Originally Posted by
Fanjet
Wasn't WN flying LAX-PHL nonstop for a short while in the past? VX may do well in capturing some of the O&D traffic, but US will probably fill those "lost" seats with connecting traffic. And VX's FF program is probably the complete opposite of what the typical US elite member desires in a FF program (particularly the higher elites): i.e. no free upgrades.
Unfortunately, the bigger negative for me is that you can't even use Points (Elevate) for international travel on their 2 partners (Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia). I'm not certain if this was a provision to enable them to acquire their license or not. I vaguely remember it was and had something to do with eliminating any appearance of excess foreign ownership. Even if VAtl had a reciprical agreement, PHL O&Ds would need to schlep to EWR or JFK to take advantage of their LHR route. Now if US merges with AA and dehubs PHL, Virgin should shine - at least for domestic travel. But of course one never knows what the DL gorilla would do in that case, or any other domestic or international carrier.