Virgin Australia has recorded the best on-time performance and highest completion rates of any major Australian airline for the month of April, highlighting a strong trajectory and performance improvement over the last four months.
To recognise Virgin Australia’s continuing performance improvement, the carrier launched a Discover Gold Status Match offer for up to 3,000 Velocity members who hold Gold, Platinum and above status from competing non-partner airline loyalty programs to ‘hop’ on over to receive better value and rewards when they flew with Virgin for April.
The elevation to highly sought-after Velocity Discover Gold Status allowed frequent flyers to enjoy the wonderful Virgin Australia experience for 3 months from complimentary Lounge access at all major domestic airports, a higher checked baggage allowance (excluding Lite fares), and priority boarding and priority seating.
Virgin Australia was recently awarded Best Cabin Crew for the sixth consecutive year against 350 airlines around the world, cementing Virgin Australia as not only being the most punctual of major Australian airlines for April, but also providing the best onboard service.
CEO Commentary
“We have been intensely focused on improving our performance whilst continuing to deliver great value and choice to Australian travellers,” Virgin Australia CEO, Jayne Hrdlicka said.
“April 2024 marked a return to pre-COVID levels of on-time performance and cancellations for Virgin Australia. The post-COVID recovery has been challenging for the aviation industry but it is promising to see reliability and on-time performance improve across Australian airlines.
“We know that on any given day various factors including weather, air traffic control, unscheduled aircraft maintenance, and crew resources can impact airline operations. But our ability to manage these disruptions has improved, while at the same time we have focused on simplifying our growing operation.”
Speaking of the Discover Gold Status Match offer, Ms Hrdlicka said: “We know how important punctuality is for travellers, and so we are pleased to make it easier for frequent flyers to try Velocity Discover Gold to enjoy the most sought after benefits of the program, including complimentary Lounge access, while enjoying our reliability and wonderful service.”
Virgin Australia on time performance and completion rates return to pre-COVID levels
Virgin Australia was the most reliable of the major domestic carriers in April 2024 according to new data released today by the Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics (BITRE), as operational performance returns to pre-COVID levels.
Virgin Australia achieved an on-time departures rate of 82.6 per cent and completed 98.3 per cent of flights in April. Virgin Australia cancelled only 1.72 per cent of its scheduled sectors for April.
It was Virgin Australia’s best result in two years for both on-time performance and cancellations and marks an improvement of 26.4 and 6 percentage points respectively since December 2023.
Virgin Australia Business Flyer memberships grow five-fold as Australian small businesses opt for better value amid rising inflation
Virgin Australia continues to make inroads in the SME market (small to medium-sized business) with Virgin Australia Business Flyer growing its membership five-fold over the past two years, as businesses look for greater value airfares amid soaring inflation.
The program, targeted at the 2.5 million small businesses operating in Australia, provides some of the best value in the market; with perks including discounted airfares and the ability to double dip on Velocity Points by allowing employees to earn Points for themselves and the business every time they fly with Virgin Australia. More here.
For more information, visit https://newsroom.virginaustralia.com/release/virgin-australia-tops-performance-launches-status-match-offer
