Not Flying VA / VS through HKG Again to LHR

[Austman]

I believe it's open 24/7

The rumor is that it will be (permanently?) closed due to the T2 renovations, like the CX arrivals lounge, as soon as their lease expires.

 

[TomVexille]

Just got the following in the December VA email.

Plaza Premium lounge for SG and WP from 17 December when flying VS to LHR

 

[Muppet501st]

Just got the following in the December VA email.

Plaza Premium lounge for SG and WP from 17 December when flying VS to LHR

View attachment 146672

Says SG, no mention of WP?

 

[TomVexille]

Says SG, no mention of WP?

I assume because I'm SG currently. I certainly can't imagine a WP would be denied...

Famous last words. It is VA after all

 

[Muppet501st]

I assume because I'm SG currently. I certainly can't imagine a WP would be denied...

Famous last words. It is VA after all

VFF website hasnt been updated to show this. I havent received the email.
Really hoping this is true, will be flying thru on VS in Feb, on my RTW flights.

 

[TomVexille]

VFF website hasnt been updated to show this. I havent received the email.
Really hoping this is true, will be flying thru on VS in Feb, on my RTW flights.

It was in my December Statement email

 

[AIRwin]

Says SG, no mention of WP?

Mine has no reference to HKG at all:
Flying into London Heathrow with our Partner Virgin Atlantic? From 17 December your Platinum tier now unlocks access to the Virgin Atlantic Revivals lounge.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

Mine has no reference to HKG at all:
Flying into London Heathrow with our Partner Virgin Atlantic? From 17 December your Platinum tier now unlocks access to the Virgin Atlantic Revivals lounge.

Mine's the same. No mention of HKG lounge access or in fact HKG at all. (VA WP)

 

[Muppet501st]

Mine has no reference to HKG at all:
Flying into London Heathrow with our Partner Virgin Atlantic? From 17 December your Platinum tier now unlocks access to the Virgin Atlantic Revivals lounge.

Same (VA WP ) my dad is SG and he received the email as Tomvexille

 

[Muppet501st]

I asked VFF FB team about this, here is the reply.

Hi Ken, we have heard back from the team. As this is effective 17 December, our website will be updated at midnight on Sunday to reflect this. In Hong Kong, access is available at the Plaza Premium First lounge 4 hours before the Virgin Atlantic departure. In Heathrow, the Revivals lounge is available to Platinum members but no guest allowance due to capacity unfortunately. We hope this clarifies! ^LG

 

[stm1sydney]

OP, welcome back to VA/VS!

 

[Wozza]

I'm so glad they are doing this!

That gives me, and no doubt many others who are Velocity members flying to the UK, a good option to rival Singapore and Etihad etc.

The Plaza First Lounge looked excellent. And The House and VS LHR T3 Upper Class Lounge were very good and exceptional. The weak link is still Autus though on the way back to SYD in HKG. Will that still be the VA lounge if booking on a VA number in Y as a WP or SG?

If it is, then its nowhere near the standard of the other three lounges from my experience.

Also, with only a 4 hour slot in Plaza First on the way out with a current 7 hour 20 minute layover you'll be paying a small lump sum to get those extra 3 hours or have to make do with the main terminal, which is not my thing, personally. I can't quite recall the Plaza First price for 3 hours, but I have a feeling it was at least $110, maybe more.

For me, it will then come down to a question of price. Will Autus on the way back and 3 hours in the terminal on the way out offset a better price than Singapore or Etihad? I doubt it given both airlines offer great Y prices during sales periods during the year. But the VS LHR is super tempting, just like Etihad AUH First.

What do others think?

 

[GoldCanyon340]

Also, with only a 4 hour slot in Plaza First on the way out with a current 7 hour 20 minute layover you'll be paying a small lump sum to get those extra 3 hours or have to make do with the main terminal, which is not my thing, personally. I can't quite recall the Plaza First price for 3 hours, but I have a feeling it was at least $110, maybe more.

Opening promo price is HKD700, ~AUD125.

 

[Deleted member 29185]

A single person allowance is not much point for a couple. OK for single travelers, but who goes into a lounge and leaves +1 out in the terminal?

 

[stm1sydney]

Re 7:20 transit time, once you deduct disembarking/boarding time, you are looking at amusing yourself for a max of two hours in the terminal, which should be do-able at HKG.

On the way back, Autus is perfectly fine, you're not exactly slumming it. And the alternative in Singapore/Changi, if you are VA WP/SG flying Y on SQ, is the infamous Krisflyer Gold lounge. Autus is streets ahead of that and you say that VS LHR upper class is exceptional. So, on lounges, VA/VS via HKG is better than SQ via SIN.

With Etihad, VA WPs get the AUH first lounge, which is super tempting, but you miss out on Upper Class, but get LHR The House instead.

On balance, VA/VS via HKG has its nose in front, methinks.

 

[Wozza]

Re 7:20 transit time, once you deduct disembarking/boarding time, you are looking at amusing yourself for a max of two hours in the terminal, which should be do-able at HKG.

On the way back, Autus is perfectly fine, you're not exactly slumming it. And the alternative in Singapore/Changi, if you are VA WP/SG flying Y on SQ, is the infamous Krisflyer Gold lounge. Autus is streets ahead of that and you say that VS LHR upper class is exceptional. So, on lounges, VA/VS via HKG is better than SQ via SIN.

With Etihad, VA WPs get the AUH first lounge, which is super tempting, but you miss out on Upper Class, but get LHR The House instead.

On balance, VA/VS via HKG has its nose in front, methinks.

It is very close between Etihad and VA / VS, as you say.

AUH First Lounge was outrageously good, especially when coming off as a Y passenger and having your kids whisked away to chicken nuggets, ice cream, computer games, toys and a dedicated nanny in a sound-proofed haven of child goodies! Only for you to be whisked off for shave for him / pedicure for her, massage and whatever you want to eat menu. The kids loved it. Which meant we loved it and could really relax. The food, drinks, personal service, discretion and amenities were incredible. And you get that experience both ways on a much shorter transit. Etihad and AUH staff, air, land and lounge treated us so well as WPs despite our Y ticket. The only downsides I saw were the unpredictable weather (not experienced enough to know if that is a regular thing in AUH or only relevant certain times of the year) and the fact VA golds have much less pampering in a more ordinary business class lounge.

The VS Upper Class in LHR is available to VA gold and WPs and was just a shade under the AUH First Lounge experience we had. The kids had their own mezzanine floor with lots of good stuff. But I didn't see any nannies! (I feel so spoilt for pointing that out!). You only get that premium experience once, rather than twice through AUH. The VS and HKG staff, air, land and lounge rarely recognised your FF status with VA, so you felt very much a Y passenger, in the super long queues with everybody else.

Sounds like I should avoid SIN. I haven't flown with them in a little while.

My recommendation, for what it's worth, is fly Etihad if you are Velocity WP via AUH and VA / VS via HKG if you are Velocity Gold (from 17 December 2018 when the HKG Plaza First Lounge comes available).

Are there better routes and experiences for Velocity WPs and Golds SYD to the UK than the two I've recommended? I'd be keen to learn if there are. Wozza

 

[stm1sydney]

If flying Y on Etihad, it is probably important to make sure you are on the A380, not the B777 with 10 abreast (or B787 with 9 abreast). I think SYD/AUH has one per day A380 and one per day B777 currently operating.

 

[Chicken]

I am not surprised with what happened to @Wozza .

Having been a VS Flying Club member for years, and not even a Velocity member, there are way too many red flags with this code share service between VS VA via Hong Kong.

Flag 1

Go to VS very home page and search for LHR > SYD. Redemption is disabled with a message "This route is not eligible for miles or miles plus money payment."

Flag 2

If I was to use VS Flying Club miles to claim return from SYD / MEL to:
- SIN on SQ need 55 / 85 K in Y / J.
- NRT on NH need 60 / 90 K in Y / J

But to claim VA to Hong Kong need 80 / 160 for Y / J

Is this some sort of mistake?

The whole thing looks very bad, it is like they don't even want you to fly this route, they only did this code share because both have the word Virgin in the name, and they need to align the brand under Richard. I would not touch this route at all until they make it looks like they actually want a passenger.

 

[Isochronous]

This is why VA's lack of a proper alliance and mish-mash of partners make it grossly unappealing for overseas travel, even though their on-board product is quite good.

 

[Chicken]

This is why VA's lack of a proper alliance and mish-mash of partners make it grossly unappealing for overseas travel, even though their on-board product is quite good.

This applies to VS as well, not just VA, and who knows if it is VA or VS or both of them being half butt about it. Meanwhile, I have over 300 000 k sitting in my VS Flying Club, don't know what to do with them.