK unless you feel like some creative routing your only option is VS (which isn't bad in Y+).

 

[airtraveladdict]

Alright chaps and chappettes?

Elevated myself to Platinum after a prolonged period of SFLT'ing on VirginAustralia and parters, with whom I have been pleased, but I have a question:

As someone looking to fly with an airline on which I can earn SCs and Vel Points, whats the best way to get from BNE or SYD to HKG flying either Y or Y+. I can't really fork out for J class so Y+ on Virgin Altantic might be the way forward, the alternatives being flying Y with Singapore Airlines or Malaysia Airlines.

Can anyone share an opinion on how Premium Economy on Virgin Atlantic compares with Virgin Australia's premium economy on the new 777 long haul flights? I just came back from LAX->BNE in Y+ and was very impressed. How do Virgin Atlantic treat Velocity members? Any different?

Your input is very appreciated, thank you.

Virgin Australia's Y+ product is far superior compared to Virgin Atlantic.

I'm on the same boat as you, can't really afford J class regularly. But i have tried both products and here are afew quick observations.

Seat: both have the same seat pitch of 38"
Cabin: both have a Y+ dedicated cabin
Entertainment: Red can be switched on as soon as soon as you sit down, Virgin Atlantic - you have to wait until the CSM switches it on.
Lavatory: VA has two dedicated toilets for Y+ for a cabin of 40 pax (so no queues), VS passengers in Y+ have to use economy (long queues)
Food & beverage: both serve the same as economy, but VA has a self service bar packed with goodies, whereas on VS you will be lucky to get a second water bottle (but maybe that was my lazy crew)
Check-in and Boarding: Priority for both

And Virgin Atlantic won't give you special priorities if you're a Velocity Plat holder.

Also beware of Virgin Atlantic's paltry SC and Points reward for your flight. I posted a comparison chart a month ago which showed just how bad it is.

Sydney-BNE-HKG falls into Zone 4, so if you paid Y+ prices for VS sad Y+ product, you will earn 35 SC and 0.25 points per mile for promo econ, 0.5 points per mile for discount econ and 1 point per mile for full econ fare.

In fact, you will earn more SC if you flew discount economy on Singapore Airlines,from SYD-HKG with a stopover in Singapore because you get 30 SC from SYD-SIN and another 20 SC from SIN-HKG.

If you bought a full fare economy ticket you get a total of 100SC one way, and you earn 1 point per mile regardless of fareclass.

Also take a look at the stated benefits for travelling with VS and Singapore Airlines and you will see that Singapore Airlines has more benefits for Velocity Plat holders.
priority check-in, extra luggage or 20kg depending on the routes, priority baggage and boarding, use of silver kris lounge globally, except in changhi where you use gold lounge (no toilets or showers)
VS, its only priority check-in and lounge access to "the club" in Hong Kong.

You can try looking at Malaysian Airlines too, but the SC and Point earn is really poor.

OR... this might be abit farfetched, but you can try flying Air New Zealand, SYD-Auckland-HKG in Y+, im not sure if Air NZ's new 777 Y+ product is on that route, so its best you check out their timetable. I read on AusBT that Air NZ recognises the Velocity Status and sometimes you are upgraded, OR Air NZ (clever cash making idea) now offers higher tier flyers (only to higher tier) the chance to cash upgrade, because as Air NZ's boss said in an interview, they prefer to make extra cash on a flight rather than leave an empty Y+ or J class seat. But I dont know how much it costs for cash upgrades 24 hours prior to the flight.

Anyway hope that is enough info.

 

[bigbadbyrnes]

Anyway hope that is enough info.

Outstanding, I feared as much about VA being a step in front of VS, but it's nice to know for sure. It might be a hard question to answer but would Y in Singapore Airlines be a reasonable alternative to Y+ on VS? I'm guessing Y+ would still be superior, but if its a properly decent economy class, it might be worth putting up with.

 

[markis10]

MH is not a bad J option for $3500, mind you if you are a regular to Asia its worth looking at the CX J fares ex TPE, at 2-2.5K return J to Australia you might soon find yourself with status in another program!

 

[airtraveladdict]

Outstanding, I feared as much about VA being a step in front of VS, but it's nice to know for sure. It might be a hard question to answer but would Y in Singapore Airlines be a reasonable alternative to Y+ on VS? I'm guessing Y+ would still be superior, but if its a properly decent economy class, it might be worth putting up with.

oopps i just have to correct myself.

Sydney-BNE-HKG falls into Zone 4, so if you paid Y+ prices for VS sad Y+ product, you will earn 35 SC and 1.25 Velocity Points per mile
and if you did it in economy, you get less SC about 25 and just 0.25 points per mile for promo econ, 0.5 points per mile for discount econ and 1 point per mile for full econ fare.


I had all that stuff mixed up. it depends on Y+ prices, VS y+ prices are always expensive for the product, which is subpar to many airlines who offer Y+.

they are pioneers of y+ but they have let their standards slip...alot

 

[bigbadbyrnes]

oopps i just have to correct myself.

Sydney-BNE-HKG falls into Zone 4, so if you paid Y+ prices for VS sad Y+ product, you will earn 35 SC and 1.25 Velocity Points per mile
and if you did it in economy, you get less SC about 25 and just 0.25 points per mile for promo econ, 0.5 points per mile for discount econ and 1 point per mile for full econ fare.


I had all that stuff mixed up. it depends on Y+ prices, VS y+ prices are always expensive for the product, which is subpar to many airlines who offer Y+.

they are pioneers of y+ but they have let their standards slip...alot

That is not good news

Even though their Y+ isn't up to the same standard as more modern carriers (or more recently fitted carriers), it's still going to be an improvement on any other Y offering, correct?

Seriously considering alternatives, but alas the layovers (and the hours they add to the trip) make them less attractive than VS+Y direct from Sydney. The crummiest thing about the ticket however, as someone from far North NSW is I've still got to get a seperate ticket from Ballina, OOL or BNE to Sydney. Bit weak. And yes the status benefits are weak as tap water (no priority boarding, no extra or priority baggage) but an express check in an Clubhouse access is better than nothing at all.

As far as I can judge, the best way to get from SYD to HKG (without a J class budget) is direct and in a sub par Y+, and thats VS.

 

[markis10]

When is the planned trip, note that CX are planning PE into Australia this year, ex Ballina BNE might be a option??

http://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/travel-news/cx-introduce-pe-incl-a330-32373.html

 

[medhead]

There used to be Etihad BNE-SIN. If that is still going is that an option combined with SQ.


Sent from my iPhone using Aust Freq Fly app so please excuse the lack of links.

 

[airtraveladdict]

That is not good news

Even though their Y+ isn't up to the same standard as more modern carriers (or more recently fitted carriers), it's still going to be an improvement on any other Y offering, correct?

Seriously considering alternatives, but alas the layovers (and the hours they add to the trip) make them less attractive than VS+Y direct from Sydney. The crummiest thing about the ticket however, as someone from far North NSW is I've still got to get a seperate ticket from Ballina, OOL or BNE to Sydney. Bit weak. And yes the status benefits are weak as tap water (no priority boarding, no extra or priority baggage) but an express check in an Clubhouse access is better than nothing at all.

As far as I can judge, the best way to get from SYD to HKG (without a J class budget) is direct and in a sub par Y+, and thats VS.

Y+ is generally better than Y, there has been debate on AFF recently about the value of Y+ because different airlines offer different Y+ products.

So i guess it also depends on the ticket price or fare difference.

for example and this is slightly off topic but sometimes I check and find qantas Y+ to europe fares cost nearly as much as business class Asian based airlines like Malaysia or Asiana etc.

Anyway, it depends how easy it is for you to earn SC and how important points are to you. Because if you want to maintain Velocity Plat, you will need 800 SC over the next 12 months to re-qualify or at least 400SC (i think) for a soft landing to Velocity Gold.

And flying VS direct from SYD-HKG in Y+ means you only get 75 SC return. whereas if you flew economy on Singapore Airlines you will get 200SC for the return flight.

Ive never being to the clubhouse in HKG, but i think if you flew SQ you can use the silver kris lounge in HKG as well.

 

[Shy180]

VS y+ prices are always expensive for the product, which is subpar to many airlines who offer Y+. they are pioneers of y+ but they have let their standards slip...alot

We flew VS PE MEL-LAX-MEL for a USA holiday late last year and overall we were very impressed. Very good staff in the air and even as a VS Gold they were very hospitable and really could do enough to help us.

The ground staff at LAX on the other hand ...... were simply rude and insulting

 

[Fruitcake]

We flew VS PE MEL-LAX-MEL for a USA holiday late last year and overall we were very impressed.

That's certainly the 'long way around!'

 

[The Rok]

We flew VS PE MEL-LAX-MEL for a USA holiday late last year and overall we were very impressed. Very good staff in the air and even as a VS Gold they were very hospitable and really could do enough to help us.

The ground staff at LAX on the other hand ...... were simply rude and insulting

VS or VA? Did you go MEL-SYD-HKG-LHR-LAX?

I assume you meant Virgin Australia?

 

[Shy180]

Long day

Mea culpa I meant VA......

 

[Reg Reagan]

How flexible are you with interesting routing? You could fly Air Asia X OOL-KUL return for ~$500 (inc checked bags, meals, standard seats), and then MH J class KUL-HKG return which can be had for around ~$1500. Factor in an overnight stopover on the way home & you're paying the same amount you would for VS PE without the hassle of going via SYD. And it still fits into zone 3 earn so you'd grab a handy 160SC plus the relevant points as well. You'd have access to lounge at KUL but not sure about HKG. Don't know if MH partnership will continue if they end up joining OW though. Also it depends how you feel about flying LCC. Alternatively pay $3.5k to fly J all the way from BNE.

 

[airtraveladdict]

This is just another option for you, if you want to fly Y+ on Air NZ.

I did some random search dates and the fares for both Air NZ and Virgin Atlantic from Sydney to Hong Kong were similar, with about $100-300 difference.

As I mentioned earlier, you will get only 75 SC for the return journey from SYD-HKG if you flew Y+ on Virgin Atlantic for about $2400-2500.

However if you do a stopover in Auckland via Air NZ, you will earn 1.5 Velocity points per mile (compared to 1.25 with VS) and the fare is around $2500-$2600.

But the SC is attractive, Y+ Syd-Auckland is 45 and Auckland to HKG is 120 SC because it is a Zone 5 flight, so in total 165 SC for one way Sydney to Hong Kong with Air NZ.

So for the return flight you will earn 330 SC on Air Nz compared to 75 SC. I dont know whether that matters to you or not. But IMO it goes a long way to keeping Platinum

Anyway only thing worth noting is that, Air NZ only flies the 777-300ER Y+ product between Sydney and Auckland (because it goes onto LAX and LHR). These are the 40" inch plus white leather chairs. Whereas the flight to Hong Kong, Air NZ a different plane which I think has not being refitted with the new white leather seats, so its the 38" seat pitch.

I have read trip reports on Air NZ's 777 Y+ spaceseat product, and people mentioned its more business minus whereas the other airlines, Y+ is more economy plus. With Air NZ Y+ gets business class meals and amenity kits etc etc except the wine list is different. but that plane is used exclusively for the LAX-LHR route i think.

if you fly the 777-200 or 747-400 Y+, you will get the pacific premium economy product. on the 747 the seat is 38"-40" on the 777-200, the seat pitch is 41".

i dont know how what the Y+ cabin service is like for the 777-200 or 747-400.

Also if you are a Velocity higher tier member, Air NZ might offer you a cash upgrade to J or you can upgrade via the website when they release seats they havent sold.

Its all food for thought.

 

[bigbadbyrnes]

We flew VS PE MEL-LAX-MEL for a USA holiday late last year and overall we were very impressed.

Agreed, VA's brilliant Y+ isn't in question, I was very impressed with it myself, but as AirTravelAddict pointed out, VS's Y+ isn't up to scratch.

How flexible are you with interesting routing? You could fly Air Asia X OOL-KUL return for ~$500 (inc checked bags, meals, standard seats), and then MH J class KUL-HKG return which can be had for around ~$1500.

Excellent idea, even flying with AirAsiaX's Y+ would be a better than Y option, and good point on the lounge access and SCs.

When is the planned trip, note that CX are planning PE into Australia this year, ex Ballina BNE might be a option??

Planning on heading across in mid-April. CX will come into contention once they firm up their Y+ offering.

This is just another option for you, if you want to fly Y+ on Air NZ...

Outstanding advice.

As an aside, (let me explain what I'm going to say next) I am planning a family trip to HK with my mother who isn't a happy flyer and would really value a decent Y+ service and a direct flight. She isn't keen on the idea of routing via SIN, KUL or AUK, so VS might be her only option.

She will be transiting out of Broken Hill anyway and we had intended to meet in SYD or BNE and fly together (with my sister, also coming from Broken Hill) from there. But it's looking likely that we will end up traveling on different flights because if I decide to fly Y+, I'll fly with AirNZ, because it sounds awesome, and if I fly Y, it will be with SQ.

My sister and mother have no status so an express check in with VS isn't a massive perk to be foregoing by our not traveling together (I'm assuming that so long as we are all flying together, we would all be able to check in together using the Velocity Plat/Gold entitlement to use the Upper Class counter).

Lot's of irrelevant information for you all there, but I just wanted to thank you all for your thought provoking assistance.

For me, its coming down to a question of: am I happy with Y on SQ with all the Plat benefits (which might even squeeze me into the SK lounge in SIN or open the door to a cash upgrade to J at the counter both only possibilities, not certainties), or should I fork out the extra $1,600 for an extra 130SCs, a few more hour transit time and get Y+ with AirNZ?

I'm leaning toward saving the $1,600 and flying Y on SQ, due to its excellent reputation and its a cheap 200SCs.

 

[airtraveladdict]

As an aside, (let me explain what I'm going to say next) I am planning a family trip to HK with my mother who isn't a happy flyer and would really value a decent Y+ service and a direct flight. She isn't keen on the idea of routing via SIN, KUL or AUK, so VS might be her only option.

She will be transiting out of Broken Hill anyway and we had intended to meet in SYD or BNE and fly together (with my sister, also coming from Broken Hill) from there. But it's looking likely that we will end up traveling on different flights because if I decide to fly Y+, I'll fly with AirNZ, because it sounds awesome, and if I fly Y, it will be with SQ.

My sister and mother have no status so an express check in with VS isn't a massive perk to be foregoing by our not traveling together (I'm assuming that so long as we are all flying together, we would all be able to check in together using the Velocity Plat/Gold entitlement to use the Upper Class counter).

Yes as long as they are flying with you, they can check-in at the upper class counter. I have also travelled with people who don't like stopovers and prefer direct flights, but a stopover at Changhi is not the worst experience in the world

For me, its coming down to a question of: am I happy with Y on SQ with all the Plat benefits (which might even squeeze me into the SK lounge in SIN or open the door to a cash upgrade to J at the counter both only possibilities, not certainties), or should I fork out the extra $1,600 for an extra 130SCs, a few more hour transit time and get Y+ with AirNZ?

I'm leaning toward saving the $1,600 and flying Y on SQ, due to its excellent reputation and its a cheap 200SCs.


Yes SQ is a cheap way to get 200SCs and 7,000+ points and their Y product is good, although the seats are tight at 30-31" pitch. If you are over 5'11, the legroom can be abit of a challenge. Also Singapore Airlines' policy on cash upgrades, as far as I know, they ask for the fare difference.

But if you wanted to fly Y+, in my opinion, I would not fork out $2.6k to HKG on VS and get 70 SC and 5707.5 velocity points when for the same price, on Air NZ you get 360SC and 10506 points, plus all the perks of Platinum Velocity, and you can use the Koru Lounge as well.

And if your mother and sister live on the same address as you, you can family pool their SC + points to your account, so if your group flew SQ you will get 600SC and if you flew Air NZ, you would get 1080 SC.

 

[MadFairlane]

As an aside, (let me explain what I'm going to say next) I am planning a family trip to HK with my mother who isn't a happy flyer and would really value a decent Y+ service and a direct flight. She isn't keen on the idea of routing via SIN, KUL or AUK, so VS might be her only option.

She will be transiting out of Broken Hill anyway and we had intended to meet in SYD or BNE and fly together (with my sister, also coming from Broken Hill) from there. But it's looking likely that we will end up traveling on different flights because if I decide to fly Y+, I'll fly with AirNZ, because it sounds awesome, and if I fly Y, it will be with SQ.

My sister and mother have no status so an express check in with VS isn't a massive perk to be foregoing by our not traveling together (I'm assuming that so long as we are all flying together, we would all be able to check in together using the Velocity Plat/Gold entitlement to use the Upper Class counter).

Yes as long as they are flying with you, they can check-in at the upper class counter. I have also travelled with people who don't like stopovers and prefer direct flights, but a stopover at Changhi is not the worst experience in the world

For me, its coming down to a question of: am I happy with Y on SQ with all the Plat benefits (which might even squeeze me into the SK lounge in SIN or open the door to a cash upgrade to J at the counter both only possibilities, not certainties), or should I fork out the extra $1,600 for an extra 130SCs, a few more hour transit time and get Y+ with AirNZ?

I'm leaning toward saving the $1,600 and flying Y on SQ, due to its excellent reputation and its a cheap 200SCs.


Yes SQ is a cheap way to get 200SCs and 7,000+ points and their Y product is good, although the seats are tight at 30-31" pitch. If you are over 5'11, the legroom can be abit of a challenge. Also Singapore Airlines' policy on cash upgrades, as far as I know, they ask for the fare difference.

But if you wanted to fly Y+, in my opinion, I would not fork out $2.6k to HKG on VS and get 70 SC and 5707.5 velocity points when for the same price, on Air NZ you get 360SC and 10506 points, plus all the perks of Platinum Velocity, and you can use the Koru Lounge as well.

And if your mother and sister live on the same address as you, you can family pool their SC + points to your account, so if your group flew SQ you will get 600SC and if you flew Air NZ, you would get 1080 SC.

Just remember that only 2 people at the same address can be over 18 in the family pool...