All airline programs work on the same basis. 3 to 5 member tiers, with more and more bennies as you spend money, fly more of the airline, and work up the totem pole.

It is aspirational, and very smart, and gets folks flying you, and not Qantas hopefully, and keeps Mr Borghetti and the board smiling.

Having been a Velocity Platinum for several years, and a year as Gold in the middle, I can report first hand there is sadly little real difference I noticed, and Velocity would be well advised to add a few little juicy morsels to top tier, to keep luring QF flyers across. AND lower tiers to fly more to get there.

The Velocity Management seem to have been asleep at the wheel in recent years, and that is not smart.

Many Gold members ask me if it is worth them moving flights from QF to Virgo in order to chase Platinum and I really have to say “no not really – there are really only minimal benefits”

Both Gold and Platinums get lounge access, equal priority check-in and boarding, and early row seating choice in advance, so no differential there really.

I was a United 1K top level flyer for over a decade, and they did clever little things that Velocity might like to think about.

Each 1K renewal kit contained 10 or 20 undated on board free drink chits. Very popular, and always used up, and the 3 or 4 hours flights Virgin network has here, outside the free beverage 5 to 7pm zone or whenever it is, makes good sense to offer Platinums. Very little real cost, and a definite plus to Platinum membership.

American Airlines are flying here direct from Xmas, and all AA Top Elites get 8 x VIP upgrade Certs a year they can confirm in advance on any buyable fare bucket.

UA gives 1Ks 6 x Systemwides or GPU – not as generous as AA, but broadly the same deal.

You will earn six Global Premier Upgrades upon meeting all qualification requirements of Premier 1KŪ status. An additional two Global Premier Upgrades will be awarded for each 50,000 Premier qualifying miles or 60 Premier qualifying segments earned thereafter during the same calendar year that Premier 1K was reached.

http://www.united.com/web/en-US/cont...wupgrades.aspx

Velocity might well look at adding 2 or 4 similar instruments to Platinum accounts, good for travel network wide on Virgin metal. To Darwin, to NZ, to Samoa, to the USA etc. Long haul is big bucks, and they now miss out.

Get to Top Tier on any leading carrier, and you can upgrade long haul flights FREE if you pick your days a little, and are booked in other than lowest fare sale buckets. That’s what keeps Elites loyal.

I was looking at a Premium Economy to LAX on Virgin for a few $1000 apiece.

Indeed I thought it might make sense to book them, and hope for a supported upgrade in some way.

Did the smart Elite thing and phoned FIRST to find what days the points upgrade inventory was still there , and knowing that, I’d then book the tickets.

Get some trissy sounding guy on the Platinum phone line who says “upgrades seats to the USA are rare Sir”. (Tell me something I did not know pal.) So as we were flexible up to a week or so either side, asked him to look. He sees nothing for MONTHS!

So I stupidly say – well if I book a flight in paid Premium Economy, and the Business cabin is only partly full on day of travel, as a Platinum I am assuming on day of fight I can use miles to upgrade THEN?

“No sir Virgin NEVER allows that – we just do not do that”

HUH??????

Maybe the twerp was wrong, I do not know, but Virgin lost $6,000 of my cash money right there, and it went to another carrier. That seems dumb to me. A pile of my miles off their books and $6000 in the bank … who turns away that kind of business in a tight market?

Memo to Virgin – on the LAX route you now have United, Delta and soon the massive American Airlines, the world’s largest airline, competing for the same bums on seats each day.

EACH of your flights will have many less pax from December as AA will clearly suck them away. Basic Business #101.

I have little doubt AA will offer Status Match Challenges to Virgin top Elites either via announcement or by private approach etc. AA did that to UA top Elites a year or so back, and were incredibly successful.

They gave then the 8 x SWU on the spot, as soon as they furnished proof of Top UA status 1k. Matched Gold too as I recall. Losing Virgin a ton of juicy high end business, unless you make it tempting for them not to go over to the Dark side – AA/QF.

All you needed do was fly XXX miles or YY segments in the next year to retain it in full. 1000s of top tier flyers never went back to UA.

If you can’t take $6,000 and a ton of miles off a Platinum member, and offer them a REAL good chance of upgrading a 14 hour flight, you are going to lose market share. Simple as that.

I did over 100 transpacs on UA and was upgraded every time. Status does count, and it got UA a ton of money, and me a nice seat for 14 hours. WIN-WIN.

Any Velocity Reps reading this hopefully note.@:-)

A few “Velocity Systemwide Upgrade” (VSU) certs added to each new qualified Plat account makes smart sense. Do like UA, and for each 250 SC or whatever extra flown each year, bung them 2 more upgrades. Makes $$ sense. Gives Plats a reason to fly more -- right now there is near none.

UA used to have special 1K award and upgrade inventory buckets even for domestic coach. For tight travel weeks it was a godsend - again another published benefit that really helped and zero real cost to UA as they controlled it.

Complimentary Virgin domestic Gate upgrades have dried up totally for me this past year or so.

When we were both Platinums travelling together, it happened a lot. Now 1 Gold, and 1 Platinum and it does not occur for us.

Doing 6 legs over weekend, so fingers crossed the drought eases!

Anyway other Velocity flyers might like to add their constructive thoughts on low cost to them Bennies that Virgin might consider adding, and I’ll pass this thread on to someone who is likely to read it in here.

Glen