Just booked first VA flight in years. It felt good!

[RooFlyer]

Per the title. I am currently burning my QFF points as fast as they'll go and have one critical flight HBA-DRW coming up. Such is the unreliability of that airline, and even though I've built in a day's padding, I've now booked a back-up revenue flight on VA in J. Now, I know booking parallel flights is not uncommon for business people, but I've never felt the need to do it before. Booking business, I gather its fully refundable if I cancel, so comfortable with the outlay of funds. Wouldn't mind if there was a fee even.

Gotta say, it was a pretty easy process, T&Cs clearly laid out (I had to remind myself of them ) and logging in to Velocity for the first time in many years, I saw I still had about 10,000 Velocity points there

So, that's a relief. I wasn't planning to, but maybe the start of the long haul to attaining VA status again.

EDIT: What's the VA call centre experience like?

 

[AIRwin]

EDIT: What's the VA call centre experience like?

Depends on your status?

 

[RooFlyer]

Depends on your status?

Ah, yes, of course. Rock bottom.

 

[Bundy Bear]

Virgin usually answer the phone in a few minutes compared to an hour or more on QF, I am gold with both.

 

[blackcat20]

I've just gone Gold with VA for the first time in years. J service has been great travelling with the two kids. And they were so helpful changing our flights when Miss 3 got sick in FNQ and we had to delay our return home.

 

[BCons]

Don’t bet the house on VA reliability, tho better than Q. Didn’t get the email or txt mssg 2 weeks ago that our 0630 flt Hba to Mel had been cancelled. Only found out at the airport, after a cold dark and very early start. Checkin staff all appear to be Swissport ppl dressed in VA gear. No info, no suggestions, no help, no idea..

and something I didn’t know - went across to QF to look for seats on their slightly later (and delayed) flt to Mel to discover you can only book QF online, you can’t buy a tkt at Service desk or QF lounge. And despite having seats, QF website wudnt sell us a tkt because it was past sched checkin time, despite the flt running 40 mins late.

 

[serfty]

Booking business, I gather its fully refundable if I cancel, so comfortable with the outlay of funds. Wouldn't mind if there was a fee even.

If "refundable", there is likely a fee, even for J.

If you cancel, the funds go to your travel bank. You make be able to still get a refund from the travelbank less the fee.

 

[AIRwin]

If "refundable", there is likely a fee, even for J.

If you cancel, the funds go to your travel bank. You make be able to still get a refund from the travelbank less the fee.

There shouldn't be a fee:

Domestic fares | Virgin Australia

Discover Virgin Australia's domestic fare options. Learn about fare types, inclusions, flexibility, and pricing to help you choose the best option for your next flight across Australia.

www.virginaustralia.com

 

[Quickstatus]

Don’t bet the house on VA reliability

Yes, are any airlines worth the loyalty?

*****best fare of day*****

 

[RooFlyer]

Checkin staff all appear to be Swissport ppl dressed in VA gear. No info, no suggestions, no help, no idea..

Was that at HBA? I thought they may be a little more helpful there. No VA lounge anywhere in Tas but the cheaper fare should sooth that concern away for me.

There shouldn't be a fee:

Yes, that's what I was looking at:

Yes, are any airlines worth the loyalty?

*****best fare of day*****

Some used to be worth the loyalty - use of lounges on international scale, and some very good ones at that, plus interlining, some co-ordinating of schedules (USA) was worth paying a bit more for, for me. That's definitely diminished now, I think, especially if you are only looking at mostly J travel.

Personally, I'm still calculating my future FF program(s) (I won't call it loyalty, because I won't be). I don't think it will include VA (for status), because I'll mostly be doing J (so lounge access - not HBA ) and there's not much overseas reciprocation.

 

[BCons]

Was that at HBA? I thought they may be a little more helpful there. No VA lounge anywhere in Tas but the cheaper fare should sooth that concern away for me.



Yes, that's what I was looking at:

View attachment 285618



Some used to be worth the loyalty - use of lounges on international scale, and some very good ones at that, plus interlining, some co-ordinating of schedules (USA) was worth paying a bit more for, for me. That's definitely diminished now, I think, especially if you are only looking at mostly J travel.

Personally, I'm still calculating my future FF program(s) (I won't call it loyalty, because I won't be). I don't think it will include VA (for status), because I'll mostly be doing J (so lounge access - not HBA ) and there's not much overseas reciprocation.

Yes HBA Tue 5 July. We had a 2-part VA trip to Fiji via Mel and had no advice the first leg was cancld due flt staff shortage, until sharing a pre-dawn airport ride with our travelling companions who asked if we had the same email from VA about a re-sched. Funny, it looked the same flt and time, but oops, 2 days later.. big Apols later from plat phone desk and money quickly refunded (to travel bank..) and that’s the first proper VA fail I can remember.

I will stay with VA, lack of lounge et at., because we need to encourage an alternative to the red Roo, because flts are cheaper, partic Dom J, staff seem nicer, more personable and less bureaucratic than the others, and because they connect to SQ.

 

[Buzzard]

On my recent flight ADL - BNE I was in 2F so last to have my breakfast order taken.
There was only one choice by that time, take it or leave it. Unfortunately I took it, an inedible waffle something or other.
I took about 2 bites. Is it really that difficult to have 8 decent meals in J?
I guess I should have eaten in the lounge where the the food on offer was very reasonable.