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Showing the latest news for category Virgin Australia.

Virgin's "Hybrid" Strategy is Fraught with Risk

Virgin’s “Hybrid” Strategy is Fraught with Risk

Virgin Australia’s management and new owners have now outlined their vision for the future of Australia’s second-largest airline. Virgin won’t become a low-cost carrier, we’re told, but will instead aim to be the “best value carrier in the market”. “ The airline will serve business travellers, including corporates and customers travelling for a holiday and visiting … Continued

14 Aug 2020 Virgin Australia
Virgin Australia lounge

When Will Virgin Australia’s Lounges Reopen?

Last week, Virgin Australia confirmed that it will keep most of its airport lounges as it transitions to a new post-covid business model. But when will Virgin Australia’s airport lounges finally reopen? All 13 of Virgin Australia’s airport lounges shut on 23 March 2020 due to government COVID-19 restrictions, and remain closed to this day. … Continued

13 Aug 2020 Virgin Australia
Defunct Tigerair Loses its Roar

Defunct Tigerair Loses its Roar

Tigerair will not return to the skies in Australia, with the Virgin Australia Group confirming this week that it will discontinue the Tigerair brand. Virgin Australia, which owns Tigerair, said the decision to axe the Tigerair brand is due to insufficient demand in the Australian domestic market to support two carriers at this time. When … Continued

6 Aug 2020 Virgin Australia
Virgin Australia Reopens Airport Lounges

Virgin Australia to Retain Lounges, Ditch 777s & A330s

Virgin Australia has revealed how the airline plans to emerge from voluntary administration, and it’s a mixture of good and bad news. Virgin will retain most of its airport lounges and Business class cabins, and all Velocity Frequent Flyer points and travel credits will be honoured. But it will emerge as a smaller airline focusing … Continued

6 Aug 2020 Virgin Australia
Virgin Australia 737

Velocity Reinstates More Reward Flights, Upgrades

Velocity Frequent Flyer has reinstated reward seats on 19 more non-stop Virgin Australia domestic routes. That’s around double the previous number. Plus, in even better news, Velocity points can now be redeemed for travel any time – effective immediately. Velocity points can also be redeemed once again for flight upgrades, hotel bookings and, shortly, car … Continued

21 Jul 2020 Points Inspiration Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia Happy Hour Sales are Back

After a hiatus of several months, Virgin Australia Happy Hour sales are back with Economy fares from $69 and Business class tickets starting from just $250 one-way! In normal times, Virgin Australia would offer a selection of Happy Hour sale fares from 4pm until 11pm each Thursday afternoon. But these were quietly withdrawn earlier this … Continued

2 Jul 2020 Virgin Australia
Virgin Australia A320 flight attendants

Hard Sell: Velocity Still Encouraging Members to Earn Points

Even though Virgin Australia has been in voluntary administration for the past two months, and Velocity Frequent Flyer redemptions remain severely limited, Velocity has been really pushing its members to continue earning points lately. Velocity Frequent Flyer has been ramping up the marketing emails in recent weeks, with offers such as bonus points at the … Continued

2 Jul 2020 Virgin Australia
Bain Capital to Buy Virgin Australia

Bain Capital to Buy Virgin Australia

The search for a new owner of Virgin Australia is finally over with Bain Capital, a U.S. private investment firm based in Boston, announced as the successful bidder. The other bidder in the running, Cyrus Capital Partners, reportedly withdrew this morning after submitting its final offer last Monday. Virgin’s administrators have now entered into a … Continued

26 Jun 2020 Virgin Australia
Velocity to Refund Cancelled Reward Seat Bookings

Velocity to Refund Cancelled Reward Seat Bookings

Velocity Frequent Flyer will finally refund Virgin Australia reward seat bookings that have been cancelled, for travel booked until 30 September 2020. This had already been Velocity’s policy prior to Virgin Australia entering voluntary administration. Throughout April and the first half of May, Velocity always said that it would refund the Velocity points & taxes paid … Continued

24 Jun 2020 Virgin Australia
Virgin Australia 737

Virgin Adds Additional Domestic Flights

Virgin Australia will double the number of domestic flights being operated from early July as domestic travel restrictions slowly start to be relaxed. From next month there will be more intrastate flights within Queensland and Western Australia. This will provide more options for travel within the two states during the July school holidays. There will also … Continued

11 Jun 2020 Virgin Australia
Richard Branson on a Virgin Australia 737

Then There Were Two: Virgin Narrows Down Potential Buyers

The field of potential Virgin Australia buyers has been narrowed down to two, with Cyrus Capital Partners and Bain Capital now competing to become the new owners of the collapsed airline. The final bids for Virgin Australia, which has been in voluntary administration since 21 April, are due on Friday 12 June 2020. The administrators … Continued

4 Jun 2020 Virgin Australia
There will be minimal changes to the interior of the ex-Virgin 737s

Velocity Reinstates Limited Domestic Flight Redemptions

It’s once again possible to redeem Velocity points for Virgin Australia flights, almost four weeks after redemptions were temporarily paused due to Virgin Australia entering voluntary administration. Both Velocity Reward Seat and Any Seat bookings are now available. But it’s not all good news… Before you get too excited, redemptions are now only possible on … Continued

17 May 2020 Points Inspiration Virgin Australia