Virgin cancels anytime access - they almost had me

[straitman]

It's either a long bow or low blow...

Why has it taken 33 posts for someone to pick up my (non) deliberate error :?:

Should read "long bow"

 

[haggiscat]

Well I'm sure DJ will sorely miss your ocassional flight purchase and your frequent visits to their lounge on unrelated business. They will probably kick themselves that they've failed to convert you.

It isn't occasional flight purchases they'll be missing. Conning people over with ATA and then withdrawing it is poor form.

 

[elbarto]

The irony being the OPs admission that he often used ATA on unrelated (ie. non-flying) business, when he wasn't using DJ anyway...

I noticed that point too. If you abuse things.. You loose them..

I don't know if that also is reflected in the types or characters of people (in general) on AFF who patronise QF or VA; I'd like to think not.

There almost seems to be an Apple v Microsoft mentality. No matter what one does, it's always wrong and the other can do no wrong.

 

[haggiscat]

You're missing the point.

I was QANTAS SG about to tick over to WP.

Virgin came along with a whole raft of things designed to win over QANTAS frequent flyers, one of which was ATA. In the past I had been a Virgin customer w/associated lounge membership etc.

I gave serious consideration to switching to Virgin based on a number of factors, one of which was ATA.

In the end, I didn't, as the overall product was not satisfactory.

My complaint is not that I lost my ATA. My complaint is that IF I had switched to Virgin and become a Virgin WP1, and then one year later had found my ATA had vaporised, I would have been extremely upset.

There is ample commentary here about my apparent abuse of the coughpy Virgin lounges, but this misses the point, which is that while they promise a point of difference they just deliver the same old rehashed cough.

 

[lovestotravel]

Things change
Things get enhanced

/End thread

 

[haggiscat]

ATA is, I presumed, designed for a particular group of flyers who may be at the airport unrelatedly and enjoy lounge access when not flying. It cannot, by definition, be abused - it is ANY TIME ACCESS.

ATA was introduced by Virgin as a purported point of difference from QANTAS. I've no doubt it induced some QFF members to become Virgin FFs. In my case, as perhaps in other cases, this would have involved taking $$$ of business from QANTAS and parking it with Virgin. Partly based on a much celebrated benefit which was never intended to be anything more than a bait and switch exercise.

 

[mella2007]

You're missing the point.

I was QANTAS SG about to tick over to WP.

Virgin came along with a whole raft of things designed to win over QANTAS frequent flyers, one of which was ATA. In the past I had been a Virgin customer w/associated lounge membership etc.

I gave serious consideration to switching to Virgin based on a number of factors, one of which was ATA.

In the end, I didn't, as the overall product was not satisfactory.

My complaint is not that I lost my ATA. My complaint is that IF I had switched to Virgin and become a Virgin WP1, and then one year later had found my ATA had vaporised, I would have been extremely upset.

There is ample commentary here about my apparent abuse of the coughpy Virgin lounges, but this misses the point, which is that while they promise a point of difference they just deliver the same old rehashed cough.

So you were quite "satisfied" to use their lounges for whenever you pleased, but not to fly with? How many flights did you actually fly with them? In what class? Did you even wait for planes to be refurbed before you decided it was not up to your standards?

They offered it for a year...while it has annoyed many in the way they withdrew it, I believe lounge access in any way shape or form, is a bonus, not a right. Like any business...they try something and if it doesn't fit into their bottom line or future plans, well so be it.

For those of us that did bring our business across to VA, there are many good reasons to be with the program, like there is also with Qantas. Comp upgrades for Platinums is a good bonus, as well as the many deals they've had throughout the year.
Oh and Virgin don't have a WP1 program either.

 

[lovestotravel]

How many flights did you actually fly with them? In what class? Did you even wait for planes to be refurbed before you decided it was not up to your standards?

Would LOVE to know this............

 

[medhead]

Sorry, but the OP hasn't said they used ATA from what I've read. I believe they have raised a fair point. They were enticed to switch and get status matched by a range of benefits including ATA. IF (MAGIC WORD HERE PEOPLE IF) they had of switched losing the ATA would be a blow.

 

[AirKat]

[SUB][/SUB]

Well I'm sure DJ will sorely miss your ocassional flight purchase and your frequent visits to their lounge on unrelated business. They will probably kick themselves that they've failed to convert you.

This is short sighted and a bit unnecessary.

Status match, I would have thought, was about getting QF passengers who never flew VA to give it a go. If they resulted in keeping 20% or so of each pax's business that would be an amazing gain. I fly the occasional flight with VA to use things like ATA. Occasional being once a month and that is business worth having. But without the differentiators I'll stay with my main carrier. It can hardly be called abuse for someone to go in and use the space to work for a few hours and have a cup of tea. And if they aren't willing to give that for some of my business then i'll stay where I am.

 

[serfty]

12 pages (472 posts) on Virgin access and 43 (1709 posts) on Qantas. Agreed that it seems approximately fair when you compare market percentage.

That's if your post per page is set to 40 - if it's set to 10 then that's 48 pages and 171 respectively.

This thread was in the Qantas forum - I have moved it to the Virgin Australia forum and closed it as there is already a thread on the topic - please continue discussion herein the original VA/DG ATA thread:

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....nytime-lounge-access-finishing-yes-41489.html