Why don't Virgin try and 'poach' QF very high FF? Or do they?

As a QF P1, flying very very frequently, I am happy enough with the service. They get me there, in reasonably comfort, and high safety, on time most of the time. I do want or need any of the fussy stuff around the FF program (wine, cheese, etc etc). Why don't Virgin try and poach me, and other very FFs? Or do they? Interested to know others' experiences.

Most P1s get to that level of status by way of significant international J or F class travel.

They have had heavily publicised Status match campaigns previously.

How do they (Virgin) know who is elite status?

I suspect they pitch more at the corporate contract level than at individual FF members.

In the domestic space it is predominately a passive business riding on the back of an incumbent who has allowed it to maintain margins and load factors, whilst picking up some disgruntled customers from the dominant player, which happens in every industry, if you weren’t happy with QF you would approach VA anyway, why put a lot of effort into poaching a happy customer and internationally there business in virtually non existent and has little to offer.

samson12 interesting comment. Interested to know if you have looked at how you reach and/or retain P1, is it predominately international travel and if so does VA offer travel on the same routes. If there is a fair chunk of domestic travel do you choose to travel QF due to service, lounges etc. As mentioned VA have run status matches but they do not have anything close to P1 and their WP attain and retain SC rates are only marginally higher than QF gold.

What do VA have– there is no life time status, no alliance, no real international reach, their partner network of lounges and carriers is convoluted and seems to be ever changing and finally the recent break up with air NZ. I cannot see what is on offer to entice a P1 to the other side.

Call VA and ask about Pilot Gold.

My flying takes me to LHR/SIN/JNB/NYC/LAX. QF7 is one i use to get to NY and thats a short hop from DFW to NY on AA. So everything on QF metal. That's the problem. Virgin are just not able to compete. Great domestic product but internationally its a different story.

I fell out of love with Qantas a few years ago when I was a P1. I emailed a Virgin GM (can't remember whom) and asked for a match to Virgin P. Agreed to immediately. Haven't looked back. Use SQ for most of my international F travel (streets ahead of QF on every front, especially F food), or Emirates (using up a large balan ce of QFF points). Domestic J on Virgin has improved by leaps and bounds.

Had no choice but to travel QF tin First to Singapore recently. Food was ghastly, and I mean pretentiously insultingly bad; service was, well, standoffish. Made sure I came back Emirates tin (on a QF F ticket).

Go direct to Virgin GMs for a status match. Call centres don't have the interest or the authority.

You don't hear about this much for obvious reasons, but VA have done a good job pinching the top tier CL members, as The Club is a significantly better offering.