September 15, 2022

The Benefits of Virgin and United Airlines New Partnership for Travellers

In May 2022, Virgin Australia commenced a partnership deal with United Airlines. After more than a decade partnered with Delta Airlines, Virgin’s new deal with United Airlines should see more than three times as many services available to them both internationally and domestically. Best of all, United Airlines has opened up access to its club lounges, as well as allowing Virgin’s Velocity points to be redeemed for United Airlines flights.

Does It Apply to Any Specific Areas?

Under Virgin’s arrangement with Delta, passengers could only fly into Los Angeles. However, the new deal with united gives passengers a big boost, allowing them to now fly into Los Angeles, San Francisco or Houston.

Virgin customers will also be able to travel with United domestically, including 37 destinations from Los Angeles, 65 from San Francisco and over 100 from Houston. That’s in addition to 24 cities in Mexico currently serviced by United Airlines.

Who Benefits From It?

The major beneficiaries are travellers! Of course, the airlines themselves benefit too, because they can now offer a bigger and better service and attract new customers. But passengers are the big winners here.

The ‘triple gateway’ system allowing passengers to land in three different US states opens up a lot more flexibility when planning a trip. Not to mention the plethora of domestic US and South American flights that customers can access.

Perhaps the biggest winners out of this deal are Virgin’s Velocity club members and business travellers. They can now redeem Velocity points for United Airlines flights and also take advantage of a number of upgrades. Those wanting to travel business class will be able to relax and enjoy the ultra-modern Polaris business class suites, as well as the premium Polaris International airport lounges.

How Frequent Flyer Programs Work

Frequent flyer programs allow airline passengers to accumulate points based on the amount of travel they pay for. For Virgin Australia, the frequent flyer program is known as Velocity Rewards. Being a member of these programs also gives you some nice perks, such as access to club lounges in airports and possible class upgrades.

Accumulated points can also be redeemed for rewards, such as airfares, upgrades and much more. Most frequent flyer programs also have status levels; for example, Velocity members can achieve Silver, Gold or Platinum levels depending on how often they fly. Fortunately, this aligns well with United Airlines’ MileagePlus program, which features the same levels.

The other benefits for rewards club members include priority check-in and security clearance where possible, priority boarding and even priority baggage delivery.

Interested in RTW Flights?

Airline alliances such as the Virgin and United partnership are a crucial part of being able to access great RTW airfare deals. Here at Airfare Geeks, that’s our speciality, so if you want to scratch your travel itch and see the world, we’re here to help! Check out our website today for special airfare deals and great RTW airline packages to give you the trip of a lifetime. From Rio de Janeiro to Milan, Tokyo to New York and everything in between, let us help make your travel dreams come true!

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