Flying on Virgin Australia with Alitalia Gold (Freccia Alata Club) status

A few observations to share after using my Alitalia Gold frequent flyer card on Virgin Australia for the first time this week.

If you've also flown on Virgin Australia as an Alitalia frequent flyer, share your experiences here too!

• Virgin Australia computers don't seem to 'recognise' Alitalia status and it doesn't display on the boarding pass.
• Online seat selection was the same as for Velocity Red, so it's not like Velocity Gold where you can pick a seat further forward when you book.
• Alitalia Gold and above can use Virgin Australia Premium Entry in Sydney and Brisbane
• Pre-flight lounge access is available across the Virgin Australia domestic network, although you need to present the physical Alitalia frequent flyer card to gain entry and the number needed to be keyed into the system again by the lounge staff, despite already being attached to the booking.
  
• Lounge staff were able to move me from row 18 (the 'best' and in fact only seat I could select online) to row 4 when I arrived at the lounge.
• Because the status doesn't print on the boarding pass, you have to hand over both your boarding pass and Alitalia frequent flyer card at the gate in order to use priority boarding.
• There's no marking or sticker that Virgin Australia staff can put on your boarding pass to make priority boarding easy, unlike the 'sticker system' Singapore Airlines used to use for Virgin Australia elites (before the status began appearing on boarding passes), which would be useful here.
  

Overall, I still enjoyed the key benefits promised to passengers with Alitalia status - use of Premium Entry, Virgin Australia lounge access and priority boarding (when flashing the card), but the IT execution behind it all could certainly be improved as the partnership develops, especially in regards to seat selection and status recognition on the boarding pass, to make lounging and boarding a tad easier. :)

I've had a similar experience to what you've described. I might add that VA staff's awareness of the partnership and its various inclusions is inconsistent at best. I've been told-off (with exaggerated snootiness) for using the priority check-in queue at MEL despite waiving the card around...

Hi team. Any changes to the observations above?? I'll be using the Freccia Alitia (Gold) card from Gold Coast to Melbourne return later this month. Can I confirm that I can only use the Virgin lounge pre-flight? Thanks :)