Virgin Atlantic’s extensive revamp of its Flying Club loyalty program is set to roll out October 30, promising increased redemption and earning opportunities, new saver reward seats and greater flexibility in award voucher usage. However, this revamp also introduces a shift to dynamic pricing.

As part of this overhaul, Virgin Atlantic will make every seat on Virgin-operated flights bookable with points, enhancing the redemption options for Flying Club members. CEO Shai Weiss remarked, “In our special Ruby anniversary year, we are making every single seat available for purchase with points, becoming even more rewarding for our millions of loyal Flying Club members.” According to Virgin, these changes aim to significantly enhance customer satisfaction and offer more value to loyal travelers.

The other part of this revamp includes a shift to dynamic pricing. This means that the points required to book seats will vary based on demand, similar to the cash ticketing model. Virgin Atlantic has assured that more than half of its flights will see prices that are the same or even lower than the current rates, particularly in economy and Upper Class. Yet, this dynamic pricing approach has understandably caused some concerns about potential spikes in points required during peak periods. The airline has not disclosed caps on maximum or minimum award fares, making it essential for members to stay vigilant about their booking strategies.

Virgin Atlantic Updates Flying Club

Our Take

The first part of these changes, the ability to book every seat with points, offers travelers more flexibility. However, the move to dynamic pricing introduces an element of unpredictability that could dampen the program’s appeal.

Generally, dynamic pricing is almost never good for the consumer. Plus, Delta owns 49% of Virgin, so in our opinion it’s likely that Virgin is heading in the direction of being the UK version of Delta, which isn’t great.

While the promise of having some of the seats at lower or the same prices sounds nice, the possibility of inflated points requirements during high-demand periods could counteract these benefits. The lack of clarity on minimum and maximum award fares could lead to a bit of a hit-or-miss experience for Flying Club members. As with any loyalty program shift, time will tell if the advantages outweigh the drawbacks.