LONG BEACH, Calif. — Virgin Atlantic has made every seat available for purchase with Flying Club loyalty program rewards points.
The change, which took effect today, is a significant enhancement from Virgin Atlantic's previous policy, which only guaranteed that at least 12 seats on a flight would be available for purchase with Virgin Points.
The airline has also begun designating some seats for Saver reward redemptions, meaning they'll be priced below the standard redemption rate. The number of seats offered at the Saver price will vary by the route. Flyers can see the Saver label marked in red when shopping the Virgin Atlantic website.
Speaking Wednesday at the Future Travel Experience and Airline Passenger Experience Association conference, Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss said that 60% of Virgin Atlantic points redemption prices are now lower than they were a day earlier. As an example, he said the majority of economy seats from Los Angeles to London Heathrow could be purchased for just 9,000 redemption points one-way, compared to the previous minimum price of 15,000 points.
"We have put ourselves in position to be the only airline in the U.K. to have total seat availability for reward points," Weiss said in a not-so-subtle swipe at British Airways, which only guarantees that at least 14 seats will be available for Executive Club Avios reward point redemptions.
Weiss also discussed other enhancements to be introduced in the coming months by Virgin Atlantic. The carrier expects to open its latest Clubhouse Lounge in Los Angeles in March, joining Clubhouse offerings in New York JFK, Washington Dulles and San Francisco. The lounge will have a Hollywood theme and will be especially geared toward overnight flights between LAX and Heathrow.
Weiss said Virgin will also launch a website later this year that will integrate the airline and Virgin Atlantic Holidays. And an enhanced Virgin Atlantic app will debut next year.