Virgin Australia's Sydney-Hong Kong flights are now on sale

Membership to an alliance is about reciprocal benefits. What does VA bring to the table for either alliance? What other major airline in an alliance doesn’t even have its own lounges in its home city?

Membership to an alliance is more than just lounges...

This is stupid. SA have said outright that Virgin would be a good fit. Also, Virgin (and Qantas) domestic lounges are some of the best you'll find in the world. Barista made coffees for example is the exception not the norm.

Thank you for confirming my point. As you nicely stated, VA will never fit in an alliance as they have next to nothing to offer other airlines' FF members, whilst VA's own FF members would freeload and leech off other alliance member's facilities and perks.

If that's what you got from my post then you really did not read it. It's pretty much the other way round

Yes, that's exactly what I said. You've just worded it in a way to apparently favour VA. But in essence, VA is being selfish as they have nothing to offer other airlines (thus not gaining customers) and know that their own FFs are desperate to make use of some perks outside of VAs own "still developing international network" (that's a euphemism if there ever was one!) and are likely to jump ship at the first opportunity.

"VA is being selfish..."

That's why I said "next to nothing...". Everything is relative. You yourself admit that however 'valuable' the VA domestic network is to other airlines (though really, which overseas visitor wants to visit Mackay?!), the added business to VA is nothing compared to the exodus of their own FF to other airlines that would occur if they joined an alliance!

"next to nothing" is still not an equivalency to what I said. The Australian market is a valuable one, and having domestic access offers SA a lot. Just because you can name an isolated, low traffic destination like Mackay or Alice Springs doesnt mean it negates the value of tourist hubs like Cairns and Gold Coast or business hubs like Melbourne and Sydney. Star Alliance would love to get their hands on some high earning, high spending Australian travellers

Do you have a personal vendetta against VA or something?? Pretty sure biased and ubsantiated comments like this goes against AUSBT policy...anyway Star alliance have said themselves the link they are missing in their alliance is Australia..but this would make VA a valuable member to Star to compete directly with OW...and who doesn’t leach of partner airlines perks and reward seats 👋

What's the obsession with VA having to "join a alliance". Many other airlines got along fine without one (from a mixture of well run airlines like Alaska and Emirates)

I don't see why VA has to be any different, especially when there are carriers in certain alliances that VA would prefer to avoid, like UA.

The obsession with VA having to join an alliance is because their own ‘boutique network’ is so pitiful that an unacceptable level of service often results. An alliance provides a fallback network and more options. E.g QF’s lounges in Tokyo are a complete joke but it’s fine because their passengers use JAL’s superb lounges. Same deal in SFO, Bangkok etc.

I don't think is correct. VA use the EY lounge at LAX.

As previously said by others, VA uses EY's lounge in LAX.

Mr Miyagi, this is getting painful...as a VA and QF ff - my personal experience I have used Virgins partner network more then QF 🤭 (is that hard to believe since VA don’t belong to an alliance?) I have used points for reward flights on Etihad and Singapore and even converted points to Kris Flyer which opened up reward seats for me on COPA and Avianca in Central America (where one world lacks). Sure VA don’t belong to an alliance, call it a partnership then if we have to use labels to make people like you see value in it. I don’t see any merit in your comments. if you have status with VA then you get the same perks as OW,ST,SA alliances through Virgins partner airlines - Lounge access, priority check in, reward seat availability etc .what are you missing exactly by not belonging to an alliance? I saw your comment about maybe booking a VA flight to Hong Kong was it, to compare apples for apples - please stick to QF or CX.

Not even close. An alliance means so can use ANY lounge when flying ANY airline. It’s the flexibility that distinguishes it from VA’s garbage ‘partnership’ where you only have partner lounge access on certain routes when flying certain airlines. And in some cases no access ‘cause the real alliance lounges got fed up - hence VA FFs enjoying food stamps at LAX recently,

VA has burned their bridges with NZ (basically frenemies now) and UA (from back in the Godfrey days) for them to join SA now.

Global alliances have delivered none of the benefits that were touted when they were introduced in the late '90s. At the time, there was talk of common products standards (never happened), common FF scheme (never happened), alliance wide fleet orders (never happened).

At the same time SA conceded whilst VA is in a JV with DL, joining SA was very unlikely at time. Now with VA having burnt bridges with NZ (in addition to severing ties with UA back in the Virgin Blue days).

VA joining SA is very very unlikely.

You mean like when VA operated flights from Syd —> Hkg years ago? When they sold ‘upper class’ (“we call it first class at business class prices” bahahaha) fares? What were the QF and CX prices back then? Oh exactly the same as now!!

VA didn't operate SYD-HKG years ago. This is their first time on the route (in partnership with HX).

Yes, you're correct. Point is the same - pricing didn't go up after they quit that route.

My personal issue with the lounge arrangements at the moment is that there is no consistency. Depending on the destination/class/frequent flyer status determines which lounge you can visit. It makes is more complicated than necessary.

How many times have they started and cut MEL - LAX? Well they started it, ceased it and then restarted it... So once.

They have only cut MEL once.

John Odlum, the main point others seem to be making is that it's confusing and lacks consistency. Just like the VA FF program has different points usage rates for different airlines.

It's all about slots in HKG. The slot pairs that VA received in the second tranche are for a morning arrival into HKG. Due to the SYD curfew, these slots were of no use to VA unless they used them from MEL which could accommodate a midnight departure. The swap was the only way the new slots could've been used.

A midnight departure ex-MEL also works well for Y class passengers, particularly for the leisure and VFR (visiting friends and relatives) market. You'd be amazed how many people, especially on Asian routes, are keen to take reverse red-eye flights ex-MEL to save time; MEL T2 is a zoo in the evening, much like SYD T1 in the morning.

Agree: while my personal preference to Asia would be a 1030 - 1130 hours departure, the midnight flights to many corners of the globe ex MEL are very popular.

VA joining Star Alliance is all but over after yesturday's breakup. Any attempts by any airline to sponsor VA into *A will be veto-ed by NZ and UA due to a number of differences between those airlines.

SkyTeam is VA's "only" realistic alliance option due to their relationship with DL and VS.

Configuations for QF are not 'unknown.' Look them up on seatguru or expertflyer sites.