New VA Fare Structure

[Princess Fiona]

For those of you looking for QF status matches keep in mind that QF does not allow family pooling.
If the slide at VA continues they may find themselves with only those members who rely on or use family pooling.
Not a situation VA would want to be in IMHO

 

[Warks]

Funny all the years I've been flying VA (about five) and I never knew what "Fly Ahead" actually was.

Losing seat selection will suck although lately as a SG I can hardly get ahead of row 7 with the 3-6 filled with first timers (joking!)

I'd go back to QF but I'm only LTS with them and the loss of lounge access would be the clincher.

 

[Jack_OC]

For those of you looking for QF status matches keep in mind that QF does not allow family pooling.
If the slide at VA continues they may find themselves with only those members who rely on or use family pooling.
Not a situation VA would want to be in IMHO

Yes, that's an important point to bear in mind.

By the way, on status match from QF - my understanding (open to correction) is that they never status match, but they apparently can offer status challenges - e.g. earn 200 SCs for Gold or 400 for Platinum, within a 90 day period, on QF flights only (SCs from partners don't count). I am hoping for such a challenge, but am yet to hear back from them. Has anyone had success with this recently? I suspect they would have been inundated over the past couple of weeks.

 

[trippin_the_rift]

Yeah, that would be my reaction too! However, when you say "worth" do you mean what it's worth to you, or what it costs VA? Because the reality is, if you mean cost to VA, the xx is not likely to be a very high number. You can buy the beer they supply for less than $2.50 a bottle in Dan Murphy’s, and VA would obviously be paying a lot less than that at wholesale rates.

Have you ever noticed how beer is displayed in a brightly lit fridge in some lounges? This is likely no coincidence.
While I'm not privy to VA commercial agreements and you can draw your own conclusions.... 7-11, Coles, Woolworths etc all make a truckload of cash through product placement. Ever noticed how there is always X shelves of Coca-Cola and Y of Sprite etc? This has little to do with the amount of product sold and everything to do with how much the company is paying for this space.

With this in mind.... VA paying $2.50 for a beer? With a little business intelligence and creativity, VA could be positioning a commercial deal the other way around where they are paid to give away alcohol.

Similar to how in-flight duty-free works with at least 1 airline I'm very familiar with: products are given at near cost in exchange for product placement in the dedicated inflight sales magazine. For the airline, this translates into almost pure profit on every sale. Data is then collected and fed back to the supplier and brand who use it to sell refills, subscriptions to the user which increases their customer lifetime value. Asian airlines make a killing through duty-free because they've figured this out. I mean look at Korean Air - dedicated shops onboard a380s and it generates them MILLIONS in profits annually. On the other end of the scale, you have Delta who has removed in-flight duty-free because they don't understand how data can drive sales.

Some airlines get and others don't and knowing your customer through data is at the center of it all. At least, in my experience it is!

The big data and corresponding increase in market discrimination opportunities is absolutely fascinating.

The revenue opportunities are massive and for many companies can represent higher financial windfalls than the core product consumers think they're buying!

 

[Bolthead]

...snip...

By the way, I have still had no response to the email I sent VA early last week on behalf of my wife and I (both Platinum), to complain about these changes. So unfortunately, it's clear that VA couldn’t care less about annoying its customers, Platinum or otherwise. Definitely the end of the road in either of us making any effort to fly with VA or its partners.

Don't know why you haven't had a response.... I sent email to them Sunday night and it was replied to late Monday and issued fixed Tuesday. Sent another email on Tuesday regarding another minor issue and problem solved same day. They certainly are inconsistent...

 

[Bolthead]

What surprises me about this thread is that it seems that people put more value on Fly Ahead than they do with family pooling... Me, I put zero value on Fly Ahead.

 

[Tassieoptom]

Yes would love to know this as well.

Thanks

Yes, that's an important point to bear in mind.

By the way, on status match from QF - my understanding (open to correction) is that they never status match, but they apparently can offer status challenges - e.g. earn 200 SCs for Gold or 400 for Platinum, within a 90 day period, on QF flights only (SCs from partners don't count). I am hoping for such a challenge, but am yet to hear back from them. Has anyone had success with this recently? I suspect they would have been inundated over the past couple of weeks.

 

[farstar]

What surprises me about this thread is that it seems that people put more value on Fly Ahead than they do with family pooling... Me, I put zero value on Fly Ahead.

I put zero on family pooling so it is horses for courses.

 

[Lord_Lenny]

What surprises me about this thread is that it seems that people put more value on Fly Ahead than they do with family pooling... Me, I put zero value on Fly Ahead.

Whilst I am very much a fan of Fly Ahead and I reckon I am using it in the spirit that it's intended for - mainly flying ahead a flight or two (but then again when I travel for work we generally time it fairly efficiently so there's no need to book last flight 'just in case'). I am a much bigger fan of family pooling; I clocked Platinum earlier this week and a good chunk of those SC's came from a SYD-LHR holiday Lady Lenny and I took in July on SQ, similarly our honeymoon in 2015 SYD-LAX-SEA-NYC-LAX-SYD all on VA or DL contributed to me hitting Gold.

Work has a BFOD policy (and a preference for VA so essentially I am locked into Velocity) and given that I travel roughly twice a month (on average) it would otherwise be impossible for me to gain status. Hence I can combine work paid travel, and any personal travel Lady Lenny and I do with family pooling to end up gaining benefits for us both when we travel together.

So Family Pooling is for me the key 'soft' (i.e. non-lounge) benefit of Velocity. No free seat selection I can live with...just (mainly do SYD-MEL/BNE), Fly Ahead being changed is annoying, but Family Pooling is the key and I'm glad that at least for now they haven't eaten into this benefit. Although I am increasingly pessimistic about the direction of VFF our company travel policy basically locks me in.

 

[Bolthead]

I put zero on family pooling so it is horses for courses.

Fair enough, I have a spare room in at my place... you're not my long lost cousin by any chance?

Whilst I am very much a fan of Fly Ahead and I reckon I am using it in the spirit that it's intended for - mainly flying ahead a flight or two (but then again when I travel for work we generally time it fairly efficiently so there's no need to book last flight 'just in case'). I am a much bigger fan of family pooling; I clocked Platinum earlier this week and a good chunk of those SC's came from a SYD-LHR holiday Lady Lenny and I took in July on SQ, similarly our honeymoon in 2015 SYD-LAX-SEA-NYC-LAX-SYD all on VA or DL contributed to me hitting Gold.

Work has a BFOD policy (and a preference for VA so essentially I am locked into Velocity) and given that I travel roughly twice a month (on average) it would otherwise be impossible for me to gain status. Hence I can combine work paid travel, and any personal travel Lady Lenny and I do with family pooling to end up gaining benefits for us both when we travel together.

So Family Pooling is for me the key 'soft' (i.e. non-lounge) benefit of Velocity. No free seat selection I can live with...just (mainly do SYD-MEL/BNE), Fly Ahead being changed is annoying, but Family Pooling is the key and I'm glad that at least for now they haven't eaten into this benefit. Although I am increasingly pessimistic about the direction of VFF our company travel policy basically locks me in.

I don't work anymore so I tend to be more flexible, hence Fly Ahead has little benefit to me. I'm a bit like you... Mrs. Bolthead usually family pools to me however I think this year we will try and get her to Gold and I can slide back to Gold. Most (if not all) of my domestic flights are SYD-OOL.

Bolt

 

[grubbidok]

By the way, on status match from QF - my understanding (open to correction) is that they never status match, but they apparently can offer status challenges - e.g. earn 200 SCs for Gold or 400 for Platinum, within a 90 day period, on QF flights only (SCs from partners don't count). I am hoping for such a challenge, but am yet to hear back from them. Has anyone had success with this recently? I suspect they would have been inundated over the past couple of weeks.

But you must do so without lounge access or other benefits, is what I was told. It's not a deal-breaker, and I am still considering it over the next few weeks, but for me (WP) and my SO (SG) it makes me far more hesitant to give them a go.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

they apparently can offer status challenges - Has anyone had success with this recently?

If recently includes the last 6 months or so, then I can say I successfully achieved a gold challenge offer (I am VA Plat......they do not recognise any SCs gained via family pooling and will only offer the level you can prove to be your flying. Funnily enough, at the time I was using family pooling to maintain VA plat whilst accruing QF SCs but they wouldn't recognise their own SCs in the tally, which should have seen me offered a plat challange.......but that's sundry information) and I successfully made the required QF SCs on QF flights wihin the time limit, only to have them renege on the offer......after I'd achieved it! I was entirely within their limited conditions of the offer, but they make them up and alter them as they go as there is no official policy to offer challenges. As some kind of "olive branch" to me for their braindead backflip, they decided to offer me a plat challenge, but would not include the SCs I'd just successfully made for the reneged gold challenge.......meaning I was no better off and actually flying more then I needed for gold (which was my intention to achieve).......yeah righ, no thanks. Once bitten, twice shy. Beware all, VA are floundering idiots and QF are arrogant A-holes.......take your pick, but they're both as bad as each other.

I now fly to suit myself. It's still more than likely I'll have plat with one and gold with the other, and soft landings mean I may well alternate between them, but I will not give them anymore money than I have to, regardless of status. I have to fly with someone. I don't really care who. I'm sick of lounges, the terminals these days are far more entertaining than the stale crowded lounges.

 

[Princess Fiona]

If recently includes the last 6 months or so, then I can say I successfully achieved a gold challenge offer (I am VA Plat......they do not recognise any SCs gained via family pooling and will only offer the level you can prove to be your flying. Funnily enough, at the time I was using family pooling to maintain VA plat whilst accruing QF SCs but they wouldn't recognise their own SCs in the tally, which should have seen me offered a plat challange.......but that's sundry information) and I successfully made the required QF SCs on QF flights wihin the time limit, only to have them renege on the offer......after I'd achieved it! I was entirely within their limited conditions of the offer, but they make them up and alter them as they go as there is no official policy to offer challenges. As some kind of "olive branch" to me for their braindead backflip, they decided to offer me a plat challenge, but would not include the SCs I'd just successfully made for the reneged gold challenge.......meaning I was no better off and actually flying more then I needed for gold (which was my intention to achieve).......yeah righ, no thanks. Once bitten, twice shy. Beware all, VA are floundering idiots and QF are arrogant A-holes.......take your pick, but they're both as bad as each other.

I now fly to suit myself. It's still more than likely I'll have plat with one and gold with the other, and soft landings mean I may well alternate between them, but I will not give them anymore money than I have to, regardless of status. I have to fly with someone. I don't really care who. I'm sick of lounges, the terminals these days are far more entertaining than the stale crowded lounges.

Oh swanning_it you are a little bit jaded I fear.
Very interesting to hear that QF would not consider pooled SC for a match. I've not heard of that previously.

I think you should give QF a go dependent on your flying patterns as for me there is night and day between the treatment of QF Plats (and P1s) and VA Plats.
The VA Plat experience seems to consist of priority boarding and a "Welcome back Princess Fiona" and stop abruptly there.

That's one of the big differences between the two IME.

 

[Jack_OC]

Have you ever noticed how beer is displayed in a brightly lit fridge in some lounges? This is likely no coincidence.
While I'm not privy to VA commercial agreements and you can draw your own conclusions.... 7-11, Coles, Woolworths etc all make a truckload of cash through product placement. Ever noticed how there is always X shelves of Coca-Cola and Y of Sprite etc? This has little to do with the amount of product sold and everything to do with how much the company is paying for this space.

With this in mind.... VA paying $2.50 for a beer? With a little business intelligence and creativity, VA could be positioning a commercial deal the other way around where they are paid to give away alcohol.

Yeah, I have no doubt you're right. As I said, at a minimum they would be paying a lot less than bottle shops sell it for, so whatever way you look at it, someone loitering in the Lounge for a prolonged period isn't likely to cost them much.

If recently includes the last 6 months or so, then I can say I successfully achieved a gold challenge offer (I am VA Plat......they do not recognise any SCs gained via family pooling and will only offer the level you can prove to be your flying. Funnily enough, at the time I was using family pooling to maintain VA plat whilst accruing QF SCs but they wouldn't recognise their own SCs in the tally, which should have seen me offered a plat challange.......but that's sundry information) and I successfully made the required QF SCs on QF flights wihin the time limit, only to have them renege on the offer......after I'd achieved it! I was entirely within their limited conditions of the offer, but they make them up and alter them as they go as there is no official policy to offer challenges. As some kind of "olive branch" to me for their braindead backflip, they decided to offer me a plat challenge, but would not include the SCs I'd just successfully made for the reneged gold challenge.......meaning I was no better off and actually flying more then I needed for gold (which was my intention to achieve).......yeah righ, no thanks. Once bitten, twice shy. Beware all, VA are floundering idiots and QF are arrogant A-holes.......take your pick, but they're both as bad as each other.
.

Wow, that is truly incredible. I don't mind them not recognising SCs gained by pooling, as ultimately they are trying to fast track people who would actually earn the relevant status level in their program, but I don't even know what to say about them reneging on the deal.

 

[DavidFlynn]

I've heard from an inside VA source, row 3 will be part of Space+.

Interesting, as I put that question to Virgin Australia last week and was advised that Row 3 on the B737s would not be Space+ seating – it appears as a photo in the booking system 'for illustrative purposes only', as they say – and that Space+ would, on the B737s, continue to be only the over-wing exits.

So, we shall soon see which way this coin lands...

 

[williamsf1]

having read 34 pages -appears alot of speculation on Fly AHEAD Has there been any official notice of the changes to fly ahead or are the changes just going to enforce the published rules?

 

[deepblerg]

I am hoping for such a challenge, but am yet to hear back from them. Has anyone had success with this recently? I suspect they would have been inundated over the past couple of weeks.

I sent an email to QFF a week ago requesting a status match/challenge and have still not heard back...

 

[Jack_OC]

having read 34 pages -appears alot of speculation on Fly AHEAD Has there been any official notice of the changes to fly ahead or are the changes just going to enforce the published rules?

I am not aware of any "official" notice about any of these changes - I certainly haven't received any communication on the changes from VA - which in itself is an insult. However, if reports on the changes are to be believed, they definitely go well beyond enforcing the published existing rules. For example, according to AusBT, "'Fly Ahead' discontinued on cheap tickets" http://www.ausbt.com.au/virgin-australia-overhauls-fares-introduces-seat-selection-fees

In other words, if you book the cheapest fare, there will be no fly ahead under any circumstances, even if seats in the same fare bucket are available on an earlier flight.

 

[deepblerg]

I put zero on family pooling so it is horses for courses.

I find it interesting what features of a loyalty program people value.

Personally I use Fly Ahead almost everytime I fly for work (between SYD and MEL). But I also value family pooling. And I value being able to seat select in row 3.

Maybe I'm expecting too much

But on the other hand, you shouldn't offer all these nice features to customers and have them get used to it only to enhance it down the track when the going gets tough. It would have been better to just keep all the features but slowly increase the cost of fares gradually over time.

 

[Princess Fiona]

having read 34 pages -appears alot of speculation on Fly AHEAD Has there been any official notice of the changes to fly ahead or are the changes just going to enforce the published rules?

Official notice has gone to the Accelerate members.
VA is in their usual manner behaving as if they are in the Berlin bunker but there's no way it's speculation.