On New Years Day Virgin Atlantic updated its award pricing for travel on Delta. One of the few bright spots in Virgin’s Flying Club program was inexpensive Delta awards, so this was disappointing in the extreme. Prices went up in some cases more than 100%, largely focused on longer distance premium cabin awards.

Then, two days later, their spokespeople started saying that transatlantic awards wouldn’t go up as much as they had published and there would be an update. They’ve now said non-stop transatlantic awards to places other than the U.K. will revert to their earlier inexpensive pricing, but flying Delta anywhere else in the world or with connections will be a lot more expensive than it was in 2020 in many cases.

Here’s What Delta Awards With Virgin Miles Used To Cost

Prior to the no-notice devaluation Virgin Atlantic charged the following prices for business class awards on Delta:

• South America 45,000 miles
• Africa 60,000 miles
• Australia 75,000 miles
  
• Europe 50,000 miles

Virgin’s New Years Day Massacre

Two charts were published, one for travel between the U.S. and U.K. on Delta based on specific destination and a second chart based on distance flown which in general was much worse.

Here’s the one-way price now for flights between the U.S. and U.K.:

One-way	Coach Off-Peak	Coach Peak	Business Off-Peak	Business Peak
Boston/New York/Philadelphia	15,000	25,000	47,500	57,500
Atlanta/Detroit/Minneapolis	17,500	27,500	47,500	57,500
Porland, Salt Lake City	20,000	30,000	67,500	77,500

All connecting itineraries and awards not between the U.S. and E.U. will price based on the new one-way distance-based chart, with each flight segment priced separately:

One-way distance	Coach	Business
0-500	7,500	17,500
501-1,000	8,500	27,500
1,001-1,500	11,500	40,000
1,501-2,000	12,500	45,000
2,001-3,000	15,000	52,500
3,001-4,000	22,500	80,000
4,001-5,000	27,500	105,000
5,001-6,000	35,000	130,000
6,001+	45,000	165,000

Now though there’s a separate, third pricing system that wasn’t part of the January 1 rollout. It applies to non-stop flights between the U.S. and Europe on Delta that doesn’t involve the U.K. so for instance flights to Paris, Amsterdam, and elsewhere. These awards will revert to their old pricing of 30,000 points each way in coach and 50,000 points each way in business class.

Using Virgin miles to fly Delta non-stop between the U.S. and non-U.K. Europe will remain a sweet spot in the program, for now.

This Makes Little Sense

US-Europe non-stops on Delta remains priced as it was in 2020, while itineraries that include connections and all other Delta flight award prices change. Virgin Atlantic has provided no explanation for,

1. Why they’ve decided to partially walk back the devaluation they implemented without notice on New Years Day?

2. Why they are devaluing the Flying Club program, raising prices on Delta flights to most destinations in some cases by over 100%, when flights are empty, prices are low, and they need their Flying Club members more than ever before?

3. Why they disrespect members who save up their miles for years by pulling the rug out from under them without notice?

This helps reduce expense buying awards on Delta. Delta already forgave some Virgin Atlantic debt as part of the London-based carrier’s bankruptcy, in order to avoid dilution of its 49% stake. Effectively controlled out of Atlanta it should be no surprise that Virgin Atlantic is a program which devalues in both good times and bad.

(HT: God Save The Points)