Virgin Australia flyers can now earn Velocity points and status credits when flying with Air Canada, with the launch of a new partnership between the two airlines yesterday. Virgin Australia began codesharing on limited Air Canada flights between Los Angeles and Canada in 2017. But until now, the partnership did not cover direct flights between … Continued
There are some easy, free Velocity Frequent Flyer points up for grabs thanks to a new promotion. Velocity members can now claim a share of 20 million points, simply by downloading the Velocity App and activating the offer on the home screen by 26 January 2021. All Velocity members who take part in the promotion … Continued
In 2018, Qantas caused quite a stir by axing music from its in-flight entertainment program on domestic flights. Key figures in the Australian music industry were quick to criticise the decision, which appears to have been made to save money on music licensing fees, and Qantas received a huge backlash at the time on social … Continued
A Virgin Australia flyer has been incorrectly denied entry to the airline’s newly-reopened lounge at Sydney Airport. Despite holding a valid lounge pass issued by ANZ Bank, the Virgin lounge attendant erroneously informed the customer that single-use lounge passes issued via the customer’s ANZ credit card were no longer being honoured. AFF member Duck posted on Wednesday: … Continued
Velocity Frequent Flyer has announced that some existing Gold & Platinum members will be eligible for another status extension of up to 12 months if they take at least one Virgin Australia flight by 28 March 2021. There are also additional rewards on offer for taking 2 or 3 flights by 28 March next year. … Continued
Top-tier Velocity Frequent Flyer members have accused Virgin Australia of being “asleep at the wheel” until now when it comes to communication. These frequent flyers, who have been fiercely loyal to Virgin Australia in the past, feel their loyalty is no longer being reciprocated. They have become confused about the future direction of Virgin Australia, … Continued
Virgin Australia appears to be granting further status extensions to some Velocity Silver, Gold and Platinum members who didn’t benefit from the previous 12-month status extension announced earlier this year. But Virgin hasn’t gone as far as Qantas in offering an easy opportunity for all members to extend their status for a second year by booking … Continued
Velocity Frequent Flyer is discontinuing its travel money card, Velocity Global Wallet. This is the Visa debit card found on the back of most Velocity Frequent Flyer membership cards. From the end of this year, you’ll no longer be able to load money onto your Velocity Global Wallet card. From then, there will be a … Continued
Virgin Australia will relaunch its domestic Business Class in early 2021, flagging changes that make it “more accessible” and “better aligned to the expectations of the cabin’s core customers”. Before it finalises the changes, the airline is now completing an “end-to-end review” of its Business Class product in collaboration with cabin crew. Virgin has hinted … Continued
Virgin Australia has begun to reopen its airport lounges after they were shuttered for eight months. But around half of Virgin’s existing lounges will remain closed permanently. Like Qantas, Virgin Australia was forced to close its airport lounges in March 2020 due to government restrictions that were introduced to suppress the spread of COVID-19. But … Continued
U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital formally took control of Virgin Australia yesterday, as Paul Scurrah leaves the organisation to make way for incoming CEO Jayne Hrdlicka. With the sale of Virgin to Bain Capital completed, Virgin Australia has now officially ended its voluntary administration after almost seven months. Virgin Australia entered voluntary administration on … Continued
The equity value of Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer loyalty program has been slashed by two-thirds in just a year, according to an independent report commissioned by Virgin’s administrators and presented to the federal court. In the report, FTI Consulting valued Virgin’s loyalty business at between $640 million and $704 million. That’s compared to a … Continued
