Summary
- Virgin Australia aims to bring fun back with innovative competitions like the Hamilton Island giveaway.
- Velocity Frequent Flyer members have a chance to win a trip for 100 friends, reflecting the increasing focus on loyalty rewards.
- Virgin Australia offers flights to Hamilton Island Great Barrier Reef Airport from major Australian cities on Boeing 737-800s.
When Richard Branson founded Australia’s first low-cost carrier, Virgin Blue, in 2000, he wanted to inject some fun into the nation’s moribund domestic airline industry. While Qantas took the high ground and cultivated the business sector, Virgin Blue went after the T-shirted Aussies, and both did rather well until they virtually became one and the same.
Bringing the fun back into VA
When Bain Capital resuscitated Virgin Australia, it said it wanted to inject some fun back into the airline. Last week, we got a taste of that when the airline launched an ‘almost-too-good-to-be-true’ competition. It’s not another version of the Middle Seat Lottery, although that saw one young couple go on a Caribbean cruise from Miami courtesy of Virgin Australia and Virgin Voyages.
Lately, there has been some discussion about Australia’s (so-called) friendship recession, with research revealing that the average number of trusted friends per person dropped from nine to just five. This competition wants to turn that around by offering one very lucky Velocity Frequent Flyer the chance to take 100 friends to Hamilton Island, one of the most popular and prestigious resorts on the Great Barrier Reef.

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Velocity Frequent Flyer CEO Nick Rohrlach said the program has never offered a prize of this scale before, and it’s an exciting opportunity for one lucky member to receive one of the biggest prizes in Velocity’s history, adding that the best part is members only need to earn one single Velocity point to be in the draw.
“Loyalty works both ways and we are really focused on doing things differently at Velocity to reward our members fast. This competition shows just how valuable Points are to members to redeem their next flight, hotel or holiday – and all you need to do is earn one point for a chance to win.”

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What started out as a routine flight from Melbourne to Hobart turned into a lifetime experience for lucky Virgin Australia passengers.
Flights are on the house
Virgin Australia flies regular scheduled services to Hamilton Island Great Barrier Reef Airport (HTI) from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne Airports, usually operated by Boeing 737-800s. The longest flight is from Melbourne Airport (MEL), which on June 8 departed at 11:35 and, after a 2:32 hour flight, landed on Hamilton Island at 14:07.
Photo: Virgin Australia
The route was operated with a 2014 Boeing 737-800, registration VH-IJU and MSN 44223, that departed Hamilton Island at 15:08 and was back on the ground in Melbourne at 17:45. According to Planespotters.net, Virgin Australia has an all-Boeing fleet of 89 aircraft, including 75 737-800s, nine 737-700s and five new-generation 737 MAX 8s.
Photo: Preston Fiedler | Simple Flying
To automatically enter, all that’s needed is for a Velocity member to earn ONE single Velocity point during June, whether that’s on a Virgin Australia or partner airline flight, which includes Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Etihad, Air Canada and United Airlines, or with one of the airline’s retail partners.
The prize is valued at AU$150,000 ($100,000) and includes flights, accommodation, transfers and island activities for the winner and 100 of their closest (or newly found) best friends. Virgin Australia said the competition aims to empower members to forge new bonds or reconnect with distant friends, and for the price of one Velocity point, this is a pretty good chance to do either.
Have you traveled with Virgin Australia this year? Tell us about it in the comments.