Virgin Sydney Premium Entry Permanently Closing

[RooFlyer]

I would encourage every loyal VA flyer to reply to the email and let them know how you feel.

As in

Dear Virgin. <yawn>. ?

 

[kamchatsky]

What a shame. I absolutely loved the SYD Premium Entry when I was travelling for work pre-COVID. That was one of the major reasons why I decided to fly VA over QF (which most of my colleague flew on, at our work's higher expenses) for work. It was so convenient to just go straight to lounge via Premium Entry. I ended making VA Platinum for 2 years on purely VA Y domestic flying, so lots of sectors.

Of course, the new VA is completely different from the pre-COVID VA. The strategy is different and cost trumps everything else. I no longer fly for work anymore so it doesn't affect me, but what a bummer for the regular VA flyers.

 

[simmomelb]

What a shame. I absolutely loved the SYD Premium Entry when I was travelling for work pre-COVID. That was one of the major reasons why I decided to fly VA over QF (which most of my colleague flew on, at our work's higher expenses) for work. It was so convenient to just go straight to lounge via Premium Entry. I ended making VA Platinum for 2 years on purely VA Y domestic flying, so lots of sectors.

Of course, the new VA is completely different from the pre-COVID VA. The strategy is different and cost trumps everything else. I no longer fly for work anymore so it doesn't affect me, but what a bummer for the regular VA flyers.

Just a wild guess here, but you'll still get into The Lounge in Sydney just as fast, if not faster in some cases
Why?
1) New body 3D body scanners and CT hand luggage scanners, meaning no need to remove laptops etc, make it much faster than the old scanners VA were using.
2) Extended hours for priority scanning with the new, faster scanners, compared to the curbside entry, including other cities with their extended or reintroduced priority and extended hours.
3) The main Lounge entry in SYD is directly after the new security scanners, literally a few metres away (maybe a 30-second walk, no, seriously!).
If anything, I feel the new system is far more efficient, given we are moving to the new security scanners (which are also safer with detection), and it's all right next to each other anyway and just inside the door from the curbside.

 

[Saab34]

I would encourage every loyal VA flyer to reply to the email and let them know how you feel. No point coughing here - register your opinion and make them reply. Also just read the Fin Story on the closure and there was this ominous quote from Dave Emerson who said the new-look airline would “only be investing shareholders’ money where they can get a return”. Does this mean no more shower curtains being installed between business and economy

They make these decisions long before any announcement and any customer feedback makes 0% difference in this case.

 

[Layslow]

They make these decisions long before any announcement and any customer feedback makes 0% difference in this case.

Simply not true. Airlines are always market testing everything - from catering, in-flight products to lounges etc. Any blowback that takes their net promoter score down is responded to. Martini's in the QF First Lounge didn't return because customer feedback didn't matter...

 

[Human]

every loyal VA flyer to reply to the email

Believe it or not, for the 75% of "loyal VA flyers" who don't live in Sydney these changes are positive. Even for those in Sydney it's arguable that these changes are neutral at worst, given the location of the new scanners and the increased hours of the priority screening lanes.

As an aside: I'd much rather queue for a little longer and not have to remove my laptop and my iPad, than spend a little less time in the queue and have to remove laptop/iPad. Of course there will be people who think differently. But to suggest that "every loyal VA flyer" is opposed to these changes is clutching at straws. I wouldn't have thought that even a majority of loyal VA flyers would have a problem with it.

 

[eastwest101]

I would also not be surprised to learn that at SYD the costs of installing the new scanners at the Premium Entry location at T2 was prohibitively expensive and I bet that the owners of Sydney Airport gave no quarter in negotiations about this as the airport would be able to extract higher value per sp metre elsewhere.

So in SYD's case, I think this was inflicted on VA, although Bain demonstrated a very piss poor/half-hearted effort in maintaining the perk post Covid so they sort have did this to themselves as well. Sad and ironic that all the things that VA did well domestically - J class and its separation from Y class, Economy X, family pooling and proper priority boarding have all been undone by Bain post 2020, some copied by Qantas and others sacrificed for a race to the bottom.

There won't be many complaints from high-status VA flyers, as I am guessing most of them are focusing their efforts elsewhere to maintain status, the cost-conscious ones are probably flying Jetstar now and the majority would be in the Qantas lounges so this latest enhancement is sort of irrelevant at the moment.

 

[MH_fan]

Does the new set-up for the security screening provide better disability access to the VA Lounge? I have mobility issues and I struggle with those few steps going into the lounge.

 

[Bolthead]

Does the new set-up for the security screening provide better disability access to the VA Lounge? I have mobility issues and I struggle with those few steps going into the lounge.

No, not at the moment. The width of the stairs has been reduced because half of the stairs have a building facade around them. Hopefully this is because they are building a ramp or installing a small escalator.

 

[Denali]

Priority screening gets better

•	Sydney Lounge Premium Entry - permanently closed after 19 December 2025

We have a Sydney depart flight on Thur 18th so I'll have to break the news to Mr Denali that its his last time through those doors