Virgin Australia has made significant changes to its fare structure, giving passengers greater flexibility and choice when booking economy class tickets on both domestic and short-haul international routes.
Starting today, the airline will offer a wider range of fare options right up until the day of travel, as long as seats are available.
Previously, passengers booking close to their departure date often found themselves limited to pricier ‘Flex’ fares.
With the new system, more fare types – including Lite, Choice, and Flex – will be available throughout the booking window, providing more options for travellers who need to book last-minute.
This change applies to all economy class seats, allowing customers to select the fare that best suits their needs, whether they’re after a no-frills option or a more flexible ticket.
Importantly, the core features of each fare brand – Lite, Choice, Flex, and Business – remain unchanged.
According to Virgin Australia, the update is driven by customer demand for more control over their booking experience.
While the new fare availability is immediately live on Virgin Australia’s platforms, some online booking tools (OBTs) may take longer to fully integrate the expanded options. Virgin Australia is working with OBT providers to ensure smooth adoption of the changes.
These updates are part of the airline’s broader strategy to enhance customer experience and improve fare accessibility. The changes are applicable on Virgin Australia-operated flights in Australia and short-haul international destinations.
Virgin says its new matrix pricing system also gives travel agencies greater access to the full range of fares, further simplifying the booking process for passengers.
Key changes include:
- M Class will continue to be the booking reservation booking designator (RBD) for Economy Lite
- Economy Choice booking RBDs will expand to include F U S I T Q P V N O E R L K H W B Y
- Economy Flex booking RBDs will expand to include S I T Q P V N O E R L K H W B Y
This week, American Express and Velocity Frequent Flyer announced they had upgraded their American Express Velocity credit cards, offering increased benefits for travellers.
Virgin Australia also recently revealed some big changes for Velocity Frequent Flyer members that will be rolled out over the next 12 months.
