A new status match offer from Virgin Atlantic seems squarely aimed at its old rival British Airways, but elites from ten other carriers can also jump aboard Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club with high status.
The status match offer is open to elites from eleven airlines around the world:
Airlines |
---|
Air Canada |
Air India |
American Airlines |
British Airways |
Cathay Pacific |
Emirates |
Hawaiian |
Iberia |
Lufthansa |
South African Airways |
United Airlines |
Status at these airlines will earn you either Silver or Gold status in Virgin’s Flying Club frequent flyer program.
Status Match Caveat
But you can’t just collect Flying Club status for the fun of it. To claim Silver status, you must have booked an upcoming flight with Virgin Atlantic. To secure the posh Gold Status, that forthcoming flight in Virgin must be booked in Premium or Upper Class—Virgin Atlantic slang for Premium Economy and Business Classes.
Your Flying Club Status will be upgraded 72 hours before that qualifying flight, entitling you to perks such as, with Silver status, premium check-in and free seat selection, and with Gold Status, access to lounges and extra checked baggage.
Virgin Atlantic is hoping you like your virgin flight with them so much you’ll want to come back, so it’s allowing you to keep your status for 12 months.
To extend your time with Virgin Atlantic beyond a year, you’ll need to earn 1,000 Tier Points as a Gold member or 400 as a Silver member during that year.
Wooing Rivals’ Loyalists
The status match offer “makes it easy for customers who are not feeling the love from their existing airline to experience the award-winning hospitality of Virgin Atlantic,” Anthony Woodman, Vice President of the Flying Club & customer relations at Virgin Atlantic, said in a statement.
Many loyalists of British Airways certainly aren’t feeling the love from Britain’s other full-service carrier. In December, the airline announced controversial changes to its Executive Club frequent flyer program.
Operating under the new name, the British Airways Club, the program will award Tier Points to travelers based not on the distance of their flight and class of travel but rather on the amount they spend. That spending includes their ticket price, extra fees for seat selection and additional baggage, bookings through British Airways holidays, and charges on co-branded credit cards.
British Airways is hardly the first airline to move to a revenue-based model to award points: all three legacy U.S. airlines made the change a decade ago. But the switch often irks loyalists, who can no longer earn points on reward flights and have to spend more to retain their status each year.
Under the new system, to take effect in April, passengers must spend around £20,000 ($24,660) annually with British Airways to remain a Gold Member. That’s a tough target for leisure travelers making relatively cheap flights in economy class within Europe, but it will be easily reached by business travelers shuttling between the UK and the United States in premium cabins with expense accounts.
For airlines, the change is a way of awarding their biggest spenders and thinning the crowds in airport lounges and priority boarding lanes.
British Airways has defended the overhaul. “The changes we have announced underline our continued investment in our executive club program and in our customers, rewarding them for their loyalty. This is a similar model used by many other airline loyalty programs across the world,” it said in a statement.
How Does It Work?
Notably, Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club still awards points based on miles flown.
To sweeten the deal for new customers, Virgin Atlantic will also give travelers whose status matches until February the opportunity to become a “million air.”
Five lucky travelers will open their Flying Club accounts with a whopping 1,000,000 Virgin Points.
That’s enough for five round-trip flights from London to New York in the posh Upper Class Cabin, or up to 25 round-trip transatlantic flights in economy.
This sweepstakes is directed at British Airways travelers. How do we know? It’s only open to customers residing in the UK.
Existing Loyalty Program | Virgin Atlantic Silver | Virgin Atlantic Gold |
---|---|---|
American Airlines -AAdvantage | Platinum Pro | Executive Platinum |
United – Mileage Plan | Premier Platinum | Premier 1K |
Air Canada – Aeroplan | 25K or 35K | 50K, 75K, and Super Elite |
Air India – Maharaja Club | Silver | Gold or Platinum |
British Airways – Executive Club | Silver | Gold |
Cathay Pacific | Gold | Diamond |
Emirates – Skywards | Silver | Platinum and Gold |
Hawaiian – Pualani | Gold | Platinum |
Iberia Plus | Ora | Platino |
Lufthansa – Miles & More | Senator (Gold) | Hon Circle |
South African Airways – Voyager | Silver | Platinum or Gold |