FT01

Hi,

I'm a regular transatlantic flyer, currently Silver on OW using a mixture of BA & AA for my flights. Preferably AA, as I get the Main Cabin Extra seat included with Silver.
My normal route is EDI/GLA to Chicago, via London (and back).

I received an email from Virgin today, and then noticed they will match my Silver status to Flying Club Silver. I just had a couple of questions I'd like to ask.

Firstly, am I correct in thinking that FC Silver would not provide lounge access? That may be acceptable if I could achieve Gold though. I tried using the tier point calculator and just kept getting an error. Can someone advise if 8 return trips in economy, each year, would be enough to achieve Gold please?

Secondly, would my free seat selection apply on the other airlines (Delta, Klm, AF)? As I fly to Chicago, VA doesn't serve this route so I'd be using the partner airlines. I only take a backpack, so I can book Basic Economy but I like to choose specific seats.

Or, would the general consensus be to stick with OneWorld? I'm only considering changing to VA as I may start flying from ABZ instead of EDI/GLA.

Cheers

guv1976

I presume that you are currently oneworld Sapphire, via BAEC Silver. (The equivalent with AA would be AAdvantage Platinum.)

I know nothing about status with VS Flying Club, so cannot comment on that.

If you decide to stay with oneworld, I would investigate whether it will be easier to maintain your oneworld Sapphire status with BAEC or AAdvantage. The AAdvantage program has just undergone a significant change re: how status is obtained. "Loyalty Points" earned through hotel stays, car rentals, online shopping, and even -- yes -- flying will all count towards status.

FT01

Apologies - BA Silver, OneWorld Sapphire, yes.

I'll have a look at the AAdvantage changes, cheers.

bhomburg

Yes, no lounge access for Flying Club Silver status. You'd need to be Gold for that.
You can only achieve Gold status in Flying Club on eight annual TATL flights if you buy more expensive fares and fly Premium Economy on at last one trip. Discount economy earns 25 TP on each Virgin-operated transatlantic leg, plus 5 or 10 on the Delta-operated connecting flight, that's a minimum of 60 per return flight. Eight flights will net you only 480 tier points, not even halfway enough for Gold status.
If you're buying more expensive fares that'll earn 50 TP per TATL leg, you'll earn 120 TP per flight - still leaving you 40 TP short after eight flights.
See the tier point earning charts here: https://flywith.virginatlantic.com/g...ip-tiers.html#

Then there is the extra legroom seating on Delta:
Unlike AA where MCE is technically part of the Economy cabin and mid-tier and above status holders get seats there for free at booking, Delta treats their "comfort plus" seating as a separate cabin and status holders need to request upgrades in order to sit there for free. Those upgrade requests are processed at the gate prior to departure, and nothing is guaranteed. Also, the cheapest booking classes do not qualify.
Flying Club Gold members receive complimentary access to DL Comfort+ (based upon availability and eligibility of booking class^) at the gate prior to departure for all regions of travel

Looks like staying with Oneworld seems the smarter thing to do in your situation

guv1976

Assuming that you're able to maintain oneworld Sapphire with either AA or BA, the question then becomes which program's miles are more advantageous to you, given your anticipated redemptions. Each program has its own strengths and weaknesses when it comes to redemptions. BA is very good for European travel with its RFS redemptions, as well as reduced-rate redemptions for long-haul travel during off-peak times. AA, on the other hand, does not charge extra for necessary connections, and does not collect carrier surcharges, except when redeeming for travel on BA or IB.

FT01

Thanks for your very cogent summary. And yes, it does look like Oneworld is the smarter option. My main perk is lounge access (especially after red-eye from the US) so, if not achieving gold on VA, that's a deal breaker really. Cheers.

I don't really redeem very intelligently. I just use avios to knock ��� off my fares, as I don't really visit Europe often and always have specific travel dates to the US (thu outbound, Saturday return) which never/rarely seem to have reward seats available.
I'll do some more reading though and maybe look to be smarter with that. Thanks.

littlefish

I can't see Virgin Atlantic flights or their Silver membership being the better option from GLA/EDI/ABZ to ORD; AA and BA ex-LHR would tend to be better all round in terms of options and planes. VS Silver isn't that great on seating and doesn't give lounge access. VS Gold is also weaker than OWE to my mind, anyway.
The one small point I'd chase down is whether KLM would work out (ie. via AMS); I doubt it, but a possibility.

One of the (relatively few) things I miss as I move away from BB/AA OWS (but to West Coast and South Africa from LON) is the ability to pick decent seats in MCE on the USA flights on AA.

Mrp Alert

The only caveat that I would add is that VS Gold Card treatment in Y is many orders better than that which you get on BA. I�m gold in both programmes and definitely prefer the Y experience on Virgin. The planes are newer, purser welcomes you on every flight, and you usually get a pre departure glass of champagne. You can also confirm exit rows at time of purchase. Economy delight aka extra legroom coach is not offered free to Golds, but you can often score a free upgrade on ground or onboard.

If gold is not feasible, stick with OneWorld. BA Silver has loads more benefits