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Makes every seat bookable with points
SkyTeam carrier Virgin Atlantic is completely overhauling its frequent flyer programme to provide even more opportunities for members to book seats using points and earn more points in premium cabins, per Simple Flying in this piece.
A dynamic overhaul
Beginning October 30th, members of the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club frequent flyer programme will be able to pay for any seat onboard with Virgin Points. This is a significant improvement from the Guaranteed Availability policy, which launched in 2022 and made 12 seats available for Flying Club members on every flight.
The programme is notably switching to dynamic pricing, where the price of seats will vary in line with demand, similar to standard tickets. The number of Virgin Points earned on Upper-Class tickets will increase by up to 50 percent, while Premium tickets will go up by up to 75 percent so that customers can earn even more on the more expensive tickets. Shai Weiss, CEO of Virgin Atlantic, explained why the company is making the changes:
“Our customers mean the world to us. We are flying because of them and for forty years we have existed to make their journeys safe and special.
“Our aim is always to do right by them and to make them smile. In our special Ruby anniversary year, we are making every single seat available for purchase with points, becoming even more rewarding for our millions of loyal Flying Club members.”
Between now and the launch, customers will be able to book reward seats without any changes to pricing or availability.
New saver seats
In an effort to ensure that award ticket prices do not increase across the board due to the chances, Virgin Atlantic is launching new Saver reward seats at the “lowest possible prices.” According to the airline, Flying Club members will benefit from the best value ever offered on Saver reward seats available across thousands of flights.
The saver tickets will reportedly start from prices even lower than reward seats today, with flights to New York from as little as 6,000 Virgin Points.
Additionally, members will be able to use their points to upgrade to any available Premium or Upper Class seat from a standard or reward ticket. Siobhan Fitzpatrick, CXO, Virgin Atlantic, noted how the changes improve flexibility for travellers by offering more opportunities to book award seats:
“Our promise to our customers is to deliver a brilliantly different experience, providing thoughtful touches across their journey.
“Our loyal Flying Club members are so important to us, and today’s announcement is not only a first for the UK, but a significant step further in offering them as much choice, value and flexibility as possible.”
Companion voucher changes
Another update coming to the programme is overhauled companion or upgrade vouchers that it gives to Virgin Atlantic Credit Card, Virgin Red Rewards Mastercard, and those who reached and retained Gold status. The new voucher will remain redeemable for a Companion Seat or upgrade, and will be redeemable on any seat in any cabin for any customer.
The voucher will be valid up to a maximum of 75k points for Flying Club Red tier members or 150k points for Flying Club Silver or Gold tier members based on status at the time of voucher redemption. For any flights that require more points above these maximums, customers can use their Virgin Points balances to top up the required amount.
One way to top off your points is through the Virgin Red programme. Members will continue to be able to spend their points on Virgin Atlantic by joining Flying Club and linking their accounts. Andrea Burchett, chief loyalty officer and managing director, Virgin Red, noted how the two programmes can work together to provide additional value:
“Today’s announcement reaffirms Virgin’s commitment to recognising and rewarding customers’ loyalty to Virgin companies. We are thrilled to partner with Virgin Atlantic to give Virgin Red and Flying Club members the opportunity to earn and spend Virgin Points on every Virgin Atlantic flight, empowering customers with the choice and flexibility they deserve.
“Virgin Red members just need to join Flying Club to use their Virgin Points on Virgin Atlantic.”
The Virgin Red programme recently launched a credit card in the United States which provides additional earning opportunities to boost your balance and earn elite status.
