VIRGIN Australia has swooped on Luxury Escapes, in a collaboration which will significantly expand earn and redemption opportunities for its Velocity members.
The partnership, set to begin on 16 July, will allow Virgin’s frequent flyers to book thousands of holiday packages, hotels, cruises, tours, and experiences, using Velocity points.
A suite of Velocity benefits will also be available for eligible members, such as complimentary Lounge access, priority boarding, preferential seating, and higher checked baggage allowances.
Luxury Escapes co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Adam Schwab told travelBulletin his company values the fact a business of Virgin’s scale wanted to partner with it.
“[VA] is a fun, young airline, and our experience working with them so far has been that they’re willing to try stuff, they’re super engaged,” he said.
Schwab added the partnership will target Qantas Airways’ Frequent Flyers through Virgin’s ‘Switcheroo’ status match, which can then be spent with Luxury Escapes.
“If you’re a Luxury Escapes member and you’ve got Gold status with Qantas, Virgin will match that status,” he said.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity for Luxury Escapes members.”
Velocity Frequent Flyer Chief Executive Officer Nick Rohrlach believes the announcement will be one of the most exciting travel partnerships to launch this year, creating more choice, value, and rewards for millions of Australian travellers.
“We look forward to welcoming Luxury Escapes to our growing list of Velocity partners,” he said.
“Luxury Escapes is one of the world’s fastest growing travel companies, and Velocity members will significantly benefit from the great value, choice and rewards on offer whenever they book a Luxury Escapes holiday or experience.
“We are incredibly focused on providing our members more ways to redeem points by unlocking new partnerships and rewards that have significant value and meaning to them.”
The partnership comes after Virgin’s main competitor Qantas Airways last year acquired a majority stake in TripADeal, another online travel agent.
Luxury Escapes and Qantas were themselves in a similar partnership, which lasted for just over four years.
