TalkBoard Topics - Suggestion: A Virgin Australia Velocity forum

Hi Folks,

This request has come up a few times but not for a few years and is actively being discussed under in the Other Asian, Australian, etc section. Would it be possible to have a dedicated Virgin Australia Velocity forum?

Virgin Australia is the new brand that will combine Virgin Blue, Pacific Blue, and V Australia under the one banner.

Why should it have its own forum?

* Virgin Australia is actually the largest Virgin group airline by passenger numbers (around 19m last year) and fleet size and yet it is the only one without a dedicated forum!
* It's the second largest airline in Australia, Oceania and the Pacific by passenger numbers
* At 19m passengers per year is roughly on par with what Jetblue (now 24m), Alaska airline (now 23m) would have had when they their dedicated forums were created and more than airlines like Westjet, Hawaiian, VX, VS, and NZ that all have their own forums
3. The airline is undergoing major restructuring and expanding its FF program, moving away from its low cost carrier roots with domestic business class, new lounges, reciprocal FF arrangements with Etihad, Delta, NZ, VS, VX and others and now flying long haul to the US, the middle east and short haul to Asia and across the pacific.
4. It has a full scale FF program - second only to Qantas in Australia - with partners, redemptions across a range of carriers, status tiers, branded credit cards, etc, etc.
5. I'm happy to write an FAQ!

I have no association with the company but i am top tier VA/ DJ FF and i'd love to see such a forum get up.

And I second the above.

And I will add that AN had it's own forum page before it's demise.

Just a reminder that your case will be very much strengthened if you can fully flesh out the answers to the questions in this post: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/11201697-post2.html

:)

I support this proposal - a Virgin Australia forum is missing from FT at the moment. The creation of this forum would benefit both FT as a whole and Virgin Australia flyers.

I support this proposal - a Virgin Australia forum is missing from FT at the moment. The creation of this forum would benefit both FT as a whole and Virgin Australia flyers. I support it too, but as jackal said, the proposal needs to be fleshed out a fair bit first.

Since I was burnt big time with my proposal for a "Lounges" forum, which received overwhelming support (except from the TalkBoard), I am a little bit reticent about going down that path again.

Dave

Thanks for the positive remarks so far, looking forward to hopefully getting more positive feedback from others.

I thought i'd go through a few of the relevant criteria for a dedicated forum and offer up some insights.

Will the forum be (or is it now) beneficial to FlyerTalk?

Yes. It's obviously not going to be the biggest forum around here but a dedicated place will be of benefit to quite a few members. First and foremost it will be of benefit to VA FF'ers - of which there are already a few around here from what i've seen in other threads/ forums.

It will also be of benefit to others who are members of partner programs (eg. NZ, VX, VS, EY and others) who do often have questions about VA services, lounges, destinations that do come up in other threads. I'm sure VA members would be happy to help them out.

Will the new forum benefit a relationship with FlyerTalk? E.g., does the forum provide value for FT members, such as a friendly ear highly placed in the company

Well, i haven't seen them around here yet - the lack of a forum might have something to do with it - but VA have the best social media team of any Australian airline (OK, so the QF bar is quite low) and they are excellent at answering questions, solving problems for members, and being helpful (see: the authenticated VA reps on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum and twitter for example) and i'm sure they'd be interested and available to do the same here.

Is FT the best place to discuss this subject?

Well, there is already a forum on Australian Frequent Flyer but there are for several of the airlines already represented here so i don't see that as duplication. I think it's a good fit for FT - VA would be one of the larger airlines in the English-speaking world that does not have a dedicated FF forum here.

Is there a passionate following? This is essential in order to provide dedicated expert helpers to get questions answered.

Well, i'm happy to put my hand up and i am sure there are others in the same boat. If you look at the example of the AFF forums, the VA forum is the second most popular airline forum there behind only QF with over 10,000 posts.

Is a critical mass of posts and readers anticipated or existing? We need adequate traffic to keep everyone visiting frequently. One living forum is more valuable than two mostly dead ones.

Frankly, it wont be the most popular forum here but there is a large enough group of dedicated people to keep it ticking over. Despite the absence of a dedicated forum VA related questions do come up regularly in other forums here and they are regularly answered by the FT community.

Is this the best place on FlyerTalk for this subject? This is the classification issue. The answer depends primarily on achieving and maintaining critical mass. It also depends on whether or where the discussion might (or does) occur in the absence of the forum.

Some of it has and does occur anyway - you'll see VA references across hundreds of threads across various areas of the board here. However (see my original posts about the relative size of VA to other airlines represented here) in the absence of a dedicated forum, VA will struggle to gain the critical mass that i'm confident that an airline of its size could.

Others my have things to add or agree to disagree with these thoughts.

I would add, with the changes proposed by DJ/VA management, there is quite a possibility that those of us forced into QF but formerly very solid AN supporters will again leave QF and move to DJ/VA. What I am saying is there may be some loss to the QF pages as DJ become a real full service carrier.

In addition, there are quite a few of us who NEVER grace the pages of AFF, nor will.

I fully support the proposal of having a Velocity forum. In view of passenger numbers and revenue (in particular when compared to the other airlines under the Virgin brand) and given Virgin Australia's recent move to fully abandon the classical LCC business, it would be pretty weird if FT turned out to be unable to offer a forum dedicated to Virgin Australia.

Virgin Australia's recent move is so promising that I am considering giving up *A Gold status for Gold status with Velocity.

There are numerous airlines in the OAA section that did not get to have their own forums despite the fact that they are larger (used more frequently) than VA/DJ combined. There is no need for this forum if those other airlines do not deserve one. Last time someone requested to have the EVA Evergreen Forum moved out of OOA and was denied (and BR is frequently discussed in comparison to VA/DJ). There is absolutely no reason why VA/DJ should be approved.

In addition, there are quite a few of us who NEVER grace the pages of AFF, nor will.

Why is that? Your location states OOL, l would have thought that AFF would easily get you interested?

There are numerous airlines in the OAA section that did not get to have their own forums despite the fact that they are larger (used more frequently) than VA/DJ combined. There is no need for this forum if those other airlines do not deserve one. Last time someone requested to have the EVA Evergreen Forum moved out of OOA and was denied (and BR is frequently discussed in comparison to VA/DJ). There is absolutely no reason why VA/DJ should be approved.

Firstly, i don't think the fact that another airline was rejected is in and of itself a reason to exclude others from proposing it. But assuming EVA is the best benchmark, i think there are two obvious reasons why VA is a better candidate:

1. VA is a MUCH bigger airline - 3 times larger in passenger numbers. I am going off wikipedia numbers here (so shoot me down if they are wrong) but EVA carried 6.5m passengers last year while the VA group (Virgin Blue, V Australia, and Pacific Blue - all in the process of being consolidated as Virgin Australia) carried just under 19m.

2. VA is an airline from an English speaking country and as such it has larger english speaking support base to draw on for populating an english language forum.

I'd add to that that i'm not making a case against EVA but as it's a smaller airline from a non English speaking country I don't think it necessarily follows that the fact that it has been rejected has anything at all to do with VA.

Firstly, i don't think the fact that another airline was rejected is in and of itself a reason to exclude others from proposing it.

Every proposal/suggestion is deliberated on its own merits, not on the merits of other proposals/suggestions. If someone makes a valid case it will definitely be considered.

Also things change. A proposal (esp re: airlines) might not make it at one time, but will make it at another later time when the airline or the frequent flyer program has evolved.

Cheers.

Will the new forum benefit a relationship with FlyerTalk? E.g., does the forum provide value for FT members, such as a friendly ear highly placed in the company

Well, i haven't seen them around here yet - the lack of a forum might have something to do with it - but VA have the best social media team of any Australian airline (OK, so the QF bar is quite low) and they are excellent at answering questions, solving problems for members, and being helpful (see: the authenticated VA reps on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum and twitter for example) and i'm sure they'd be interested and available to do the same here.

Is there a passionate following? This is essential in order to provide dedicated expert helpers to get questions answered.

Well, i'm happy to put my hand up and i am sure there are others in the same boat. If you look at the example of the AFF forums, the VA forum is the second most popular airline forum there behind only QF with over 10,000 posts.



Hi team, qwertyuiop has been generous with his praise here, and we'll send him a bottle of wine as thanks ;)
We are quite happy to provide help in answering guest questions in regard to Virgin Australia and Velocity rewards, our frequent flyer program.
As qwertyuiop has said, we have been very active in AFF forums, gaining alot of valuable information from those travelling, which our business now relies on.
As far as a passionate following and without sounding like i'm operating a trumpet at 37,000, feet our friends, fans, and followers on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and AFF to name a few, i would say are very passionate about what it is that we do. I'm sure we can provide a valuable contribution to Flyertalk. :)

Regards
Virgin Australia Social Team

Also things change. A proposal (esp re: airlines) might not make it at one time, but will make it at another later time when the airline or the frequent flyer program has evolved.

From what i can see it was last raised in 2009 but not put to a vote? I would strongly argues that now is the time to do it as there is a great deal going on with VA and their FF program over coming months/ year - a perfect time to be drumming up interest in the forums here.

Regards
Virgin Australia Social Team

I'd suggest you contact SanDiego1K, the Community Director, so she can give you "company representative" status that will easily identify you across the forums of FlyerTalk. Look forward to your participation here. :)

Well this seems to be a well thought out proposal, and we have a company representative prepared to come along and add value. I'll read through the current forum over the next few days before deciding which way to go on this, but I am currently leaning to voting in favour.

I'd suggest you contact SanDiego1K, the Community Director, so she can give you "company representative" status that will easily identify you across the forums of FlyerTalk. Look forward to your participation here. :)

Thanks for the intro!

nice to see a DJ rep and I would hope one who is more active than the rep of another Australian carrier.

Firstly, i don't think the fact that another airline was rejected is in and of itself a reason to exclude others from proposing it. But assuming EVA is the best benchmark, i think there are two obvious reasons why VA is a better candidate:

1. VA is a MUCH bigger airline - 3 times larger in passenger numbers. I am going off wikipedia numbers here (so shoot me down if they are wrong) but EVA carried 6.5m passengers last year while the VA group (Virgin Blue, V Australia, and Pacific Blue - all in the process of being consolidated as Virgin Australia) carried just under 19m.

2. VA is an airline from an English speaking country and as such it has larger english speaking support base to draw on for populating an english language forum.

I'd add to that that i'm not making a case against EVA but as it's a smaller airline from a non English speaking country I don't think it necessarily follows that the fact that it has been rejected has anything at all to do with VA.

I specifically put it in parentheses indicating the larger refers to used more frequently. I am sure Malaysia Airlines would be warrant a forum if we just stick the passenger numbers flown in the criteria. The number of passengers flown is not why a forum should be created on flyertalk. The number of users on flyertalk that actively uses it (or needs the information about it) should be the reason why a specific sub-forum is made.

Just throwing some recent searches for the word Virgin and the result is:

Red Text - Partially discussed
Omitted - The word Virgin is raised but has no relation what-so-ever

Jetstar vs Virgin australia brand new seats on domestic - May 7 - 2 replies
Virgin Australia is the new Virgin Blue - Apr 23 - 54 replies
V Australia Flight Cancellation Within 24 Hours - May 11 - 3 replies
Virgin australia it will not let me check-in-online twice - May 9 - 4 replies
How reliable is Tiger Airways (in Australia) - May 3 - 16 replies
DJ A330 launch delayed due to safety concerns - Apr 28 - 6 replies
Help me with virginblue domestic seat allocation - May 3 - 12 replies
Virgin Blue (Australia) Questions - Apr 12 - 12 replies
Brisbane Connection - Apr 17 - 5 replies
DJ to commence A330 Operations May 2k11 - Apr 5 - 3 replies
JetStar Same Day at airport standby - Mar 15 - 2 replies
DJ baggage worries - Mar 9 - 4 replies
Experience with Virgin (Australia) flights to Australia - Mar 5 - 3 replies

13 subjects within the past 2 months that has replies.
- I am sure you can find some comparison posts in Qantas Forum but I believe most of them should have been moved to here.
Last reply on 1st page of the relevant search is dated Jan 7, 2011

Now let's do some for EVA

SE Asia's next Dragon - May 14 - 17 replies
Eva Evergreen Club - What To Do With 25k miles - Apr 18 - 14+ replies
EVA Air: report on the new Elite layoute - Jan 14 - 25 replies
EVA Flight from SGN>TPE and TPE>SFO is cheaper than TPE>SFO - Apr 18 - 6 replies
EVA air - any web site can check free/upgrade seat - Apr 10 - 2 replies
EVA to upgrade Premium Laurel Seats - Nov 18 - 36 replies
China Airlines TPE-LAX or SFO in Business - Mar 24 - 35 replies
EVA Air 747-Which class in the nose - Mar 23 - 4 replies
EVA Air fixed armrest - Jan 24 - 4 replies
Hypothetical EVA / *alliance redemption question - Mar 19 - 3 replies
China Airlines newly leased A330-300 layout - Jan 21 - 13 replies
Traveling light on EVA - Mar 9 - 7 replies
EVA Air: Slightly silly survey - Mar 10 - 6 replies
EVA reservation seats - Feb 15 - 18 replies
EVA to join Star Alliance - Feb 23 - 55 replies
Will EVA air join any alliance - Sep 7 - 52 replies
Lounge at TBIT - Mar 1 - 4 replies

17 subjects within the past 2 months that has replies
- We will not even count the number of replies in each thread to favor Virgin
Last reply on 1st page of the relevant search is dated Jan 29, 2011

The fact that another airline's proposal got rejected in another forum could be meaningless. But, EVA is actually part of the same forum Virgin is electing to be out and we can see how active both EVA and Virgin Group is being discussed. To me, they are not much different in terms of usage.

I am sure the proposal of having Virgin to have it's own house is more supported by the mods because the comment thread of proposal for EVA was never posted/sticky-ed and it was actually mentioned by someone else inside the OAA forums for people to go visit the talk board.

I am not a fan of EVA Air. I am simply comparing the two and I feel if the mods believe EVA does not warrant a forum, then the same goes for Virgin Group. Time flies by and if the same situation now applies differently for Virgin, would EVA be warrant it's own forum, too? ...though, that's another topic.

Anyways, the only positive note I see is having the member "Virgin Australia" dedicated to questions in regards to the Virgin Group. But, I am sure he/she can help the crowd out in the current OAA forum just fine.

At the end, I cannot believe the reason of "non-English" speaking is being used as a primary criteria to make a forum. When did ANA and JAL representative uses/speaks English primarily? Their English are probably worse than most others due to the heavy katakana accent

I specifically put it in parentheses indicating the larger refers to used more frequently. I am sure Malaysia Airlines would be warrant a forum if we just stick the passenger numbers flown in the criteria. The number of passengers flown is not why a forum should be created on flyertalk. The number of users on flyertalk that actively uses it (or needs the information about it) should be the reason why a specific sub-forum is made.

Well, that's one way of looking at it. I would argue that Virgin Australia does less well compared to EVA on your chosen metric for a few key reasons:

* There are a number of other areas around here where Virgin Australia questions and news get posted either deliberately or by mistake (the obvious example being the two forums for the smaller Virgin airlines, and also the number of Virgin Australian partner airlines such as Delta, NZ, and others that questions and news about VA tend to end up in).

* The historical confusion about the branding. Virgin Australia has variously called its operations Virgin Blue, V Australia, Pacific Blue and Polynesian Blue. Those unfamiliar with the airline might easily be deterred by this, post in the wrong spot or minimise search engine hits - this will be consolidated by the end of this year though.

* Virgin Australia does have a strong and active presence on other forums which means that FT isn't going to come up very highly when searching for info about it. I'd like to think FT would want to change this.

Just throwing some recent searches for the word Virgin and the result is:

Searching across ALL Miles and points forums for "Virgin Blue" over the last 3 months (which FT advanced search restricts me to) and i come up with 59 threads spread across the Virgin America and Atlantic forums (6 threads across both partners), Qantas (12 threads mention them), 1 in other Middle Eastern airlines (About what partner Etihad FF'ers can expect), 4 from Emirates (former VA partner), 10 in the Delta section (major partner - 5 with "Virgin Blue" in the subject line), 6 in NZ section (major partner).

On top of that i've got 51 threads for "V Australia" and 16 more for pacific blue (some but not all duplicated).

The fact that another airline's proposal got rejected in another forum could be meaningless. But, EVA is actually part of the same forum Virgin is electing to be out and we can see how active both EVA and Virgin Group is being discussed. To me, they are not much different in terms of usage.

I have no idea whether the usage is the relevant criteria -- from what i can see it forms part of the criteria but i would like to think that other factors such as the size of the airline itself, the size of the flyer/ FF base, and whether traffic could be substantially improved by the addition of a dedicated forum would be relevant as well.

I am not a fan of EVA Air. I am simply comparing the two and I feel if the mods believe EVA does not warrant a forum, then the same goes for Virgin Group. Time flies by and if the same situation now applies differently for Virgin, would EVA be warrant it's own forum, too? ...though, that's another topic.

Yes, perhaps that is best explored as another topic. However, just to clarify, that i am proposing a "Virgin Australia" forum not a "Virgin Group" forum. The two smaller airlines (VX and VS) in the Virgin Group already have forums and they seem to work ok.

At the end, I cannot believe the reason of "non-English" speaking is being used as a primary criteria to make a forum. When did ANA and JAL representative uses/speaks English primarily? Their English are probably worse than most others due to the heavy katakana accent

It shouldn't be a primary criteria either. But it is a practical measure of the size of the potential FT participants for the airline. I think the fact that VA is triple the size of EVA should help with that regardless though.

Definitely time for a Virgin Australia forum now, it would be well supported I think.

I also support this proposal. ^

Given DJ's recent and future activities, there will no doubt be a lot to talk about. I support this proposal.

+ 1 for a Virgin Australia forum!

Another strong supporter of a Virgin Australia/Velocity forum. The time as right as VA is now actively chasing the FF segment and it has been mooted that there will be a big overhaul of Velocity, giving plenty to talk about. Low thread/reply numbers are quoted as a reason not to establish a stand alone forum, but what is the cause and effect here? Perhaps because there isn't a dedicated forum, there thread counts are low?

It's taken 10 years, but VA is more or less becoming the long desired replacement for AN in the Australian market, with arguably a stronger appeal the broader FT community due to a small presence in the US market, that AN didn't have. I know it has been stated that comparisons with other airlines do not necessarily make an argument for a forum for another airline, but one could draw strong parallels between Westjet (which has its own forum) and Virgin Australia, with the exception perhaps that VA seems to have evolved more beyond its LCC roots.

Lastly, don't know the politics and rules of FT that lead to this, but I am surprised (and must say somewhat disenchanted) by the level of debate around what I thought would have been very much in the spirit of what Flyer Talk is all about. Pardon my ignorance here about policy and technical feasibility, but why can't something be trialled and if it fails to meet determined criteria, be folded back into the "other programs" forum?

I support the creation of a forum.

Would it be possible to have a dedicated Virgin Australia Velocity forum?

I could certainly support such a forum.

The arguments for its creation have been, IMO, well-documented thus far.

I don't have a preference one way or the other, but wanted to point out that at least on my screen, when this shows up on the main page that lists all of the forums as the latest thread with posts in this forum, it appears as, "Suggestion: A Virgin..." which caused me to at least click on the thread. :D

I would support a Velocity Forum. I have had questions in the past that I have not bothered asking because the location currently is so obscure.

With the changes to the Qantas FF I would expect my flying with Virgin will amp up and I would like to see a forum where I could gather more details on the program.

Here are my though on why I believe a separate forum would be beneficial to FT and it's members.

Will the forum be (or is it now) beneficial to FlyerTalk?

Yes. It won't be the biggest forum around here but it will be available for the many VA FF'ers (such as myself) who find the present location for VA/DJ issues obscure.

It will also benefit members of partner programs (eg. DL, NZ, VX, VS, etc.) who do often have questions about the VA product. Such a forum would be much easier for them to locate and refer to.

Will the new forum benefit a relationship with FlyerTalk? E.g., does the forum provide value for FT members, such as a friendly ear highly placed in the company

Yes, there has been the presence of such on AFF for several years; I see they ("Virgin Australia") are now posting on FT.

Is FT the best place to discuss this subject?

There are Australian members of FT that for their own reasons do not use the major Australian Frequent Flyer forum. Having a separate forum would allow specific topics/search to take place without having to discern VA/DJ specific posts/threads from others on the "general" forum where it currently resides.

Is there a passionate following? This is essential in order to provide dedicated expert helpers to get questions answered.

Many Qantas elites are looking around as QFF continue to devalue their FF program. Having a specific forum for the airline will enable easier discourse etc. The imminent tie up with Air NZ will also encourage such passion to grow.

Is a critical mass of posts and readers anticipated or existing? We need adequate traffic to keep everyone visiting frequently. One living forum is more valuable than two mostly dead ones.

With the changes to Qantas FF program, the tie ups with DL and NZ I have little doubt it will be active. I myself would subscribe to it - I don't do this for it's current mixed location as there's too much stuff I'm not looking for on other airlines.

Is this the best place on FlyerTalk for this subject? This is the classification issue. The answer depends primarily on achieving and maintaining critical mass. It also depends on whether or where the discussion might (or does) occur in the absence of the forum.

Really I believe "If you build it, they will come". There is too much on DJ/VA splattered around other forums. To have a central location for information on the airline will encourage and maintain and exceed this critical mass.

I would support this too. I seriously have to start looking at an alternative carrier. To VA Rep will you guys status match?

Thanks
CJ

Thanks to the suggestion qwertyuiop I think it is time that Flyertalk created a new forum for Virgin Australia.

Here are my thoughts on why I believe a separate forum would be beneficial to FT and it's members.

Nice write up by serfty I would add a like but that feature doesn't appear to be on this forum. :rolleyes:

I would add, with the changes proposed by DJ/VA management, there is quite a possibility that those of us forced into QF but formerly very solid AN supporters will again leave QF and move to DJ/VA. What I am saying is there may be some loss to the QF pages as DJ become a real full service carrier.

In addition, there are quite a few of us who NEVER grace the pages of AFF, nor will.

There is quite a few members who read both websites and if Flyertalk doesn't create a new forum for Virgin Australia then all the members know where they can find that information easily. And it won't be Flyertalk.

Thanks to the official Virgin Australia rep in joining Flyertalk.

+1 more for a V Aust forum

Definitely +1 on Virgin Australia Velocity forum, given all the reasons above. Even though a lot of people using this forum also have presence in AFF, there would still be a need for presence in FT for non-AFF FTers.

The fact that a proper Company Representative will come and contribute is a huge plus.

I'd support the new forum. Velocity is really starting to mature as a FFP, with significant changes promised and a tie up with AirNZ Airpoints providing extra interest for FTers (and no doubt endless fodder for discussion).

It looks like the Australian market is getting a bit of a shakeup and finally some attempt at real competition of FFPs as well as airlines - what better time to establish the forum?

Now that I find myself in Sydney and my employer favors Virgin over Qantas I would support this new forum too.

Thanks everyone for the feedback and support. My apologies that i don't entirely have my head around the process from here. It appears to me - and of course, i'm totally objective - that there is an overwhelmingly positive response from VA reps and from a wide range of new and experienced members.

Can some of the FT team or someone who does have their head around it advise what happens from here?

At this point, the TalkBoard will (hopefully) discuss it in their own private forum and if they deem it worthy of a vote, one of the TB members will bring forth a motion to be officially voted on. Once that vote is completed, assuming the vote is in favor by a 2/3 majority, the forum should be created soon thereafter.

I support the creation of Virgin Australia Forum too

At this point, the TalkBoard will (hopefully) discuss it in their own private forum and if they deem it worthy of a vote, one of the TB members will bring forth a motion to be officially voted on. Once that vote is completed, assuming the vote is in favor by a 2/3 majority, the forum should be created soon thereafter.

Thanks for the explanation lo2e. Hopefully everyone will be back to vote when/ if the opportunity presents itself.

There's also a reasonable amount of interest on the VS board about VA and earning/spending opportunities - however, threads asking questions about it tend to languish a little, with the questions often unanswered. While threads specificially about VA get moved over to the 'other' forum, having a dedicated forum to pop into to ask would definitely help the cohesiveness of the Virgin family, and earning/spending opportunities between the different airlines.

I'm all for a Virgin Australia forum. When the refresh is announced, I am sure there will be planty to talk about.

Why is that? Your location states OOL, l would have thought that AFF would easily get you interested?

Many of the folk used to be on AFF, and for one reason or another no longer frequent the board.

Just a heads-up that we started an "official" discussion thread for this potential new forum on the internal TalkBoard Forum.

That's the preliminary step to possibly making a motion for the creation of a new Forum.

The next couple weeks will be the best time for folks either Pro or Con on this issue to make their thoughts known.

Thanks.

I'm all for a Virgin Australia thread. I've had DJ posts in the OAA thread unanswered due to the obscurity of Velocity within that forum.

I've answered questions in the community forums from Delta pax interested in the codeshares.

The participation of VA staff, along with the changes in VA itself have seen an explosion of interest on the AFF site. FT has more to offer globally.

I'm kind of astounded at the vehemence of opposition from a Talkboard member based in US. Who exactly are they representing? If that determines the outcome, then the process is wrong.

The point of Milepoint becomes much clearer.

There's also a reasonable amount of interest on the VS board about VA and earning/spending opportunities - however, threads asking questions about it tend to languish a little, with the questions often unanswered. While threads specificially about VA get moved over to the 'other' forum, having a dedicated forum to pop into to ask would definitely help the cohesiveness of the Virgin family, and earning/spending opportunities between the different airlines.

I wonder if there is even a case for grouping the Virgin family fora - even though the FF schemes are all different, I think they all allow reciprocal earning and benefits in one form or another (certainly VA/VS do), so and it would be worth linking them so we as flyers can more easily compare what is on offer from the different programmes.

Just a heads-up that we started an "official" discussion thread for this potential new forum on the internal TalkBoard Forum.

That's the preliminary step to possibly making a motion for the creation of a new Forum.

The next couple weeks will be the best time for folks either Pro or Con on this issue to make their thoughts known.

Thanks.

What he said. Also my personal opinion is the OP & others have done a lot of homework & provided quite a bit of good info to make a case for this.

I'm kind of astounded at the vehemence of opposition from a Talkboard member based in US. Who exactly are they representing? If that determines the outcome, then the process is wrong.

The point of Milepoint becomes much clearer.

I just reread the entire thread. Who & what is the vehemance of a TB opposed? I think only 4 of us posted in the thread (3 US-based) & none of us are vehemently against this. :confused:

I guess we should get used to every time someone doesn't like something we'll get the 'Milepoint' comment :rolleyes: People can frequent whatever IBBs they prefer & should frequent those that meet their needs, but the teddy in a tram thing gets a bit old.

Cheers.

I just reread the entire thread. Who & what is the vehemance of a TB opposed? I think only 4 of us posted in the thread (3 US-based) & none of us are vehemently against this. :confused:

I guess we should get used to every time someone doesn't like something we'll get the 'Milepoint' comment :rolleyes: People can frequent whatever IBBs they prefer & should frequent those that meet their needs, but the teddy in a tram thing gets a bit old.

Cheers.

**** Apology Follows *****

Apologies, now that I'm using a PC and not the iPhone app I can see that I mis-attributed the "There is absolutely no reason why VA/DJ should be approved." comment to the wrong poster. The vehement opposition has been from coolfish1103 who is not a Talkboard member.

**** End of Apology *****

You are also correct that people can choose boards to fit their own own need, but it is no less true that each board can possibly learn something from the other. There is no obligation either way.

And to get back on topic, I hope this bid for Virgin Australia, V Australia, and Pacific Blue Velocity succeeds as a testament to the people and process involved, and a service to the enlightened traveller.

I think a Virgin Australia separate forum would be a positive benefit, especially given the willing nature of VA to join in the discussion with a company rep.

Whilst it probably won't be the busiest forum, it would be good to be able to develop among members a robust FAQ about Velocity, especially as a revamp is in the offing.

Hopefully it will be a forum that has a high signal to noise ratio - quality over quantity.

+1 Virgin Australia's company reps participate heavily in AFF and bring a lot of value to the discussion.

Hi there,

I am a long time lurker at FT, and have finally registered to fully support this proposal. I have mainly reviewed the QF board over the years, but only because there is no easy spot to read discussions on VA and their FF program.

There could not be a better time for VA to have its own spot with the re-branding and their soon-to-be-revised FF program. Its very exciting times.

Given I am about to lose QF plat, I am seriously considering becoming one of the "20%" corporate customers to move. After the recent round of "enhancements", I certainly will not be making any effort to get SCs beyond QF gold.

Cheers,

I support a Virgin Australia forum also! :-)

But wondering why it is such a big deal to add one?

Thousands of new threads are created daily for topics as mundane as "Why didn't I get a napkin in United First class on my LAX-JFK flight today?"

Surely if that gets a thread then Virgin Australia can get a forum?

I support a Virgin Australia forum also! :-)

But wondering why it is such a big deal to add one?

Thousands of new threads are created daily for topics as mundane as "Why didn't I get a napkin in United First class on my LAX-JFK flight today?"

Surely if that gets a thread then Virgin Australia can get a forum?
Threads are created by users--any user can create a thread.

Forums are created by the forum administrators. TalkBoard recommends new forums to the forum administrators.

The questions I linked to earlier in this thread (that have been--IMHO--successfully answered by several posters) illuminate the reasons why we are careful with forum creation.

I think VA should be allowed to have their own forum for all the reasons outlined above.

As the great Texas philosopher, Kinky Friedman once said, “even people who fly Virgin have the right to be as miserable as the rest of us"

Or something like that...;)

Any news from the Talkboard folks about how/ if/ when the discussion is progressing?

Nope, I am not a talk board member. I am just voicing my opinion because a sticky thread was made and based on previous judgements for other airlines. EVA happens to be an example I used and I am sure it's not anywhere US based or related. I can probably use the rejected "Greater China" forum as an example as well.

Anyways, I am not a talk board member, so it won't be me who will be influencing the decision.

hooray, the suggestion is going to a vote.

Please talkboard members, vote YES...

I support this & will likely vote yes on this measure.

I think the OP & others have done a good job w/ their homework & making their case for this forum.

Cheers.

Any news from the Talkboard folks about how/ if/ when the discussion is progressing?

Check out the new thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/talkboard-topics/1219250-voting-underway-create-virgin-australia-velocity-forum.html

From the fact that there are already 4 pages of posts from people wanting the forum and they have almost all been overwhelmingly positive, I am sure the FT servers can handle a few extra gig of memory to supply a forum that is sorely needed and with the changes afoot from Virgin Australia, I'm sure there will be plenty of postings.

The official discussion thread has announced a few hours ago that the request has been unanimously accepted.

No forum is yet up, but if you feel like dancing in the streets, go right ahead.:D

As mentioned in the other thread:

BTW - before everyone goes nuts & says where is the forum. It's a bank holiday in the countries TB members (and IB) are located, so I'd say give it 48 hours or so to get set up. Now that we've approved it, we're not going to delay but sometimes there's just timelines/logistics.

Cheers.

First, thanks to everyone who voted or supported the suggestion. Great to hear.

As i said in my original post when proposing it, i am offering to write up a full FAQ that hopefully the mods will see fit to sticky. No one specifically took me up on that but i would be happy to do it if people want me to.

I am happy to go back and amend it as corrections, clarifications and other questions come through.

First, thanks to everyone who voted or supported the suggestion. Great to hear.

As i said in my original post when proposing it, i am offering to write up a full FAQ that hopefully the mods will see fit to sticky. No one specifically took me up on that but i would be happy to do it if people want me to.

I am happy to go back and amend it as corrections, clarifications and other questions come through.

Absolutely! The readers of the forum will greatly benefit from the work you do.

I'm saying this as a fellow member of FlyerTalk. TalkBoard does not have purview over moderators and their actions, so here is not the right place to request permission to do this or ask about getting it stickied.

The moderator (if any) assigned to the new forum will be the one you'd need to contact about stickying your work. If the new forum doesn't have a specifically assigned moderator (most new and/or smaller forums don't), you can contact one of the Senior Moderators, who share responsibility for the forums without assigned moderators, about having your FAQ stickied. You can also contact the Community Director for further guidance.

But rest assured that regardless of whether the moderators make it a sticky, the work you do would be greatly appreciated and an excellent boon to the new forum. :)