Some big news for those of you with Virgin Points balances, with Virgin Atlantic updating its Flying Club frequent flyer programme, and making every seat available with points.
Virgin Atlantic has today announced that Flying Club members will be able to pay for any seat onboard with Virgin Points. This is in addition to the launch of new Saver reward seats and increased points earn rates in Premium and Upper Class.
From 30 October these enhancements will revolutionise the world of redemptions for Virgin Atlantic customers, continuing a long history of innovation in Flying Club, alongside our rewards club partner Virgin Red.
Flying Club members will be able to use Virgin Points to pay for any seat on the plane on any date, offering absolute choice and flexibility for our loyal customers. The price of seats will vary in line with demand, in a similar way to standard tickets.
To make flying with points even more accessible, Virgin Atlantic is launching new Saver reward seats at our lowest possible prices. Flying Club members will benefit from the best value we’ve ever offered, with Saver reward seats available across thousands of flights. And they will start from prices even lower than reward seats today, with flights to New York from as little as 6,000 Virgin Points.
For those who want to upgrade
Members will be able to use their points to upgrade to any available Premium or Upper Class seat from standard or reward tickets. In addition, members will be able to use their Companion or Upgrade vouchers on any seat, removing constraints of availability from even more products within Flying Club.
And in a further boost to Flying Club members, the number of Virgin Points earned on Upper Class and Premium tickets will also be increased at the same time.
In bullet points
Improvements announced to reward seats today by Virgin Altnatic
- In 2022 Virgin Atlantic launched Guaranteed Availability making 12 seats available on every flight for Flying Club members.
- From 30 October, every seat on a Virgin Atlantic-operated flight will be made available for Flying Club members to purchase using their Virgin Points, including for upgrades.
- A new Saver reward seat product will be launched for seats priced at or below today’s prices. These will include some of the lowest-ever prices in points.
- Saver reward seats will be available across thousands of flights, at the same price or lower than they are right now.
- All vouchers issued today to credit card holders and to Gold tier members will be moving to a new Flying Club reward voucher.
- 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.
- Above these maximum amounts, customers can use their Virgin Points balances to top up the amount required, giving even more flexibility.
- Virgin Red members will continue to be able to spend their points on Virgin Atlantic by joining Flying Club and linking their account, just as today.
- The amount of Virgin Points earned on Upper Class tickets will increase by up to 50% and Premium tickets will increase by up to 75%, allowing customers to earn even more on Virgin Atlantic.
- Between now and launch, customers will be able to book reward seats without any changes to pricing or availability.
In Quotes
Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic, commented:
“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.”
Siobhan Fitzpatrick, CXO, Virgin Atlantic, commented:
“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.”
Andrea Burchett, Chief Loyalty Officer and Managing Director, Virgin Red, commented:
”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. “
We’ll see
In theory, this is a good idea, allowing a chance for every seat to be sold on an aircraft with revenue attached – be it from a cash fare or a loyalty point purchase.
However, dynamic pricing and the aviation industry make Taylor Swift and Ticketmaster look like amateurs, especially with demand-based pricing and how those fares can spiral on demand-heavy days.
It’s also notable that Virgin Atlantic haven’t mentioned anything about fees and surcharges (such as the fuel surcharge which makes up a lot of transatlantic fares)
During this time, no examples have been given, thus we’re only taking on Virgin Atlantic’s word for what will happen.
We’ll have to see what happens when this launches at the end of next month – and the longer-term impact.
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