Virgin Australia has started the year off with a nice little mega sale for those looking to fly both domestically and internationally in the coming months. Note that all sale fares, however, are based on Economy Lite and include return flights. The Virgin flight sale includes a return fare from Cairns and Tokyo (Haneda –…
Read More**UPDATE 23 OCTOBER 2020** New flight options between USA and Australia have been confirmed, with a recommendation to book at least 8 weeks out to secure a seat. Demand is expected to be high and the situation is changing by the day. The best approach is always to get in touch with an airline directly…
Read MoreIn response to news that South Australia has opened borders with NSW and ACT, Virgin Australia has rushed to ramp up its domestic network between the states. Given that residents of NSW and the ACT are now able to travel to South Australia for leisure or work, the airline has acted swiftly and immediately scheduled…
Read MoreUnder a new customer policy announced recently, Virgin Australia will now be offering unlimited booking changes without any change fees for reservations with travel between now and 31st January 2021. The announcement comes as the airline refines their “Passenger Promise” concept, remaining hopeful for the uptick in domestic travel as we near the end of…
Read MoreVirgin Australia put 125,000 fares on sale for 12 hours yesterday, with prices dipping to as low as $69 between select destinations “because everyone loved a comeback”. Though the flights were picked up quickly, the airline is promising more Happy Hour sales every week as domestic tourism ramps up. The sale included business class fares…
Read MoreWith the positive outlook of domestic travel in Australia, Virgin Australia has announced expanded capital city connections and frequencies on some key routes. This includes more services between Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth, as well as the resumption of routes between Brisbane-Adelaide, Brisbane-Canberra, Brisbane-Perth, and Sydney-Perth. The additional services will see Virgin Australia double current…
Read MoreFollowing a four-week ban placed on Velocity members redeeming points with Virgin Australia, the airline is now allowing frequent flyers to use the virtual currency to book domestic flights. Of course, this is all contingent on the troubled airline being sold soon, but things do at least look promising with several potential buyers on the…
Read MoreAs some Australian states shut their borders, the nation’s largest carriers, Qantas and Virgin Australia, have begun to cut more domestic services. Although they’ve already cut domestic capacity by up to 60%, the airlines have continued to axe some of their most frequented routes in response to the ongoing threat of Covid-19. A combination of…
Read MoreLast month, I flew Virgin Australia from Los Angeles to Sydney, and was lucky enough to enjoy an Economy X upgrade en route – which means a great deal on board their Boeing 777 service. So, in 2020, what does that upgrade – which sits between Economy and Premium Economy – mean? And most importantly:…
Read MoreEarlier this month, I jumped on board Virgin Australia’s Boeing 777 five-times-a-week service from Melbourne to Los Angeles, and was surprised to find a number of enhancements to their Economy service – which mainly floated around the quality of their meal services. Read on to see what a VA trip across the Pacific Ocean is…
Read MoreTo mark 10 years since Etihad Airways and Virgin Australia first announced their endearing partnership, both carriers have announced a very significant “Bonus Points” campaign which will help passengers build loyalty points over the next few months. In addition to this, Etihad will also be rolling out additional rewards throughout the rest of this year…
Read MoreThose who have been to Tokyo before would know that the immense Japanese capital has two airports; one more convenient than the other. Narita, probably the best known and most frequented, is furthest from the city, while Haneda is highly sought by visitors as the most convenient of the two. This is largely due to…
Read MoreThis month marks the one year anniversary of the debut of the Sydney to Hong Kong Route – the maiden flight of which we were very excited to be a part of. So how have Virgin’s flights to Hong Kong changed in that time? We started further south this time around, and flew Business Class…
Read MoreSo, you’ve just been upgraded to Platinum on Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program. A congratulations is in order. The jump up to Gold was exciting – getting international lounge access for the first time, priority boarding, upgrades and more. But at first glance, apart from an extra 25% in points when you travel on…
Read MoreIn a move that will offer Australian and New Zealand travellers more options when it comes to flying over to Hawai’i, Hawaiian Airlines have entered an expanded codeshare agreement with Virgin Australia. More than a dozen Australia and New Zealand cities will benefit from this broader range of flights to Hawai’i, as well as the…
Read MoreIn an exciting update, Delta Air Lines have introduced some very substantial changes on board their refurbished Boeing 777 aircraft which flies daily between Sydney and Los Angeles. The aircraft will now feature all four of Delta’s signature branded seat products, most excitedly lead by the award-winning “Delta One”, which is the first business class…
Read MoreStarting tomorrow, all Australian airlines will begin cracking down on oversized carry-ons as they introduce mandatory weighing for all cabin baggage. While this has been standard for some airlines for quite some time now, it was announced today that Virgin Australia will be jumping on board with the policy, following a recent announcement along similar…
Read MoreIf any domestic service calls for a slight upgrade, it’s the coast-to-coast flight from Sydney to Perth. While not exactly a gruelling long-haul, the five hour service is testing enough that a little bit of extra comfort goes a long way. We tested Virgin Australia’s Economy X product on the service to see if the…
Read MoreStarting from next week, Virgin Australia will roll out a total of seven new international lounges across the country and in New Zealand, significantly expanding their network and adding to the airline’s existing 12 premium domestic lounges. Australia will get three new international departure lounges, while New Zealand will have four. Award-winning British lounge specialist…
Read MoreIn just a few weeks time, Virgin Australia will become the first airline to introduce direct services between Hobart and Perth, opening up a necessary connection between two of Australia’s fastest growing cities. The airline will fly the thrice-weekly return service on a Boeing 737, providing travellers with better and easier access to the two…
Read MoreScreen Producers Australia (SPA) has announced they are now partnering with airline Virgin Australia in order to create a new offers and opportunities for Associate Members, now allowing a whopping 64kg of checked baggage per member, when traveling domestically within Australia. This partnership hopes to address the ongoing issues that crew members and productions alike…
Read MoreLast month, we took you on board Virgin Australia‘s domestic A330 business service from Sydney to Perth, and earlier this month we got to jump on board one of the first ever flights (in fact, I believe it was flight number four), between Hong Kong and Sydney. Carrier: Virgin Australia Route: Hong Kong to Sydney (VA 82)…
Read MoreOn July 2nd of this month, Virgin Australia kicked off their much anticipated service between Sydney and Hong Kong, as the carrier continues their push for growth within the Asian market. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to be on board the maiden voyage – and while an airline’s first ever flight between…
Read MoreNovocastrians are about to receive greater access to the vast beauty of New Zealand as Virgin Australia plan to be the first airline in 16 years to introduce direct services between Newcastle Airport and Auckland. Newcastle Airport will welcome the new routes during the peak holiday period from 22nd November 2018 to 17th February 2019,…
Read MoreWhile en route from Sydney to Hong Kong on the inaugural flight with Virgin Australia, I caught up with the airline’s Group Executive Rob Sharp to talk about the flight and where VA plans to go from here. You’re launching this Sydney to Hong Kong service a year after your Melbourne flights launched; what have…
Read MoreVirgin Australia today launches its inaugural flight between Sydney and Hong Kong, the airline’s second direct service to Hong Kong, and its only to (currently) operate seven days a week. The flight, which will take off at 10am this morning and land in Hong Kong at 5.40pm local time, will see a number of special…
Read MoreA lot has been made about Virgin Australia‘s upgraded A330’s, operating from East to West Coast, in particular their “The Business” product, which offers a flat bed on Australia’s longest domestic route. The acclaim has sat on the quality of the seats, the fact that every seat has aisle access, and on the high quality…
Read MoreVirgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer Points program has this week announces a new partnership with Westpac, aimed at giving new home owners in Australia access to potentially hundreds of thousands of points. The substantial bank of points being offered come with two options, both accessible to Westpac customers who apply for a new home loan…
Read MoreVirgin Australia have introduced reasonably priced inflight WiFi on their international route between Australia and Los Angeles, helping passengers stay connected during the 14 hour trip. The service will cost $12 for the duration of the trip, available for passengers embarking from either Sydney (13.5 hours) or Melbourne (14.5 hours). The recent introduction means that…
Read MoreFollowing the recent break up of long time allies Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand – in my opinion the best airlines who fly the Pacific route – it’s become pertinent for allies of the airline to pick sides. Some will stick with whichever one they have Frequent Flyer status with (Virgin’s Velocity proving miles…
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