Announcing our New Velocity Frequent Flyer Program

[Ansettaddict123]

I DID IT! I GOT THROUGH 36 PAGES!

Not that I'll ever end up with a top tier status with VA, I'm nonetheless really excited about the changes!

I love the concept of pooling status credits with family members especially- seems like it will come in handy in the near future

Good work VA, finally a genuine alternative to QF

 

[VA FF]

I DID IT! I GOT THROUGH 36 PAGES!

Not that I'll ever end up with a top tier status with VA, I'm nonetheless really excited about the changes!

I love the concept of pooling status credits with family members especially- seems like it will come in handy in the near future

Good work VA, finally a genuine alternative to QF

I agreee with the status pooling, this will be a great benefit to get my wife to gold, she flies with me occasionally on personal trips but if they go towards one total I will certainly get her to gold sooner than she would make it to maybe even just past silver..

I still haven't had the official upgrade... :-| Hoping it's there in the morning, moreso as I clicked on the partner benefits and would get the gold rather than the diamond at Hilton.. I want to make sure I am Platinum when they confirm my selection with them..

 

[JohnK]

HH Diamond Elite and Hertz #1 Gold President Circle for Velocity Platinum.

V. Impressive.

Wow! I am impressed.

I wonder if someone at Qantas is reading this thread and thinking where they went wrong with their recent enhancements to every tier except Platinum....

 

[markis10]

Just a thought but with all the changes today I think we are going to need a priority queue for the toaster/sandwich press for AFF members in each lounge :mrgreen:

 

[LiamR]

Also to Liam who posted along these lines earlier.

We have discussed internally at great length, how those loyal DJ supporters would feel about a status match such as we are running today.
We ABSOLUTELY appreciate those who have built their status with us the old-fashioned way.
But we felt the benefits that we were introducing would far outweigh any negatives.
The reality is that we also need more people to fly with us.

Hope you enjoy the new program!

LiamR and koonyaflyer, I'm sure you would rather increasing patronage than decreasing (to the point that it is uneconomically viable to run VA and they have to go the same way as Compass Mark 1 & 2, Ansett, et al). Then your status and all the benefits gained, but not used, would be worthless.

Thanks for getting back to me. I totally understand what your saying, it would be very close minded of me to say that I won't want any more Golds in the program. But I can't help but feel that since Platinum and status matching was introduced. Being a gold who earned it by flying, has been a bit devalued.

If I'm standing behind a Platinum who has status matched and flown just a handful of sectors, will I be treated lesser than him? Will I only be able to assign as seat behind row 4 because Platinums are taking up row 3? That's not my definition of loyalty.

I don't think you are being selfish and I would tend to agree with you.

I would also be extremely disappointed if QF offered VA Golds/Platinums a status match when they have not shown any loyalty.

But at the end of the day I think the number of people who will actually keep that status when it expires will be lower than expected.

I agree with you John, maybe I'm being selfish, of course I don't want a whole airline to myself, and that isn't economically viable.

Not a single spare seat at BNE this afternoon!

This is what I am worried about. I started moving my travel to Virgin because I felt unloved with Qantas, the lounges were overfilling, too many travellers with elite status so they had to cut back benefits. Virgin was quiet, the priority queues are low and the lounges were quiet.

Of course this is going to increase, but if it gets to the point where we see significant lounge crowding. Then I have to rethink my strategy.

If I could criticise one thing, it would be not everything should be given to those who status match. It would have been nice to have something special for those of us who actually earned the status. Not only would it encourage those who received a status match to try and earn the required SCs (that are normally needed to earn the status) but also keep your loyal customers happy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy about the changes, and they are needed to turn Virgin Australia into a profitable airline, but I would hate for them to become overcrowded and have problems handling such a large volume of elite passengers, and loosing that 'special treatment' you get when when you are a pax with elite status . Which seems to be the problem at Qantas currently.

All the best to Virgin with the new rewards program. I look forward to seeing what the airline is like in twelve months.

 

[LiamR]

Just a thought but with all the changes today I think we are going to need a priority queue for the toaster/sandwich press for AFF members in each lounge :mrgreen:

I think I'm in charge of that!!

 

[DSFlyer]

Having been a vocal supporter of Virgin for the past 6 or so years, and Gold for what I recall as 4 of those, I am going to have my case of sour grapes today. I am currently between the 800 and 1000 points required for renewal / qualification for Platinum .Together with some "missing" Status Credits from Air NZ and booked travel between now and early October I will make Platinum in the 2nd week of October, so perhaps I should just "suck it up", but I do find my commitment to Virgin just a little strained today.

To hand out Status matches like lollies in a lolly shop to QF customers, while some loyal DJ customers like myself have not had a full year's benefit of the more favourable Status Credits introduced earlier this year seems a little inequitable. Looking back at my flights for the past year, there are a number of flights which I believe would have potenitally tipped me over the 1000 SC required.

So for my next 11 or 12 sectors I will be a long standing loyal Gold Frequent flyer.... hoping to join many of the knockers who have been happy to bag DJ in the past, but will now I am sure be receiving amazing attention as matched Platinum.

Do I feel unloved....just a little bit! Do I feel my Gold Status devalued by giveaways......absolutley!

I have to say I am feeling a little the same way with my status credit balance having been over the 1000 mark only in the last few weeks and now dropped back after this weeks flights to about 870 once they have posted. Now have to try and work flights to get back up there again while all the QF people who have shown no loyalty get it gifted - just a little unloved - not enough to make me change - but a little unloved just the same.

 

[Oneworldplus2]

All the best to Virgin with the new rewards program. I look forward to seeing what the airline is like in twelve months.

Maybe do the evaluation in 12-24 months time, because that may be the time when all the VA Status Comp *freeloaders* start falling off the edges?

You can't really blame VA Liam, they have to drum up business somehow. If VA keep losing money hand over fist, there won't even be a VA in a few years time...

 

[Bob]

Just as I was about to qualify as Gold with DJ, they are going to comp me to Platinum
Hope the status match can be done in PER lounge on Sat AM.

Great to see this result - thanks Virgin

 

[LiamR]

You can't really blame VA Liam, they have to drum up business somehow. If VA keep losing money hand over fist, there won't even be a VA in a few years time...

As I said above, of course they have to expand. You can't have a MEL lounge with 5 people in it. I'm just a bit upset that VA are handing out Status Matches to every man and his dog from Qantas, devaluating current status held by people who earned t.

 

[DJ 1D]

If I could criticise one thing, it would be not everything should be given to those who status match. It would have been nice to have something special for those of us who actually earned the status. Not only would it encourage those who received a status match to try and earn the required SCs (that are normally needed to earn the status) but also keep your loyal customers happy.

I absolutely agree with this, and unfortunately this is where I think Virgin dropped the ball. They obviously need some drastic measure to pull QFFers across the VA, but they should have given more thought to how they could have rewarded their loyal base.

As it now stands, the only real extra benefit for loyal Velocity Platinum members is gifting status to a partner. Otherwise all the WPs will get exactly what I've got after raking up over 2200 SCs.

The financial reality is that VA need to bring on more flyers. The numbers are very clear, and this will help that. That being said, I know someone quite high up in VA and she said there is a difference between "earned" status and "gifted". Hopefully that will flow through the entire system.

 

[kamchatsky]

Just a thought but with all the changes today I think we are going to need a priority queue for the toaster/sandwich press for AFF members in each lounge :mrgreen:

You can count me out. I like eating my sandwich cold!

 

[Oneworldplus2]

Just the way it is, think of it as a one off (now that VA Plat is rolled out, l can't see VA doing another status match run). Maybe QF will come play ball with benefits and some people might go back to QF. Wait and see.

I am liking the 4 VA Plat upgrade benefit (who can afford to pay J all the time?).
In regards to lifetime recognition, well, l think that if VA were going to include it as a add-on, now would have been the time for something like this when a major overhaul is done.

My thoughts on the status match;
If VA were doing status matches, l think that they should have limited it to VA Gold, want higher (Platinum), fly with us and earn it.

 

[TonyHancock]

Thanks for getting back to me. I totally understand what your saying, it would be very close minded of me to say that I won't want any more Golds in the program. But I can't help but feel that since Platinum and status matching was introduced. Being a gold who earned it by flying, has been a bit devalued.

If I'm standing behind a Platinum who has status matched and flown just a handful of sectors, will I be treated lesser than him? Will I only be able to assign as seat behind row 4 because Platinums are taking up row 3? That's not my definition of loyalty.


This is what I am worried about. I started moving my travel to Virgin because I felt unloved with Qantas, the lounges were overfilling, too many travellers with elite status so they had to cut back benefits. Virgin was quiet, the priority queues are low and the lounges were quiet.

Of course this is going to increase, but if it gets to the point where we see significant lounge crowding. Then I have to rethink my strategy.

If I could criticise one thing, it would be not everything should be given to those who status match. It would have been nice to have something special for those of us who actually earned the status. Not only would it encourage those who received a status match to try and earn the required SCs (that are normally needed to earn the status) but also keep your loyal customers happy.

I have a lot of sympathy for your view. I have never been a fan of the status match. In this case I have gone for it, but that means I have to do my best to retain it through flying. It means longhaul with VA and Virgin Atlantic when the Hong Kong tie up is complete. If I don't retain it then I have let myself down.

 

[LiamR]

Was just chatting with Misha who stepped off a VA flight 20mins ago.

After removing and adding his Velocity number "PLAT" appeared on his boarding pass.

FA said PLATs receive complementary food and beverage, as well as being offered PE seats upon boarding.

For what it's worth, this was on a saver fare. Can't comment if it's procedure of a one off.

 

[JohnK]

I'm in The Lounge in Melbourne now and they have banners promoting the status match. I've just been status matched to DJ Platinum and the gentleman who took care of it all is a familiar face (well, name, really) to AFF and Flyertalk.

Status matching in the lounges as well?

I wonder if one needs to be flying VA to ask for status match?

 

[gumpy]

I've taken awhile to digest it all...

Yes VFF is better than QFF but I don't feel it's THAT much better...

I really don't know what to do. I really value the OW alliance... I love the two tier lounge setup... but most of all I love how it's so easy to earn QFF points (though VFF joining flybuys would address this).

QFF give lifetime status... and call me naive but I think QF will react to this and bring their program back into line...

Also though it's easier to keep Velocity status on normal flights but QF gives booking anomalies that help you get to status levels... (I'm not sure if these exist with Virgin).

Finally with NZ status... I really have no idea what to do...

As an aside i find it funny that the status earn rates are the same as the enhanced QF ones... anyone complaining that Platinum is 100% and Gold is 75%?

 

[markis10]

Status matching in the lounges as well?

I wonder if one needs to be flying VA to ask for status match?

Considering WPs and SGs have access at present the answer is obvious.

 

[DJ 1D]

My thoughts on the status match;
If VA were doing status matches, l think that they should have limited it to VA Gold, want higher (Platinum), fly with us and earn it.

I agree, but they really need to attract QF flyers. It was a decision borne from the need to increase high profile revenue.

 

[DJ 1D]

Was just chatting with Misha who stepped off a VA flight 20mins ago.

After removing and adding his Velocity number "PLAT" appeared on his boarding pass.

FA said PLATs receive complementary food and beverage, as well as being offered PE seats upon boarding.

For what it's worth, this was on a saver fare. Can't comment if it's procedure of a one off.

Wow. That's really interesting.

I think there will be lots of tricks and insider perks to the new Plat.