Announcing our New Velocity Frequent Flyer Program

[serfty]

Status matching in the lounges as well?

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

As I posted up thread earlier this eveing, you might like to drop in to BNE and do one before heading to SYD. :idea:

There is a lot to digest here but overall I feel this is a very positive move in the right direction....

Maybe you can drop into the BNE "Lounge" tomorrow?

...
Fri 26 AUG 11 18:00-19:00 BNE Domestic J Lounge
...

Maybe you can drop into the BNE "Lounge" tomorrow?

 

[stuartfaz]

From having a read of all the new stuff. it looks good. Better than QF good, but just good.

As for the status match, I agree that there should be special consideration for the loyal VFFs that have earned platinum with the airline, just this once. While it's a perfectly respectable business decision to try and bring QFFs over, given the significance of this change it would have been a nice touch to credit those who have been with the airline longer.

 

[TonyHancock]

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

Tell him to get his a**e back here and give us the full run down!!

 

[LiamR]

Tell him to get his a**e back here and give us the full run down!!

I told him to get back on here and he has no intention of doing so... Although he says he misses you the most. I was meant to pass on his contact details to you. But, I get, erm, lazy.

Would you like me to do so?

 

[djfuzz]

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).

I agree, like many others here those anomalies helped me achieve status when my regular travel fell short - but I would have thought QF's recent rounds of enhancements would have suggested that they're doing all they can to reduce the number of loopholes and short-cuts that exist to achieve status (probably justifiably, even though it's against my personal interests) and effectively devaluing the 1200+ SC level.

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%?

VFF Platinum didn't exist before today and Gold was previously at 50% - so as of today, the highest tier of VFF's get 100% bonuses and any other Golds who are below the Platinum threshold go up to 75%. It's not like longtime Platinum members who achieved their status partly for the 50% bonus premium suddenly saw that devalued with no corresponding correction to their own benefits.

 

[DJ 1D]

Tell him to get his a**e back here and give us the full run down!!

Agreed!!

Actually, if the Plat did get a PE seat and anything off the menu, then it was basically a full onboard upgrade. Which would be a nice Plat perk.

 

[777]

VFF Platinum didn't exist before today and Gold was previously at 50% - so as of today, the highest tier of VFF's get 100% bonuses and any other Golds who are below the Platinum threshold go up to 75%. It's not like longtime Platinum members who achieved their status partly for the 50% bonus premium suddenly saw that devalued with no corresponding correction to their own benefits.

MOstly, i'm for it but... the devaluation is basically supply and demand. I can currently sit in row 3 on a 737 about 80% of the time - i get extra legroom, priority boarding etc. The more you make me share those benefits with other people the more it is that they become of less value to me - there's a finite number of them and they are shared with more people.

So, do i think the changes are good? ABSOLUTELY! Do i see some problems? Yep.

 

[JohnK]

To all you experts and seasoned (hmmm... seasoning...) travellers... As a QF WP and LTG and with no chance of getting P1, any reasons why I shouldn't divorce QF?

As a hard core QF person I would say there are fewer and fewer reasons after this announcement.

QF has a lot of catching up to do or did they know what VA was up to and held back on Platinum 'enhancements' in May. Nah. Too much of a conspiracy theory....

 

[PomTom]

I'm afraid Mrs PomTom doesn't have the patience to allow me to wade through 38 pages of thread, so I'm not sure whether the 'Earn at Westfield' proposition has been discussed yet. I saw it posted on the VA Facebook thread.

Can you shed any further light on this please (Mrs PomTom will be happy) plus any other partners you've added for the relaunch. (And apologies if this has been discussed already on the thread.)

Good luck with it all.

PT.

 

[djfuzz]

MOstly, i'm for it but... the devaluation is basically supply and demand. I can currently sit in row 3 on a 737 about 80% of the time - i get extra legroom, priority boarding etc. The more you make me share those benefits with other people the more it is that they become of less value to me - there's a finite number of them and they are shared with more people.

So, do i think the changes are good? ABSOLUTELY! Do i see some problems? Yep.

Okay, that's entirely fair enough - I was referring more to the status bonus, but you're absolutely right when it comes down to competition for seat selection and the like. Conversely, you would think / hope that whatever capacity control VA is applying to this match is reasonable enough to preserve some of this exclusivity rather than a carte blanche opening of the floodgates.

Saw Keith009 working flat chat at the MEL Lounge this arvo, and he seemed very confident about it all, so I would imagine that those concerns are in good hands.

 

[JohnK]

If you are near Brisbane, Sydney, or Melbourne Lounges this afternoon pop in and say hi.
We have specialist team members there until 7pm tonight, who are more than happy to answer your questions and match any of you who aren't already Velocity Silver, Gold or Platinum.

Any specialist team members there tomorrow night? Will try and head off to airport early tomorrow.

 

[oz_mark]

I'm afraid Mrs PomTom doesn't have the patience to allow me to wade through 38 pages of thread, so I'm not sure whether the 'Earn at Westfield' proposition has been discussed yet. I saw it posted on the VA Facebook thread.

I don't think much has been announced other than 'Coming Soon' (and it looks to be Westfield Online)

 

[Noob]

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.

I think you have every right to feel this way, and I agree - it's annoying to try so hard to get gold and supporting VA from the start and then people that have always doubted VA, never fly them, and like to put them down get Platinum like that....

I would like to hear VA's take on this scenario.

 

[VMAN]

Here's another interesting note:

View attachment 3577

My review date used to be Nov something. Has now changed to today +1yr.

It would be fair to say that all of the inaugural Platinum Members will have the August 25 review date. This could be good as if you can keep your status for many years you can be recognized for it

 

[TonyHancock]

I think you have every right to feel this way, and I agree - it's annoying to try so hard to get gold and supporting VA from the start and then people that have always doubted VA, never fly them, and like to put them down get Platinum like that....

I would like to hear VA's take on this scenario.

Here you go!

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!

 

[medhead]

As requested photos of the cable tie bag tag. I got exactly these with my airboss bag by redoxx.

They undo by twisting the lumpy bit. It's the one on the left

View attachment 3584

Close up

View attachment 3585

BTW the renewal date on my temporary card is not 25 August.

 

[djfuzz]

As requested photos of the cable tie bag tag. I got exactly these with my airboss bag by redoxx.

They undo by twisting the lumpy bit. It's the one on the left

CX uses similar ties for their MPC bag tags as well.

 

[anat0l]

I suppose one way that VA could've gone about courting those on the other team, instead of a status match, is with a 'challenge'. More common in the USA than anywhere else (then again, status matching and FF galore is a USA thing), basically you would sign up to be "matched" to a tier (e.g. Platinum), on the condition that within 3 months (example) of the start of the challenge you complete a certain number of flights / SCs. It's usually a litmus test to see if you are really going to fly with them, cf. just hoarding another piece of valuable plastic / keeping a trump card in the kitty. Challenges may start with or without your being given the new status.

In many cases the challenges are less than a pro-rata of the normal qualifying amount, although AA at one time had status challenges which you could sign up for free at any time, but the requirements within 3 months were slightly more than a pro-rata. VFF would probably have only had to have made the challenge enough to force all new elites to fly some cursory sectors (possibly their minimum requirement).

 

[JohnK]

You will be matched to Platinum.

Sorry what I meant to say was that if you aren't already holding the status that you're eligible to be upgraded to to, we will match you to that status upon presentation of a qualifying membership card from another airline loyalty program.

Hmmm. My membership card says May 2011 and I have no idea where my new card is located.

I am guessing card, printout of QFF status page and tomorrow's boarding pass with Platinum on it should be enough?

 

[anat0l]

I know that l'm probably in the minority here, but the whole Any-Time-Access I didn't really understand from a business perspective. Why would you let your customers use your facilities (Lounge), when they aren't using you (for that upcoming flight) and a competitor instead. Who else, besides Virgin now, has ATA?

No one does, from what I can tell.

BA and LH used to have it, the former being the last hold-out that I know of (BA Golds had access to all BA operated lounges around the world irrespective of carrier, but without flying BA or oneworld they were not entitled to a guest). BA eliminated their "Open Doors" policy after QF got rid of ATA (not a result of, but just telling you who did it first).

The Radisson hotel group had an interesting thing going where elites could walk into their hotels and use their hotel lounges even if they were not staying at the property. Again, it's gone the way of the dodo.

So I think Virgin Australia stands alone on this one.

I wonder if SQ Solitaire PPS, QF CLs and/or BA Premiers have a sort of ATA? (Not that it matters; only one of those tiers is tangibly achievable by the general public...)

There are reasons (both valid) to and for ATA, as well as worthy uses of ATA (some uses of ATA before were definitely not in the spirit of intent). Probably good material for a new thread (though it has been debated with much vitriol before); problem is that if you never knew about ATA before you can't really participate in the debate. Now we are off-topic....

With Virgin now offering ATA and 4 upgrades upon reaching VA Plat (on top of other benefits), they really have gone all out to entice QF WP's, the question is, how long will this benefit last before being 'enhanced' ?

Whether it will be enhanced in 1 or 10 years, I guess that's more reason you should milk it as much as you can full teat...err, I mean full tit....erm, full tilt... ah never mind.....