There’s big news on the frequent flyer front today, as both Virgin America and V Australia announced that they would be teaming up with partners to their frequent flyer programs.
Visitors to the Hilton brand of hotels can now earn miles on Virgin America with each stay, while passengers on Delta Airlines can now both earn miles and gain lounge access with V Australia products.
Why is this a big deal, you ask? Traditionally, the Virgin brands have been fairly avaricious with their mileage programs, probably as a means of keeping their product a notch above the rest. It’s true that Virgin Atlantic has a few select partnerships with airlines around the planet, but relationships with monsters such as Delta and Hilton are nearly unheard of.
Is this perhaps testing the waters towards joining a larger alliance (Star, Skyteam or Oneworld)? Or is it just a way to tap into the huge revenue pools of Delta and Hilton?
Either way, millions of Delta and Hilton subscribers now have one more reason to fly on Virgin.