As travel restrictions ease, Velocity has announced the return of redemptions on its international partner airlines. This will also see the return of the ability to earn Velocity points on international partners.
While Velocity state the return of redemptions will return on 1 November, they state that time as 11:59pm. For simplicity, I’m just going to call it 2 November.
Velocity will be returning with much the same set of partners as before. For now, their partner network will consist of
- Virgin Atlantic
- Air Canada
- Delta Air Lines
- Etihad Airways
- Hawaiian Airlines
- Singapore Airlines
- South African Airways
Parters missing from that list include:
- Alitalia – which has ceased operations
- SilkAir – which has been merged into Singapore Airlines
- HNA Group – the reward seat proposition remains suspended.
Initially, redemptions will be available on all partners with the exception of Singapore Airlines. While redemptions on Singapore Airlines won’t be available, to begin with, Velocity members will be able to earn points and status credits while flying on the airline.
In addition, redemption seats may not be available on all flights. Velocity has said that availability will vary for each carrier, and that availability will grow in line with the return of international demand.
For example, Velocity members will not be able to redeem seats on Air Canada services between Australia and Vancouver.
Virgin Returns to International Travel
Virgin Australia has also announced its return to international travel. This will begin with services to Nadi, Fiji from 16 December. Virgin is also looking at Bali and New Zealand services. Longer-term, we may see Virgin return to long hail international, although they will need suitable aircraft.
Thoughts
It is good to see the return of international partners to Velocity, especially from an earn and burn perspective. Having said that, it will probably take a few months for the airlines to rebuild their networks. But it is good to see that a start has been made.
For more information, visit: https://experience.velocityfrequentflyer.com/member-support/velocity-update#international.
