V Australia Business Class and Premium Economy Products

[Nigelinoz]

An interesting product. But my preference would still be for Qantas' J seat - which is a very well designed and comfortable seat/bed, and I've found has plenty of storage space

There is no way the Qantas J seat is worth the price,I find it extremely uncomfortable in anything other than upright mode,so I for one would be willing to give VA a try,and plan on doing exactly that quite soon.

 

[Globetrotter]

I appreciate everyone's feedback, thank you!

However, if you were using 100% FF points , and assuming the redemption value is eqv., then which airline would you choose to fly J class to the USA on, QF or VA?

Note: I'm departing from BNE so A380 on QF is not an option.

As soon as I make my mind up I'll transfer MR points to my respective airline FF account - deadline to transfer points to QF FF is rapidly approaching

 

[ANstar]

I appreciate everyone's feedback, thank you!

However, if you were using 100% FF points , and assuming the redemption value is eqv., then which airline would you choose to fly J class to the USA on, QF or VA?

Note: I'm departing from BNE so A380 on QF is not an option.

As soon as I make my mind up I'll transfer MR points to my respective airline FF account - deadline to transfer points to QF FF is rapidly approaching

I'd say usually Qantas... given the below

VA is 188,000 in J return

QF is 192,000

However, the fact Velocity have the 25% bonus points, makes VA more attractive.

you would only need to use 150K odd MR points for this trip as you would get a bonus of 37,500 ish from velocity.


So that is 40K odd points less per pax.

 

[NM]

However, if you were using 100% FF points , and assuming the redemption value is eqv., then which airline would you choose to fly J class to the USA on, QF or VA?

But the redemption value is NOT eqv.

QF will cost you 192,000 QF points which is also 192,000 QF points, plus fuel surcharges and taxes for a business class return BNE-LAX.

Using AAdvantage miles, you will need 125,000 AA miles, which can be derived from 100,000 SPG points which can come from 303,000 Amex MR points. But AA will not charge you fuel surcharges so a saving of around $264. So QF is probably better value unless if you want to travel beyond LAX.

I have no idea of the cost of Velocity points for a VA business class seat, nor how possible its going to redeem such. Until that is known, I would not be committing to using that method.

As always, its probably going to come down to availability of award seats for the time you want to travel. QF business class awards trans-Pacific are difficult to obtain for specific dates unless you can book well in advance (like >330 days). In theory, VA and QF award seats via their AnySeat programs should be available for most flights, but at what cost in points???

 

[ANstar]

I have no idea of the cost of Velocity points for a VA business class seat, nor how possible its going to redeem such. Until that is known, I would not be committing to using that method.

You can sign up to velocity for free and check flights for the days you want. I'd recommend doing this before transferring your points.

The transfers usually go through around 10am the next morning with the 25% bonus applied around 30 minutes later.

 

[dot]

Indeed! Would make a significant difference to any travel budget. I wonder how long that fare will remain available and what will be the long-term fare diff between VA and QF. I seem to recall Mr Godfrey suggesting they will try to remain around 20-25% below QF, but that may not have been for VA trans-pacs??? Can't remember the context of his comment.

Yes - I saw him quote that figure on a couple of different news channels coverage of the V Australia launch. On Channel 9 (where the reporter kept calling the airline "Virgin Australia") it was as you said, but on the ABC, he qualified the comment with words to the effect of "...20-30% lower than the competition at the time we announced we would enter the trans pacific market" (paraphasing his words - I didnt write them down at the time)

That sounds like to me; if QF are charging (roughly) $10k for a J return SYD-LAX, then VA will be charging approximately $7k to $8k for the same route. As opposed to 20-30% less than QF's current price where ever that ends up (potentially lower than $10k). So if QF drop their price to (say) $8k, VA would not be obliged to cut their prices further to keep their promise.

 

[AviationNZ]

I have no idea of the cost of Velocity points for a VA business class seat, nor how possible its going to redeem such. Until that is known, I would not be committing to using that method.

As always, its probably going to come down to availability of award seats for the time you want to travel. QF business class awards trans-Pacific are difficult to obtain for specific dates unless you can book well in advance (like >330 days). In theory, VA and QF award seats via their AnySeat programs should be available for most flights, but at what cost in points???

VA is ~188,000 points which is roughly the same as QF (if transferring from AMEX MR and ignoring seasonal bonuses). However, the VA availability is A LOT better than QF. Just a quick browse then I was able to find plenty of SYD-LAX J from mid March onwards.

 

[NM]

VA is ~188,000 points which is roughly the same as QF (if transferring from AMEX MR and ignoring seasonal bonuses). However, the VA availability is A LOT better than QF. Just a quick browse then I was able to find plenty of SYD-LAX J from mid March onwards.

is that 188K for a return or one-way?

 

[AviationNZ]

is that 188K for a return or one-way?

Sorry, it's return.

 

[NM]

Sorry, it's return.

Then that is quite good value.

 

[serfty]

Sky high with V Australia

CHEERLEADERS, Aussie celebrities and jokes aplenty feature at the delivery of the first Boeing...


Click to View ...

 

[serfty]

so what's the

with the VA redemption.

 

[Globetrotter]

Thanks everyone. I checked availability with VA and yes there are plenty of J class redemption seats available. I note the following (below) redemption penalties for date changes - they seem quite high (25,000 points) compared to QF.

Fare Name: Business Reward
Cabin Class: Business
Flexibility: (see ''General information'' below for more details)
Name Changes: Not allowed
Date changes: Permitted both before and after departure.
* Fee of AUD$200 or 25,000 Points per person per change.
* Fare differences may be payable and other restrictions apply see ''General information'' below.
Routing changes:
Permitted both before and after departure.
* Fee of AUD$200 or 25,000 Points per person per change
* Fare differences may be payable and other restrictions apply - see ''General information'' below.

 

[ANstar]

Thanks everyone. I checked availability with VA and yes there are plenty of J class redemption seats available. I note the following (below) redemption penalties for date changes - they seem quite high (25,000 points) compared to QF.

That is quite high - but I guess if you can get it for 150,000 with the current promo and know your dates of travel then you should work out saving 40k odd MR points....

 

[wallacej]

Re: Sky high with V Australia

CHEERLEADERS, Aussie celebrities and jokes aplenty feature at the delivery of the first Boeing...


Click to View ...

Interesting that there are no internal shots of the plane - and I caught a glimpse of the rego number ?OZ - I assume the first part will be VH-?OZ

The small detail

I have never been on a 777 - however another thread indicates that the seats were cheapest available, and will not be comfy for long haul - time will soon tell on that one.

I welcome the competition, about time we got some dirt cheap pricing to the US - UA and QF have had a nice little earner from that route for a long time.

 

[UP4014]

Re: Sky high with V Australia

CHEERLEADERS, Aussie celebrities and jokes aplenty feature at the delivery of the first Boeing...


Click to View ...

excellent, there should be more of it

 

[oz_mark]

Re: Sky high with V Australia

Interesting that there are no internal shots of the plane - and I caught a glimpse of the rego number ?OZ - I assume the first part will be VH-?OZ

Would you believe VH-VOZ.

 

[Globetrotter]

Very true !

 

[crazydave98]

This article in the Australian today describing some of the unique touches of the V Australia product
VAustralia takes a chance on playful approach | The Australian

 

[yogi]

This article in the Australian today describing some of the unique touches of the V Australia product

"Economy class features a three-three-three configuration with ergonomically designed seats that the airline says are the widest on the Pacific run. It has a 32in seat pitch and a 6in recline with a 10.6in seat-back screen for the on-demand videos, games and music. "We were very focused on not going 10-abreast in the back -- at least not for now," Godfrey says. "We thought that until we get into the market we would give people extra room."

***
Fly now folks and enjoy that little bit of extra room in the back...