Virgin need to educate their alliance partners better!

[notzac]

As long as you have your Velocity Gold card with you, everything ought to be fine.

 

[blackcat20]

As I said in another thread, when I presented my SG card at check in, I was met with "what do you want me to do with that?" I asked for priority tags but was ignored, however I'd left the VA tags on and they did the trick at the other end. Lounge access was fine. But some seating benefits would be good.

 

[notzac]

But some seating benefits would be good.

Seating benefits is a massive hole in the offering IMHO. The only airlines you get preferred seats on are VA and NZ (on DL you get an option for reduced price EC seats, but given DL happily offer this for free to other partner airlines .. I don't call it a benefit).

 

[Quickstatus]

VA partnership with their partner airlines are really just superficial arrangements. Some have deeper relationships (VA-DL), some very superficial (VA-VX). The partnership if you can call it that in total is not as comprehensive as other alliances - oneworld, star alliance, skyteam etc etc.

Just think of it as the Low cost carrier partnership - lots of hype and hotair but drill down there is not much substance. DL though approaches a proper partnership.

 

[notzac]

NZ as well (I'd argue that the connection between VA and NZ is better than VA and DL).

 

[dajop]

And the SQ partnership is probably in line with the way SQ treats star alliance elites, except perhaps can be problematic at some outstations (who is Virgin Australia???). Full star alliance membership probably would do little to change the way SQ treats VA elites, in fact it might even get worse! You really need to be PPS or above on SQ's program (not even Krisflyer Gold) to start feeling some "status love" on SQ.

 

[grumpycat]

I flew Virgin America LAX to LAS hubby is a silver and I am a gold velocity member... Got charged for baggage... and wait for it... Sat on different seats on the plane.. not next to each other... I will now only fly delta through the US. we flew back to LAX with Delta and received much better service! I have to say though. We flew Air NZ to LAX and I was super impressed one of the best airlines I have flown to date!

 

[blackcat20]

I flew Virgin America LAX to LAS hubby is a silver and I am a gold velocity member... Got charged for baggage...

Unfortunately baggage is not a perk.

 

[Bolthead]

Recently I have come back from North America after a 8 week holiday. We flew numerous airlines flying predominately Southwest. (WN) We only choose them because of the right connections and price. I did however fly VX on 3 routes and DL on one route. I did however enjoy the VX flight service over Delta. (and I flew 1st class with Delta)

I was disappointed with VX with my baggage. I flew from SJC-LAX-JFK. In SJC they would not check my bags through to JFK. I had to collect and recheck in LAX. Granted I was on different PNR's however after having a civil discussion at checkin I lost the argument. However on my flight home which was SJC-LAX-SYD, I flew DL to LAX and they checked my bags through to SYD (on VA). Both these flight where on different PNR's. I was pleased with this however I still had to go to VA checkin (in T3) to get my boarding pass to SYD. As a side note despite the fact that my bags had Delta priority tags from SJC to SYD my bags took forever to come out in SYD.

 

[Jstar]

I took a DL and VX flight around the New Year and had a decent experience but like most hear I was sitting pretty far back in the plane, with no option to move forward. Most importantly, I did get priority TSA screening which made things a lot faster.

 

[openseat]

A positive outcome for me flying VS JFK-LHR. I had forgotten my card (plat), but the lounge agent kindly let me in as she was able to see my status in their system. I was in PE.

 

[notzac]

Wait what, VS can see VA status now? Did it print on your boarding card?

 

[blackcat20]

Wait what, VS can see VA status now? Did it print on your boarding card?

Didn't last month...

 

[r0bs]

Just flew Business on Virgin's partner SQ from BNE-SIN-ZRH then LHR-SIN-BNE. Won't ever fly with SQ again.

Used to think they were a pretty good airline, but the aircraft BNE-SIN and SIN to-BNE was a clapped out 330 with sloping bed!

The Heathrow SQ Business lounge was a disgrace and reminded me of the old terminals we had in Brisbane in the 1970's.

I will now always travel Etihad Business or Virgin Atlantic Business. Singapore Airlines, you need to take a good hard look at yourselves...

As one of the other posters said, Virgin Platinum gets you nowhere with SQ. They are now my Airline of last resort. (before QANTAS).

 

[ajw373]

Seating benefits is a massive hole in the offering IMHO. The only airlines you get preferred seats on are VA and NZ (on DL you get an option for reduced price EC seats, but given DL happily offer this for free to other partner airlines .. I don't call it a benefit).

Some airlines consider priority seating being able to choose a seat. Not like Qantas for example that reserves certain rows for different frequent flyer status. So really depends upon the airline you are flying on.

 

[moa999]

As ever, all airlines have varying product on each route, and you have to do your research

 

[ajw373]

Just flew Business on Virgin's partner SQ from BNE-SIN-ZRH then LHR-SIN-BNE. Won't ever fly with SQ again.

Used to think they were a pretty good airline, but the aircraft BNE-SIN and SIN to-BNE was a clapped out 330 with sloping bed!

The Heathrow SQ Business lounge was a disgrace and reminded me of the old terminals we had in Brisbane in the 1970's.

I will now always travel Etihad Business or Virgin Atlantic Business. Singapore Airlines, you need to take a good hard look at yourselves...

As one of the other posters said, Virgin Platinum gets you nowhere with SQ. They are now my Airline of last resort. (before QANTAS).

Interesting perception. SQ's oldest A330 is 5 years old and it is fitted with a regional product, because, umm flights from Singapore to Australia are not long haul they are regional. It always amuses me how people expect all flights to have a long haul product, reality is it isn't financially viable to do so.

Though do agree with the overall sentiment that SQ is certainly not as good as many make out. I have had a couple of shockers with them, but by the same token most of my flights have been well above average.

 

[ajw373]

and wait for it... Sat on different seats on the plane!

And the problem is? I would have thought this was normal, as normally one wouldn't sit on the lap of another passenger.

PS am joking I know what you meant just couldn't resist when you read that sentence in isolation.

 

[williamsf1]

A positive outcome for me flying VS JFK-LHR. I had forgotten my card (plat), but the lounge agent kindly let me in as she was able to see my status in their system. I was in PE.

That's new - VS have never been able to see VA status

Sure they were not just being " nice" ?

 

[pauly7]

The Heathrow SQ Business lounge was a disgrace and reminded me of the old terminals we had in Brisbane in the 1970's.

I will now always travel Etihad Business or Virgin Atlantic.

As one of the other posters said, Virgin Platinum gets you nowhere with SQ.

Agree - the SQ Heathrow lounge is barely worth the 50 metre walk down the corridor to visit. cough food, uncomfortable. Very average.

Etihad business is ok but I have to disagree with you on Virgin Atlantic business, they are at the bottom of my list, find them uncomfortable and with average IFE.

More on topic, Virgin AU status with patched together partners is just in the too hard bucket for me I have no time or interest in fighting for my entitlements I just want a seamless system that provides them and as Virgin AU continues to resist joining Star or Skyteam which would help in that respect it makes their program much less important and attractive to me.