In September 2022, it was revealed that Virgin Atlantic would be joining the SkyTeam alliance. Well, it’s a big day, as the London-based airline has now joined the global airline alliance.
Continue reading: Virgin Atlantic Officially Joins SkyTeam Alliance
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Would be surprised if their ANA rates don’t change soon, if not eliminated. I wouldn’t mind that simply because every new Hype Blog will scramble to find a different catchphrase to hawk than “First Class to Japan for only 55k/60k miles!”
To be fair, ITA Airways joined SkyTeam with a mind of changing alliance as a real possibility. Now it seems that it will definitely happen.
I do have some trepidation as to the worth of my 700,000 points with Virgin. I'd rather they didn't turn into Delta pesos.
@Ben not sure if you have picked up the that Amex Plat lounge access for entry to VS overseas clubhouses has been removed today.
@ Creditcrunch -- Interesting. Do you have a link? Or they've just been removed from Amex's website for lounges? Hmmm...
@Ben I just used the generic lounge finder, for instance JFK and IAD were listed last night, they are now gone, same as SFO and BOS, https://www.americanexpress.com/idc/en/benefits/the-platinum-card/global-lounge-collection.html/
That would be a net loss for the entire points community. Your priorities are all screwed up.
My only problem with Virgin Atlantic is that they don't have a network in Europe. They might offer connections with AF, KL and RO to Paris, Amsterdam and Bucharest, respectively. And as long as they are still part of Skyteam possibly with AZ to Rome/Milan and UX to Madrid. But that's not a lot.
Not sure what to make of it but Saudia has recently stopped reciprocating award tickets with any other Skyteam members.
I found that out while trying to use my miles to book on Delta and Airfrance, was told that Saudia miles could only be redeemed for Saudia flights.
Feels to me like they might be on their way out.
I agree with Eskimo, but I've also made that mistake. I've been booking last-minute ANA business awards nonstop for the last 3 months to burn them down, because I saw this party coming from a mile away.
Another interesting aspect is that it seems that the new Skyteam Partners have worse earning rates than the old ones.
For example, on long haul in J:
Tier Points: DL/KL: Up to 200 TP, KE/UX: Up to 75 TP
RDM: DL/KL: UP to 400%, KE/UX: Up to 135% / 150% Flown miles
Hi Ben, I’m Virgin Gold currently travelling around Mexico and AeroMexico everywhere refuses to acknowledge my SkyTeam status, despite this being “official” since last week. Any insights into how long before partner airlines actually get the memo (which means computer systems need to be synched/updated). Tired of paying every time I check a bag despite being entitled to free bags!