Virgin Australia Returns Inflight WiFi And Offers Velocity Status Match

Virgin Australia is encouraging the Switch-A-Roo from you know who. From today, Velocity Frequent Flyer is offering a fast track to elite status for those frequent flyer members of competing airlines. The cheeky announcement is quite obviously aimed at Qantas Frequent Flyers with a status match for both Qantas Platinum and Gold members, as well as equivalent members from any other airline that isn’t a Velocity partner.

The release comes at a time where nothing seems to go right for our national airline, with the Virgin status match looking to snatch former Qantas loyalists. The Velocity status match is an easy online application, followed by enough flying to earn just 20% of the status credits normally required for a full year of premium perks.

Velocity Frequent Flyer CEO, Nick Rohrlach says Virgin Australia has received a significant number of requests from members of other loyalty programs wanting to switch to Velocity Frequent Flyer.

“The Switch-A-Roo campaign is a game changer for these members who can now almost immediately climb to Velocity Gold status by submitting a simple application on the Velocity website.

“Virgin Australia is known for being playful, and the Switch-A-Roo campaign is a really great example of us putting our energetic spirit on show for well-travelled Australians who are looking to switch their loyalty to a modern and vibrant airline,” he said.

Which Airline Status Is Eligible For A Velocity Status Match?

Instead of publishing a detailed list of airlines that Velocity will accept a status match from, this offer is open to elite frequent flyers from any airline that is not already a Virgin Australia partner. Therefore the following partner airlines are excluded from matching status:

• Air Canada
• Capital Airlines
• Etihad Airways
• Hainan Airlines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Hong Kong Airlines
• Qatar Airways
• Singapore Airlines
• South African Airways
• Tianjin Airlines
• United Airlines
• Virgin Atlantic

While this might seem like a long list of exclusions, Virgin Australia is casting a wide net to include plenty of worldwide airlines and their respective loyalty tiers. This means matching from just about anywhere else is fair game. Most of all, this includes Qantas Frequent Flyer members with Gold status and above.

If you are unsure what your competing airline status will be matched to, Virgin is likely to consider status as a Velocity Gold equivalent if it is the first tier to offer unlimited airport lounge access. For example, oneworld Sapphire, Star Alliance Gold or SkyTeam Elite Plus would be recognised as Velocity Gold status. If your matching status is higher than Velocity Gold equivalent, you might instead be eligible for a fast-track to Velocity Platinum status.

What Do I Get From A Velocity Status Match?

Everyone accepted into the Switch-A-Roo program will begin their journey with three months of Velocity’s Discover Gold tier. This provides a short taste of all the perks enjoyed by Velocity Gold members. That includes priority service at check-in, security screening, boarding and baggage claim as well as access to Virgin Australia’s domestic lounges.

During your three months of Velocity Discover Gold, you can earn a further 12 months of full elite status with some of the easiest requirements we’ve seen, as below.

Maintain Velocity Gold Status: If you hold the equivalent of Velocity Gold Status, you can maintain this for a further 12 months after your 3-month trial. All you need to do is fly 1 Eligible sector and earn 80 Status Credits during the three-month trial period.

Fast-track to Velocity Platinum Status: If you hold the equivalent of Velocity Platinum Status, you can fast-track your way to Platinum for 12 months. All you need to do is fly 2 Eligible Sectors and earn 200 Status Credits during the three-month trial period. Note that all 200 Status Credits must be earned on flights operated by Virgin Australia with a VA flight number.

If you fail to meet the above requirements, there’s still some good news. At the end of your three-month Discover Gold trial, you’ll receive 12 months of Velocity Silver status. This provides two single-use passes for Virgin Australia’s domestic lounges, plus perks such as an additional checked baggage allowance.

How To Request A Velocity Status Match

Ready to do the Switch-A-Roo? All you need to do is:

1. If you’re not already a Velocity Frequent Flyer member, join for free.
2. Using the email address attached to your Velocity account, email switcharoo@velocityfrequentflyer.com with your full name, Velocity number and a photograph of your other airline frequent flyer membership card (must show your status).
3. If you’re eligible, Velocity will update your account into a 3-month Discover Gold trial.

With such a huge number of requests expected, Virgin Australia says it could take up to 4 weeks to receive your Velocity status match. Although, that’s about three times faster than you-know-who!

Eligible Velocity members must apply before 26 September 2022.

Velocity Status Match Terms

If you’re the sort of person that likes to read the Terms and Conditions, you can find them here. Below, we have included the most important parts from the fine print.

• To be eligible you must currently hold the equivalent of Velocity Gold Status or above with a frequent flyer program of an airline that is not currently partnered with Velocity.
• It could take up to 4 weeks to process your Switch-A-Roo Discover Gold application.
• Platinum fast-track is only available for members that currently hold the equivalent of Velocity Platinum status.
• It could take up to 8 weeks to process and apply your upgrade to Platinum after you have met the fast-track requirements.
• To be eligible, you must email switcharoo@velocityfrequentflyer.com from the email address registered with your Velocity membership.
• This promotion is not available to members that have held Silver Status or above with Velocity since April 2020.

Virgin Australia Says Surf’s Up With The Return Of Inflight Wi-Fi

Virgin Australia has today foreshadowed plans to reintroduce inflight Wi-Fi across their Boeing 737 fleet, starting from December 2022. The service will be gradually activated on the majority of Virgin’s fleet over the next 18 months.

The new and improved service is said to offer a faster connection, with passengers able to purchase internet access onboard the aircraft. Passengers travelling in Business Class, as well as Beyond and Velocity Platinum members, are set to receive complimentary access.

Further details on the cost of inflight Wi-Fi are set to be released in the coming months.