Virgin moves on missing points, status credits for United flights

Virgin Australia’s partnership with United Airlines has proven exceptionally popular with Virgin loyalists and Velocity members, but the alliance hasn’t gone off without a hitch.

Many Executive Traveller readers have noticed that despite listing their Velocity number against their United booking, the promised number of Velocity points and status credits have yet to land in their account.

Virgin Australia tells Executive Traveller the airline is aware of what it terms as “recent accrual and retro claim issues” for Velocity members earning points and status credits on United Airlines flights, saying the issues have been triggered by recent system upgrades.

The airline says it’s been working closely with United Airlines to resolve this, and will process all impacted claims and earnings as quickly as possible.

Once resolved, Velocity will automatically adjust any incorrectly awarded points, status credits and eligible sectors so that Velocity members won’t need to re-submit a retroactive claim.

That aside, Executive Traveller readers appear to to be enjoying their Velocity Gold and Platinum access to United Club lounges across the US, and especially United’s Polaris business class seat which now features on all United Airlines flights between Australia and the USA.

That roster now sees Brisbane-San Francisco added to United’s Sydney and Melbourne flights, which between them carry trans-Pacific travellers to San Francisco, Los Angeles and Houston – and often onwards to other United destinations in North and South America.

Ahead of their return flight to Australia, United’s business class-only Polaris lounges continue to raise the bar on how good a business lounge experience can be.