Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program and Luxury Escapes will join forces in an exclusive new, multi-year strategic partnership beginning in June.
The new partnership will expand earning and redemption opportunities for 11 million Velocity and 3 million Luxury Escapes members in a move that will aim to provide more rewards and better value for Australian travellers.
The partnership will also allow members to offset the cost of booking their next Luxury Escapes holiday by using Velocity Points to pay for part, or all, of their booking.
The partnership tie-up will cement Velocity as the exclusive airline loyalty program for Luxury Escapes as Velocity’s membership base soars following a string of new partnerships, loyalty rewards, and value offers under a transformed Virgin Australia.
Velocity Frequent Flyer CEO Nick Rohrlach said today’s announcement is set to be one of the most exciting travel partnerships to launch this year, creating more choice, value and rewards for millions of Australian travellers.
“We know that Australians are feeling the pinch of the rising cost of living, and this is another way our members can use Velocity Points to drive their dollar further when booking their next holiday.
“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,” he said.
Luxury Escapes CEO, and Co-Founder Adam Schwab said the partnership with Velocity Frequent Flyer is born from an aligned ambition to deliver consumers the best travel experience possible.
“According to our recent Travel Trends Report*, nine in 10 Australians (surveyed) plan to travel domestically or internationally in 2023, and we know our customers will embrace the fantastic rewards that Velocity brings to the partnership.
“From expanded earn and redemption opportunities to a suite of Velocity benefits for eligible members, such as complimentary Lounge access, priority boarding, preferential seating and higher checked baggage allowances, we can’t wait to welcome a new era in travel for all our members,” said Schwab.
In November 2019, Qantas’ was reportedly interested in buying into Luxury Escapes, with an article in the Australian Financial Review Street talk column reporting that QF was considering a bid for Luxury Escapes as part of a broader push to diversify its group’s earnings.
However, the rumoured partnership was later dismissed, with the Qantas Group instead buying a 51 per cent stake in Byron Bay-based online travel business TripADeal in May 2022.
For more, head to: experience.velocityfrequentflyer.com
*Luxury Escapes Travel Trends Report, 4,000 nationally representative respondents, January 2023.
