Virgin Australia flights to Doha

[antycbr]

Indeed anything out if Doha will be expensive as a revenue. Possibly must cheaper from Europe to Doha. Also you might find simply ex Singapore, Hong Kong, Bali or Bangkok to Europe and back then revenue or points based tickets to Australia (say using VA in SQ metal) would be a much better deal. Otherwise just try and look at tickets on points base to Europe from Australia on VA (web) but expect it to be on the high side.

Similar experience booking SQ ex SIN. Home town airline, default option for corporates, handcuffed frequent flyers who can’t start from Kampala or Tiblisi.

 

[rurounimaikeru]

Looking at 2 x J for April/May 2027 to Athens via Doha. Dummy searches don't appear to have many reward seats 330 days out.

When's best to be looking? Straight at release or is there a delay for qatar to release to vel?

 

[Lord Oxley]

Waitlisted and unsuccessful twice in the last month. I noticed that plenty of J seats remained empty on both flights so it did leave me wondering whether the waitlist offered anything more than hope...

I am Platinum VA and did the VA1 & VA2 recently. Phoned up early to register for points upgrade and online it said waitlisted. I had an honest feedback chat with the Virgin employee at the gate in Doha, as I said I would have bid for what looked like a good number of empty seats, who admitted that the process is still in development and at present they cannot points upgrade on these flights yet, even at the gate.

 

[henrus]

who admitted that the process is still in development and at present they cannot points upgrade on these flights yet, even at the gate.

Bad if true… “you can submit a request but we have no way to action it”

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Bad if true… “you can submit a request but we have no way to action it”

If the agent was correct, it must mean only waitlisted flights, as it is possible to upgrade if a reward seat is actually available at the time of request.

 

[Tiki]

I have a connection QR KWI DoH and VA DOH BNE. I went to check in online and was directed to QR check in. They didn’t give me any chance to select seas. It automatically checked me in for both flights. I’m ok with the aisle seat on the short KWI DoH flight. But I’m stuck in a middle seat on the DOH BNE and I can’t change it on either QR or VA website. I called Velocity and the best they can offer is ask the cabin crew to change my seat. Not likely there will be any window left. Anyone have any ideas how to fix this?

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

I have a connection QR KWI DoH and VA DOH BNE. I went to check in online and was directed to QR check in. They didn’t give me any chance to select seas. It automatically checked me in for both flights. I’m ok with the aisle seat on the short KWI DoH flight. But I’m stuck in a middle seat on the DOH BNE and I can’t change it on either QR or VA website. I called Velocity and the best they can offer is ask the cabin crew to change my seat. Not likely there will be any window left. Anyone have any ideas how to fix this?

I would suggest you call QR as the flight is operated by them, and if they cannot assist over the phone, at least ask at the airport in Kuwait. Silly of Velocity to suggest that you wait until you're actually on board. Good luck!

 

[Tiki]

The Velocity call centre couldn’t have been less helpful. I will try with QR at the airport. Thankfully my flight next year is on real QR, not VA.

 

[Tiki]

The Velocity call centre couldn’t have been less helpful. I will try with QR at the airport. Thankfully my flight next year is on real QR, not VA.

So the final outcome was that when I checked in with QR at KWI they were able to give me a window seat with an empty middle seat between me and the aisle seat pax. A few rows also had empty middle seats. The FA told me that Biz was full so these VA/QR flights are filling up and a few random searches couldn't find any J award seats even in off season. The $20 free food (72 QAR) attached to the boarding pass worked fine, I got an iced latte and 5 pieces of baklava so not bad for a freebie!

 

[michael65]

I have noticed that Velocity are only releasing one Business Reward seat on the wet lease flights to Doha 330 days out

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I have noticed that Velocity are only releasing one Business Reward seat on the wet lease flights to Doha 330 days out

I wonder if it’s like domestic… where they release another seat once that one is booked?

 

[michael65]

I wonder if it’s like domestic… where they release another seat once that one is booked?

I dont think so. I have noticed the one seat disappears but no replacement ever seems to appear

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Has anyone here successfully flown an upgraded DOH-Oz flight with a VA flight number?

If so, also curious what lounge is used at DOH for flights upgraded from Y to J. Conflicting info online and all relating to different programmes used to snag the upgrade.

 

[Ansett Nostalgic]

I have noticed that Velocity are only releasing one Business Reward seat on the wet lease flights to Doha 330 days out

Unacceptable. ACCC should tell them they will cancel the JV if they don't change this.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

Unacceptable. ACCC should tell them they will cancel the JV if they don't change this.

I hate it too and find it very stingy, but to be fair, QF routinely doesn't offer even a single classic award business seat on most of its international long-haul flights these days/years.

And unless it formed part of any representations or commitments made to the ACCC to secure approval, not a justifiable legal reason for the ACCC to cancel the wet lease. If it were, QF's wet lease with Finnair would require cancellation too, and perhaps various JVs with other carriers. (Arrangements I find questionable to begin with, but another topic for another thread.)

That said, I'd have loved the ACCC to ask for it as a condition of acceptance and apply it across the board to such arrangements. Alas, the ACCC is captive to the government (regardless of who's in charge) and the government (regardless of who's in charge) is captive to the airline duopoly, who would be very much uninterested in making let alone volunteering such a commitment to the rather passive, non-proactive ACCC.

 

[jase05]

Has anyone here successfully flown an upgraded DOH-Oz flight with a VA flight number?

If so, also curious what lounge is used at DOH for flights upgraded from Y to J. Conflicting info online and all relating to different programmes used to snag the upgrade.

Generally you won’t be allowed to enter the QR business lounges on on upgraded ticket.
Unless you have VA or QR status you won’t get any lounge access I believe

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Unacceptable. ACCC should tell them they will cancel the JV if they don't change this.

It’s no different to VA’s other flights… a lot of them like MEL/SYD-PER only offer one seat. And then if you book that, another one opens.

So it might be some sort of system ‘thing’, rather than an actual ‘only one seat’ per flight.

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

It’s no different to VA’s other flights… a lot of them like MEL/SYD-PER only offer one seat. And then if you book that, another one opens.

So it might be some sort of system ‘thing’, rather than an actual ‘only one seat’ per flight.

I wonder when/if this was implemented if that's the case. I ask because a few months ago I was able to upgrade a DOH-SYD sector in April 2026 (right after Easter, no less) and there were 4 available rewards seats.

Four is too good to be true as a standard going forward, but it would suggest it's not a system limitation to show more than one at a time.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

I wonder when/if this was implemented if that's the case. I ask because a few months ago I was able to upgrade a DOH-SYD sector in April 2026 (right after Easter, no less) and there were 4 available rewards seats.

Four is too good to be true as a standard going forward, but it would suggest it's not a system limitation to show more than one at a time.

Good point.

I was just going off domestic availability patterns.

I don’t think 4 seats is ‘too good’… it’s a large business class cabin, and from what i understand the fares aren’t competitive? They’re gonna have to fill the cabins somehow.

It’s unlikely to fill up with people chasing status

 

[michael65]

It’s no different to VA’s other flights… a lot of them like MEL/SYD-PER only offer one seat. And then if you book that, another one opens.

So it might be some sort of system ‘thing’, rather than an actual ‘only one seat’ per flight.

Unfortunately with the VA flights to Doha if the one seat is taken then no more appear