Best Frequent Flyer Programme for Australian Business Travellers: Virgin Australia Velocity
Virgin Australia gave airline loyalty programmes a much-needed shake-up with its mid-year relaunch of the Velocity rewards scheme.
Virgin Australia CEO John Borghetti nimbly out-maneuvered the muscle of Qantas Frequent Flyer with an array of features such as family pooling of points and status, free Gold and Platinum-level membership of hotel and hire car loyalty programs, ‘anytime lounge access’ for Gold & Platinum, partner Platinum membership, membership pause for new parents and ‘guaranteed’ reward seats for family holidays.
On a sheer perks-for-points basis we don’t believe you can go past Virgin Australia Velocity as Australia’s best frequent flyer program.
Click here to see all winners in the Australian Business Traveller Awards 2011.
The Australian Business Traveller Awards are judged by an independent panel of business travellers and frequent flyers plus the AusBT team, and provide a uniquely Australian perspective on the best products and services for Australia's estimated 2.6 million business travellers.
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10 Mar 2011
Total posts 526
What about the real measures, like flight frequency, seat redemption availability, points upgrade availability..... ?
Virgin Blue - Velocity Rewards
12 May 2011
Total posts 31
Yep, wins on most of those too. Hits QF out of the ballpark on reward availability, flight frequency depends on destination but is pretty good - particularly if you're headed somewhere QF have handballed to the orange star, domestically upgrades (4 x per year are FREE for platinum), but international upgrade availability would definitely go to QF. I hope they fix that one sooner rather later.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
24 Jul 2012
Total posts 3
Honestly people, these guys have a long way to go before they can claim anything, there Velocity website is totally useless junk and still light years away from Qantas & others. You now cannot even make an international booking online, you need to call an overseas call centre and wait an hour to be told some will call you back within 48hrs. I am also no Qantas fan, give me Singapore any day of the week. But please guys do not ebarrass yourself by giving Virgin any awards until they really earn it, they are nothing more than a budget airline with the fancy Branson charm.
04 Nov 2010
Total posts 670
Well done Virgin & Velocity! AusFlyer, since moving all my domestic travel to Virgin I've racked up enough points for two award flights (SYD-MEL, SYD-BNE) and no trouble with availability on either of those. Sure I had to pick my days but the same applies to Qantas.
10 Mar 2011
Total posts 526
I was just hoping that the panel took the basics of a Frequent Flyer program into account as well and not just some of the added benefits... The top level hotel status does not necessarily apply to everyone, since not everyone uses Hilton or ICH... same goes with car hire. So the measurement should be based on the core of a FF program. It may still end up with Virgin and Velocity as the winner but the article didn't really give us any true view of how the decision was made.
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