BOOOM!!! Virgin Atlantic joins Skyteam, this is BIG news
This news comes unexpectedly and is a real bombshell. Virgin Atlantic, the airline founded by Richard Branson and which [...]
Virgin Atlantic
SkyTeam
This news comes unexpectedly and is a real bombshell. Virgin Atlantic, the airline founded by Richard Branson and which has Delta Airlines as a shareholder and industry partner, has made its entry into the Skyteam alliance official.
In this article:
To date, one of Virgin Atlantic's few shortcomings was the fact that did not participate in any alliance, but only had in place a partnership with Delta (which is a partner at 49%) and Air France and KLM.
What will change with this entry
To date, one could not book the company's award tickets except with Virgin, Delta or Flying Blue points. There was also no possibility of accumulation and no possibility of using benefits. This meant that entering the AMAZING London Clubhouse was a privilege reserved for the few.
The elevator reserved for Virgin Atlantic passengers at London Heathrow to skip the queue
At the moment Virgin has not announced the date or even the details, but it is certain that Entering as a full member of Skyteam, the carrier will grant premium passengers all status benefits, so even status holders in Flying, the loyalty program of ITA Airways.
Here are some things that might change:
- Flying Club Gold and Silver members will receive the benefits provided when flying with other SkyTeam member airlines. Gold members will get SkyTeam Elite Plus status, while Silver members will get SkyTeam Elite status
- Elite members of SkyTeam member airlines. Will receive the benefits provided when they fly Virgin Atlantic
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club members can earn and redeem points for travel on all SkyTeam member airlines and vice versa members of other SkyTeam loyalty programs can earn and redeem points for travel on Virgin Atlantic
Last but not least, we could see some code-share agreements for example, taking off at Linate with ITA Airways and then departing London for one of Virgin's intercontinental destinations.
Today Virgin Atlantic flies to 12 destinations in the United States, including New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco. In May the airline launched a brand new service to Austin, Texas, and in November it will begin daily flights to Tampa, Florida. Virgin Atlantic also operates an extensive network to the Caribbean that includes Antigua, Barbados, Jamaica and the Bahamas, as well as some routes to China, India, Israel, Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa.
Virgin Atlantic's statement
There is an exciting change coming. Virgin Atlantic will soon join SkyTeam, an alliance of airlines working together to deliver a smoother travel experience, every step of the way.
This powerful partnership opens a vast global network beyond our own, flying to 170 countries on six continents, with more than 10,000 daily departures to over 1,000 destinations. This is great news for us, and even better news for you. It's also a mutually rewarding loyalty program, with opportunities for people in our Flying Club to earn and redeem points on all SkyTeam airlines and with extra benefits like priority boarding, extra baggage allowance, lounge access and more.
These changes are still on the horizon, and we will let you know when the benefits of traveling with our SkyTeam partners come into play.
In the meantime, if you have questions, we will answer the most popular ones right here.
My point on Virgin Atlantic's entry into Skyteam
In my opinion Virgin Atlantic is the "sexiest" company around. So are the planes, all long-range and With a kick-ass upper class. It will be the new business class which will replace The sardine boxes on the old 787s..
The certainly most interesting novelty for us Italians will be the possibility of entering the London clubhouse, to date virtually off limits unless flying VS or Delta to intercontinental destinations. Other than that, the Flying Club loyalty program has some real "gems" such as the possibility of booking tickets in ANA's first class, one of the best in the world. Hopefully, however, with this entry we will not lose this partnership with the carrier that participates in Star Alliance instead.
In conclusion
This news is bound to make a lot of noise and is clearly a Delta/AF response to the increasingly close partnership between Qatar and British Airways. All that remains now is to wait for the official date, which I imagine will be no earlier than 2023.
