I used 30,000 Virgin points to upgrade to "The Business" from Sydney to Perth. I got a text message from Virgin while I was waiting to board that they'd changed aircraft. I still got one of their four business class seats on the 737-800, and they refunded me 15,000 points.

I flew Etihad J Perth to Amsterdam in Nov 2015 - superb on every leg.Went to London in May last year - OK out of Perth but AUH-LHR and vice-versa was more than disappointing. I woke up about an hour out of LHR and wanted a cup of tea. I waited more than 10 minutes after I'd pushed the bell before...

That's weird. I was told at the Al-Rheem lounge I could go in there, but it was suggested I might prefer the Premium Lounge. Because I didn't have a very long wait, I decided to stay put (but did go to the Premium lounge on the way home). Maybe they've changed their policy since last March.At lea...

Regarding post above about lack of access to lounge in last month. My review date is 10 April (card valid till 10 May). I had no problem accessing EH first class lounge on 9 April last year. Maybe they differentiate between Platinum and Gold??

Velocity Platinum members have access to the Etihad First Class lounge (which can be a bit hard to find - it's before you get to the shopping arcade when you come out of security). I was offered a complimentary neck and shoulder massage, and the full dining room experience.