Virgin Atlantic Flying Club program changes: What I hope to see as a loyal frequent flyer

15.10.2024 - 19:55 / thepointsguy.com / Delta Skymiles / Delta I (I)

Last month, Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club loyalty program teased huge changes, specifically a shift to dynamic pricing and more redemption and points-earning opportunities. These changes will commence Oct. 30, but the specifics are still to be announced.

Per a press release, prices for award seats will "vary in line with demand;" therefore, frequent flyers can expect to pay more points for more in-demand flights. While Virgin Atlantic has not yet revealed the increased prices, it has promised that flights from the U.S. to Europe will start at just 6,000 Virgin points, the lowest number of points any program charges for transatlantic flights to Europe.

So, this is surely all good news, right? Well, not necessarily.

Delta Air Lines owns a 49% share of Virgin Atlantic, so it's hard not to assume Delta has at least approved all of the changes, if not created them. So, why does this matter? Delta was one of the first airlines to introduce dynamic pricing, which has created poor consumer redemption rates, such as a Delta One award seat now costing upward of 375,000 Delta SkyMiles.

Realistically, with Delta owning a sizable stake in Virgin Atlantic, what is the best we can hope for to make the program profitable yet competitive?

As a loyal Virgin Atlantic passenger for many years, having flown every aircraft type the carrier operates, I've earned and redeemed Virgin points for as long as I can remember. While Flying Blue has recently become my SkyTeam loyalty program of choice, Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club program has always held some value, despite my grumbles with its high surcharge fees.

With the program undergoing a major shift Oct. 30, here are the changes I hope to see from the Flying Club reinvention.

Related: Virgin Atlantic Flying Club: How to earn and redeem points for maximum value

Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club program has retained a very reasonable award chart, starting at just 10,000 Virgin points for off-peak economy-class flights between the eastern U.S. and the U.K. While the program imposes very high carrier surcharges, that rate is lower than the rates of competing programs, and availability is usually decent.

With a shift to dynamic pricing, my biggest worry is how high these award prices might rise for peak-season flights. Since the Flying Club program promises that low-demand economy-class flights will start at just 6,000 Virgin points, I hope that when these flights operate using dynamic pricing, there is a reasonable cap on the number of points it will cost to book the flight, regardless of how high cash prices rise.

While a one-way 155,000-point business-class seat to London would be much higher than current rates, it would still be competitive with other programs over the busy