Silver will no longer have priority check-in on domestic

[bullerdude]

Depends where on the website you look. This page says no: Domestic Fare Types | Virgin Australia

But if you clcik on the Flexi option while you are booking it says yes.

If i remember correctly, it use to be on the Flexi fare description page (Domestic Fare Types | Virgin Australia).

Is Virgin actually intending on removing the priority checking benefit from Flexi fares?? (or are they already implementing this change)

 

[Joshua]

So can somebody clarify what DJ silver now gets you?
The list I can see is on their site is:

Priority phone (needed because of the next point)
Upgrade with points (over the phone, you know what anybody should be able to do online)
Pick a worse seat than you could get in online check-in, but in advance
Discounted lounge membership (hello upselling)
Complementary baggage (because they're totally not a cheapo LLC)
A few bonus points so their earn/burn rate sucks ever so slightly less

Oh and priority check-in on their 2 or 3 international flights, hurray. You actually get more priority from their partner airlines ironically.

I would love for someone to correct me but it seems pointless offering it when there are virtually no tangible benefits...

Waiting now for them to introduce a LTS - upgrade with points on the phone for the rest of your life!

 

[Guile99]

*edited as the username is all that's needed*

Folks, remember, it's Virgin's program and they can change it as they see fit. If you don't like it, you can always go to QF and get silver there.

No one is forcing you to stay there (And how many of the whingers on here were comped silvers or were soft fall to silver from comped gold?).

Amen to that. Man, they are having a great big whinge on the FB page... quite hilarious some of the comments!

 

[here2go]

As a consolation.. you have warm weather & a bustling well stocked pub at airport full of Coldies..

Yep - we have warm weather alright: we have the aircon on timer when away during the wet just to stop mould growing on the glass dining table. It also has the only pub that sells beer before 10am in the NT. I hope the miners in high-vis get breath-tested.

 

[muppet]

......
A few bonus points so their earn/burn rate sucks ever so slightly less
......

Joshua, how do you use your points? I actually find the "earn" awesome (I'm usually on premium fares on short routes so I earn 2000-3000 per flight on the east cost, QF is all 1000 point minimum even on $500 fares or 1250 on $800 J fares); I also find the "burn" competitive but closer to QF (except at the moment it's 30% off so right now the "burn" is great) oh and they just had double points for about the 5th time this year.

 

[drewbles]

Depends where on the website you look. This page says no: Domestic Fare Types | Virgin Australia

But if you clcik on the Flexi option while you are booking it says yes.

Taking more lessons from QF in regard to consistency

 

[airbridge]

Priority check-in? Queuing? Are VA passengers still queuing in a line to check-in? Don't they have bag drop machines like Qantas? What's going on John?

 

[ChrisFlyer]

This was in their business travel newsletter yesterday... seems Flexi is losing the benefit too, but only on new bookings:

Good Afternoon

Virgin Australia today announced changes to the eligibility for Domestic Priority Check-in, effective from 12 November 2012.

Virgin Australia is committed to providing the best possible experience to our guests. As a result of continued demand, and in order to streamline the way we deliver that experience at airports, Virgin Australia is discontinuing Priority Check-in access for Velocity Silver members and Flexi Fare guests.

The change applies to domestic Priority Check-in only; Silver members and Flexi Fare guests may continue to use Priority Check-in when travelling on our International Short Haul network. All other Silver member benefits and Flexi Fare inclusions remain. If you have purchased a Flexi Fare prior to the 8th October 2012 Priority Check- in will be honoured.

To save time at the airport on your next domestic flight, you can check in via the Virgin Australia website, your web-enabled mobile phone or at an airport kiosk. If you're travelling with carry-on baggage only, you can proceed straight through security as soon as you arrive at the airport.

For more information please contact your Travel Agent or Virgin Australia Account Manager.

Sent from my iPhone using AustFreqFly app

 

[Jama]

This was in their business travel newsletter yesterday... seems Flexi is losing the benefit too, but only on new bookings: app

I think this is a good. Can now enjoy less congestion. But I still say it makes the Flexi even less worth the premium.

 

[Fruitcake]

I think this is a good. Can now enjoy less congestion. But I still say it makes the Flexi even less worth the premium.

Family pooling, Virgin Flyer Credit Card 2-for-1s, and points upgrades. That's what flexi fares are for (to me at least). To be honest it's the only reason I have status!

 

[Jama]

Family pooling, Virgin Flyer Credit Card 2-for-1s, and points upgrades. That's what flexi fares are for (to me at least). To be honest it's the only reason I have status!

Points upgrades is the only one that requires a flexi. So a flexi merely gives you points and pay upgrades.

 

[Fruitcake]

Points upgrades is the only one that requires a flexi. So a flexi merely gives you points and pay upgrades.

No, the flexis also give me full Y status credits. Flexis earn double the SCs of a saver and, at the times I'm booking, usually cost less than twice a saver fare.

End result is that my wife and I can fly two return trips a year in business class, earn full economy status credits, and generally pay less than saver fares (excluding cost of points upgrade - although I have plat upgrades at the moment). A few other trips on savers and we should get over the line to maintain gold.

QF Frequent Flyer can't even come close to offering me that level of value. One of these days VFF will change the rules when they figure out I'm not really a "frequent" flyer but I'll keep going whilst the going's good .

 

[serfty]

Points upgrades is the only one that requires a flexi. So a flexi merely gives you points and pay upgrades.

... double SC's when compared to Saver fares.

e.g. I am flying to CNS from MEL later this month with SWMBO. Also, to PER in next year, I have booked flexis and upgraded using points/UC's. Total SC's pooled would be 280 rather than 140 for saver.

 

[Jama]

... double SC's when compared to Saver fares.

Oops. Forgot that little detail....

 

[cambruzzo]

My reply to my winge says no to flexi fare also
"
Thank you for your recent correspondence regarding priority check-in.

Virgin Australia is committed to providing the best possible experience to our guests. As a result of continued demand, and in order to streamline the way we deliver that experience at airports, Virgin Australia is discontinuing Priority Check-in access for Velocity Silver members and Flexi Fare guests on domestic flights.

We understand your disappointment in regards to this change and have passed your feedback on to the Velocity Frequent Flyer management team. Velocity Silver members will continue to receive a great range of benefits. The Velocity Frequent Flyer team are working on improvements to Silver benefits that will be announced in the near future.

Should you have any further enquiries regarding your Membership, feel free to contact us at this email address, or call the Membership Contact Centre on the telephone numbers below.

Yours sincerely

feel free to email the decision makers directly they all have the name seperated by a dot and end with at virginaustralia dot com
John Borghetti is the MD, Phil Gunter is the Gen Mgr Velocity and Neil Thompson is the CEO of velocity

 

[wallacej]

Reduced silver benefit.

I just saw on the status page on the virgin website that from November 12 2012, silver members will get priority check in on Virgin International flights. Not sure if this means that domestic priority is now not included, or this is now in addition to.

....sent from the place closest to the airport I just arrived at.

 

[wallacej]

https://www.velocityrewards.com.au/content/Status/index.htm

At the bottom of the page
*Effective 12 November 2012 Silver members can only access Priority Check-in when flying internationally with Virgin Australia.

....sent from the place closest to the airport I just arrived at.

 

[UP4014]

Virgin say they are removing this Silver benefit to make it better for their higher tier passengers.

I've got a radical idea, why not just put an extra person on at the silver and above check in counter if their queues are getting longer. Surely having more high level passengers is a good thing and would justify this; and it likely isn't at every airport anyway.

I guess the prevailing attitude is to cut when it gets too much rather than add.

Matt

 

[brentonnn]

Virgin say they are removing this Silver benefit to make it better for their higher tier passengers.

I've got a radical idea, why not just put an extra person on at the silver and above check in counter if their queues are getting longer. Surely having more high level passengers is a good thing and would justify this; and it likely isn't at every airport anyway.

I guess the prevailing attitude is to cut when it gets too much rather than add.

Matt

or to make achieving Gold or Plat that little bit more 'special'? Maybe give the silvers even more to aim for now? I think it's not a bad idea IMHO

 

[UP4014]

or to make achieving Gold or Plat that little bit more 'special'? Maybe give the silvers even more to aim for now? I think it's not a bad idea IMHO

I'm not sure a narrowing and moving of the goal posts does more than annoy people. It would sure as hell annoy me if I flew Virgin.