Virgin Australia Reveals 'The Club'

26th Apr 2015

Virgin Australia has announced a new VIP frequent flyer tier called 'The Club' with which they hope to rival 'Qantas Chairman's Lounge'. Membership to The Club can only be gained through an invitation by the airline's CEO John Borghetti and it lasts two years.

The Club targets the carrier's top customers, such as CEOs, celebrities, as well as travelers who use Virgin's flying services frequently.

What do Members of The Club get?

Membership in The Club offers several benefits to Virgin Australia customers.

- Free economy to business class upgrades every 2 years

As a member, Virgin Australia passengers will get eight free economy-to-business class upgrades every 24 months when flying on a Virgin domestic Flexi fare.

These upgrades are only offered when the business class seat can be booked on the same flight via Velocity Points.

To redeem these upgrades, a customer has to do it over the phone once he has booked a Flexi economy ticket, which can be done in The Club prior to the flight or at the check-in desk in Hobart (Virgin does not have a VIP or Velocity members lounge there).

- Private lounges in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane

The Club also offers access to Virgin's private lounges in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra and Brisbane. A Perth lounge will become available later this year.

Members can use these lounge at any time, even if they are not flying that day.

The Club lounges can be found behind doors marked 'private' or, if you are in Sydney, through the white door and up a staircase just after clearing security.

- Booking and changing flights

Another convenience for members of The Club is that they don't have to worry about sold-out flights as they can book up to two already confirmed economy seats on a Virgin Australia plane even if it is already full. This has to be done up till 45 minutes prior to departure for domestic and 90 minutes before departure for international flights.

- Free limousine transfers

Virgin Australia's VIP will also have access to free limousines if they are traveling on the carrier's east-west flights. This includes routes between Perth and Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane.

Internationally, members of The Club will also get a free limo, complete with a chauffeur if they are traveling from Los Angeles to Abu Dhabi.

Finally, a free limousine transfer is also available if a passenger is connecting in Australia either when traveling domestically or internationally.

- Other VIP perks

'The Club Executive Services' is available to The Club members 24/7 if they should require any help with upgrading their class, changing flights, reserving a limousine or any other questions or requests.

The number can be found on the back of the card.

Members also won't have to worry about going above the bag weight capacity thanks to the 'flexible baggage allowance' for all Virgin Australia flights.

Finally, as Virgin Australia CEO John Borghetti revealed, a concierge will be waiting for the members of The Club when they arrive at the airport terminal to take them through.