Virgin Atlantic flies a new Airbus A330-300 on the ATL-London Heathrow route (Photo: Virgin Atlantic)
TravelSkills reader S.G. is not at all happy about how Delta Medallion level flyers are treated when flying on new Virgin Atlantic codeshare flights– here’s his Reader Report!
Dear Chris:
I want to give you an update on my Delta/Virgin experience, which is my second experience, and not so great, nor was it for some Diamonds. (I’m Platinum).
I did a mileage run on Christmas evening from ATL-LHR. I booked the ticket on Delta, flew on a Virgin operated flight, and paid around $1,250 round trip.
(Reader Report is a new series of posts from TravelSkills readers about their recent travel experiences. Would you like to submit a Readers Report on a recent travel experience? Let us know and we’ll send you some guidelines! We are looking for short, sweet, concise reports– no rants. Photos always appreciated! Email us!)
To my surprise (and unlike my first experience with a Virgin operated flight in November), there was no priority boarding for Medallions. They first boarded those who needed extra assistance, then families with small children, then Upper Class passengers (business class), and then they proceeded to board by row.
Delta website says that platinum medallions should get early boarding in Virgin flights. Sounds like that does not always happen
I approached the gate with my Platinum card, but was told I had to wait. When we were on the plane, several of the Diamonds were pretty angry. One Diamond traveling with his family was way in the back of the plane.
I was in seat 46G (I was not able to upgrade for free to Economy Comfort as I would have been able to if it had been a Delta operated flight), and when the person in front of me reclined, the video screen was so close to my face I could not view it. [Virgin Atlantic offers a premium economy section, a much more robust option than Delta’s Economy Comfort, but Medallion upgrades do not apply.]
A sympathetic flight attendant/purser put me in the bulkhead between the two bathrooms, where I was stepped on three times as I tried to sleep. (I would not have had that option if it had been a busier flight.)
Virgin Atlantic A330-300 has Upper class, premium economy and economy class cabins
The purser sat with me for about 15 minutes and we discussed the situation of the Delta elite benefits not transferring well over to Virgin. He told me that Delta had gotten everything that they had asked for at the negotiating table. I do not at all blame Virgin for this. I think Delta has not gone to bat for their best customers as it relates to the partnership.
I spoke with a Medallion desk customer service representative this morning. I told her that I really have to rethink this whole status situation, because I fly that ATL/LHR regularly. In my mind, if I am going to fly coach like the average passenger who has no status whatsoever, I might as well look for the lowest price ticket on any airline, or purchase a hotel/flight combo at a third party.
I had a $50K+ spend on my Delta American Express card this year, and I’m sure CapitalOne would love to have that revenue, and I’d be rewarded nicely with miles that I can use anytime.
Anyway, I don’t know if this will improve, but I feel like Medallions are really getting the shaft on this partnership.
Happy New Year Chris! I really enjoy your newsletter.
S.G.
We contacted S.G. to follow up on his email and got another earful about his THIRD flight on Virgin:
I took my third Virgin Atlantic roundtrip (ATL-LHR) last Wednesday (returned today), and I am finding that once again the boarding process is inconsistent. Exit rows and premium economy equivalent seating is still not available to Gold, Platinum or Diamond Medallions and it does not look like they will ever be.
On last Wednesday’s flight the flight attendants announced that anyone moving into an exit row , bulkhead or extra leg room seat after take-off would be charged a fee during the flight, and I think they said it would be more than if you paid in advance.
I’ve spoken to the Delta Medallion customer service reps on several occasions to see if there are any updates and last time it really did sound like Delta will not be pushing this. Virgin Atlantic is a great airline, the flight attendants are great and very service oriented, but I am clearly seeing that my Delta Medallion perks mean nothing on Virgin as far as the seating goes. I am grateful that I can use their lounge at Heathrow, but it appears, that at least for now, better seating is not an option unless you are willing to pay for it.
Thanks very much for sharing your experience!
As a platinum medallion, should SG have been treated any better by Virgin? Would Delta or Virgin Atlantic like to respond? Please post your comments below.
(Reader Report is a new series of posts from TravelSkills readers about their recent travel experiences. Would you like to submit a Readers Report on a recent travel experience? Let us know and we’ll send you some guidelines! We are looking for short, sweet, concise reports– no rants. Photos always appreciated! Email us!)
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For anyone finding this comment in present day, I think things have changed a little with regards VA Flying Club benefits to use DL lounges. Perhaps it used to be the case that you could use them, but recently I tried to use the DL lounge at BOS and was turned away as my flight did not include a transatlantic segment. Given that I had a first class domestic (BOS->MSP->PDX) flight, this seems like an especially crappy deal.
There is a simple solution to all of this crying about not receiving your elite benefits on Virgin and being stuck in the back. PAY FOR a PE ticket on Virgin which will give you plenty of room or even better PAY FOR an Upper Class ticket. Seriously enough crying about a tv screen being too close to your face. If I am flying Virgin or Delta for that matter and I want to be sure I am going to be comfortable I purchase a ticket in the appropriate cabin. With regards to elite status I’m above DM and I still don’t complain if things don’t go my way. You have 100% control over where you sit on the plane, just open your wallet.
Judy – – your comments will be read by many, many Delta elites, as this thread is now linked in Delta forums. Virgin will have you to thank for confirming that any promised benefits will not be conferred by Virgin, and that the alliance is a farce. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for the true skinny.
Sparky, excuse me for being so cynical, but DL may have promoted the perks, but who believes any airline these days? If your perks are important to you (and they certainly are to me), stick with “your” airline where you know from experience that your status will be recognized. The fact that he took THREE trips with Virgin, expecting a good flight in spite of what he had already learned … and the fact that he could have flown DL on the same route … strange. For the record, nothing (that I can afford) beats Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, and I’ve heard that their Premium Economy is great.
This was an interesting post. I have flown Virgin several times via the DL/VS (Virgin Atlantic) partnership as a PM. It seems to be highly inconsistent based on the departure airport. The perks are further reduced with the DL/VA (Virgin Australia) link up.
On VS, I have always received clubhouse access (and these lounges are stunning with service that no US airline has or will – I assume – attempt to imitate) out of all airports with VS clubhouses. I have also always received priority boarding, priority baggage, business class check-in out of LHR and BOS. However, I have had to pay for extra legroom seats (which is a good idea on VS) until my most recent flight BOS-LHR on 22 January 2015.This was one VS’s new 787-9 (a stunning aircraft even in economy). On this flight, I could book extra legroom or exit seats for free. You must however always show your PM card at the airport as it is not displayed on the boarding pass, however they do seem to have a print out in the clubhouses of PMs and DMs flying economy. Of course the VS inflight service in all classes is of a much higher standard than DL’s. It’s a shame DL which owns 49% of VS has not tried to emulate VS on long haul flights. I should note flying Little Red (Domestic UK) is totally different and quite inferior – which may explain why it will cease operations this summer. BA’s domestic UK service is infinitely better.
On VA, things are far more confusing and unequal. On a flight LAX-SYD, I had to ask for every perk except priority boarding (I was in Premium Economy). Also, VA has very few lounges and PMs/DMs have no access to contracted lounges including at LAX or even out of SYD and MEL (access is only to VA domestic lounges as they have no VA international lounges in Australia) while VA Elites have access to all DL lounges worldwide (regardless of the type of flight, domestic or international).There is no access as far as I know to better economy seating on VA.
It may be that as of 2015, DL has worked with VS on fixing some issues. Also, note that it can be tricky pulling up your DL-codeshare reservation on VS’s website – you need the record locator and you need to note that any middle initial will be added to the end of your first name (Sally M Smith must be input as Sallym Smith). You must also correct any errors in your SM number to ensure that benefits and credits work. VS sometimes adds a decimal to your SM number (such as 2xxxxxxxx2.1) and you need to remove the decimal if you see it (.1).
I stay clear of partner carriers over the ocean, but for intra-European flights, flying KLM as a Delta Platinum is a great experience (exit rows; lounge; fast lanes; caring service).
Judy – – Delta heavily promoted the new alliance and that Delta medallions would get the perks on Virgin. This isn’t some random sense of entitlement – – it is a disappointment that undermines the new alliance – – I’m Delta elite and just had the chance to book Virgin to London, and after reading this I am REALLY glad I booked Delta metal instead.
this is the point that most are missing. While the OP complained about lots of things, the fact he was promised (actually, it’s illegal false advertising) early boarding and did not receive it means he is eligible for some sort of refund. If he has a screenshot of the Delta site promising this, along with some free time, he should try suing in small claims court. Airlines will continue their false advertisements until they are taken to task by someone (either a bevy of small claims suite, or hopefully a state AG suit).
I don’t think I’ve ever understood the current term of entitlement properly until reading this post. He wasn’t happy with the boarding process … really? Expecting the same preferential treatment from a different airline? Why? What would Delta do with my Flying Club Silver status? Not much, nor would I expect anything. Spending the flight in a coach seat when you could upgrade to premium economy is just weird. He didn’t get comfort because it cost money? Yeah, better seats cost money … unless you’re on “your” airline, then you are entitled to the perks, and you know what you’re entitled to.
As someone that purchases a seat in first/business when traveling more than 3 hours, I wish these (in this case medallion) travelers would just shut up and quit thinking they are entitled to every perk under the sky. In this case S.G purchased an economy seat, and that’s where he should sit instead of expecting an upgrade. I predict the perks will be disappearing from even the most “loyal” passengers FF programs in the future.
Couldn’t agree with you more.
“you can decide, with your dollars, exactly how much it matters to you”
Amen. Virgin sells extra-legroom and bulkhead seats for fairly small amounts of money – £35 depending on the flight. The OP could have booked with them… http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/us/en/the-virgin-experience/economy/seating/extra-leg-room-teaser.html
This is very true… and it’s also true with UA-LH or UA-AC flying and AA-BA.
What I don’t understand is why S.G. didn’t take one of the Delta flights ATL-LHR. Last I checked, DL is operating two a day and VS only one. If the first experience was so bad (and it sounds like it was), then why keep picking the codeshare flights with VS? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
“when the person in front of me reclined, the video screen was so close to my face I could not view it”
Then recline your seat.
“where I was stepped on three times as I tried to sleep”
Keep your feet out of the aisle if you don’t like it.
” the flight attendants announced that anyone moving into an exit row , bulkhead or extra leg room seat after take-off would be charged a fee during the flight”
Is there something confusing about that?
Here’s a comment sent to us via email from GB:
This is in follow-up to your recent post on Virgin Atlantic not honoring DL medallion status during the boarding process and when selecting economy comfort seats.
I am a Delta Platinum Medallion and I recently had a very similar experience when flying KLM, Air France and Alitalia., as follows:
KLM does not give out complimentary Economy Comfort seats to Platinum medallions (flight from Amsterdam to JFK). Alitalia disregards the concept of Skypriority and boards all levels medallions at the same time (JFK to Rome). Also, AZ does not have Economy Comfort because it has a premium economy cabin that it sells at a different class (flight JFK to Rome).
Finally, AF ranks the worst for not boarding business class before other medallion economy passengers (on a flight from Rome to Paris, AF did not call business class but boarded all Skyteam together, so many gold medallions boarded before business class passengers). This created much confusion with regard to cabin baggage allowance. As a business passenger I was initially asked to check my carry-on at the gate and I had to complain in order to bring it onboard.
Finally, here is an encompassing example of the huge confusion within Skyteam: Upon checking-in at JFK for a flight to Rome via Nice (Delta and AF) the DL representative said she was unable to give me a boarding pass to Rome. When I checked in at Nice the following morning, the AF representative tried to charge me for the two bags I had already checked in for free at JFK. It took much explaining to convince them that my Platinum status allows to check two free bags all the way to my final destination. Then again, once at the gate, I was flagged by the system again, and asked in front of other passengers to pay for my bags as I tried to board the flight to Rome. Once more, it took a lot of patience and French language skills.
In my opinion, the latter incident seems to be Delta’s responsibility. DL in JFK Skyteam check-in should provide all boarding passes and ensure the bags are sent to the final destinations without further questions. I’d be interested to hear your thoughts.
I’m loving all these comments, folks! THANK YOU! A healthy repartee is always a good thing on TravelSkills! To me, the broadest lesson learned here is this line from Michelle (and reflected elsewhere in the string): “If they want the perks of being a high level medallion, they have to stay on true Delta flights.” Keep ’em coming. –chris
I am with you here Chris. The OP acknowledged that he was not entitled to Premium Economy on VS because it is a separate cabin of service.
I am dismayed that in their zeal to blame the victim, many here seemed to miss the part of the OP’s post where HE BOUGHT A DL TICKET (it just happened to be on a flight operated by VS). While that information is normally displayed at the time of purchase, it isn’t always clear. Additionally, if the OP had purchased his DL ticket prior to DL swapping the operation of the flight with VS, there is nothing that he could have done with the possible exception of pleading for a Medallion rep to move him to a different Delta-operated flight. (DL and VS have been swapping the operation of a number of flights so this situation could happen to any of us.)
I, too, flew VS on a DL-issued ticket a couple of months ago. Great staff, incredible lounge at LHR, but no exit-row seating for this Platinum, and no priority boarding. DL and VS may be JV “partners” but seamless it was not. Until the experience is more consistent, I def won’t be flying VS again.
It’s interesting to hear about S.G.’s experience as a Platinum Medallion on Virgin Atlantic. Sadly, the experience hasn’t been much different on domestic Delta flights. I’m Diamond Medallion who usually books flights 7-8 days in advance, paying highly for the privilege. However, I always end up having to select a middle seat in coach and pray that an upgrade will be available (not always the case). Delta provides no seating alternative for their Diamond level business travelers who book only a week before travel. The Medallion Customer Service desk is apologetic and they thank me profusely for my Diamond and Million Miler status, but offer no alternatives. This has happened so often that I have shifted my loyalties to another airline (and another affinity credit card). Thank goodness I have alternatives in my market (SFO)!
JV is probably the closest thing to a description…what it boils down to is DL bought 49% of VS….
Chris, I’m a travel agent and see this all the time with my clients. I book many Diamond and Platinum members and we steer clear of codeshare flights for this exact reason. If they want the perks of being a high level medallion, they have to stay on true Delta flights.
I will say that it’s not only Delta that has this problem. I have a client who is a Lufthansa Senator logging over 150k miles per year but he flies on Air Canada the greatest majority of the year since that is his territory. Air Canada treats him like a red-headed stepchild. He can’t get premium seats without paying for them and he can’t even get a seat assignment regardless of his status if he chooses to take one of their rock bottom fares on a route.
The ‘partnership’ agreements are really nothing more than a ruse to market seats through more booking sources. They are not built to benefit the customer at all.
This is a lot of noise from a Platinum member. I’m Diamond, have been for years, and wouldn’t make this much fuss if they had asked me to sit on the wing. Frankly, I’m tired of standing at the gate and listening to people complain about what’s due to them.
Here’s my thinking: You clearly want this route and miles, so you’re going to keep flying Virgin. Should you want route, miles, and a better seat then you’re just going to have to pay for it. This might include a premium economy seat or business. The great part about that is you can decide, with your dollars, exactly how much it matters to you. Or, fly another route on one of Delta’s birds and watch your troubles melt away. Otherwise, try another airline.
And for the sake of that person at the desk you keep calling – it’s not free therapy. Calling multiple times to complain to the desk, or that poor flight attendant, is just needy. Leave them alone!
Side note: I find the threat of storming off with your 50K spend laughable. That doesn’t even come close to putting you in the ‘exceptionally profitable’ tier for a credit card company.
I flew Air France a few years ago on a Delta-ticketed flight from Bangalore to ATL via CDG as a Platinum (I’m Diamond now), and got basically the same treatment. It was a surpassingly unpleasant experience and ever since I’ve scrupulously avoided flying Delta’s so-called partners. Come to think of it, that may be why Delta fails to negotiate better treatment for us.
“when the person in front of me reclined, the video screen was so close to my face I could not view it. ” and “Virgin Atlantic is a great airline…”
If it is so great then why did S.G. chose to fly a second or third time with economy seating such as that? And all for a mileage run??? Flying is such a pain…why on Earth does anyone subject themselves to mileage runs for “loyalty” the airlines don’t value?
And if S.G. is all bent out of shape over VA, then he better stay away from United.
The posts here that the “writer seems entitled” make me laugh. Why shouldn’t we be entitled? We pick and choose airlines and pay to get that “entitlement.” And I love the comments about “If he wants Premium Economy, then he should cough up the $$. Well, if he wants First Class, he should cough up the $$$. Hell, we should all just fly in our own corporate G5’s for that matter. Why bother picking an airline? Why bother posting on this Website? If everybody could afford Premium Economy, Business Class, First Class and G5’s, there would be no point in these articles, would there? Sheesh!
I so disagree with your response Chris. If he wants those perks, fly Delta. I don’t understand where the expectation lies despite what is on Delta’s website. It also promises premium service and top notch experience. Yeah, no. That doesn’t happen. It’s an imperfect partnership as all airline alliances are.
And I have to ask why he continues to pay for VA while he could fly Delta and get his precious Medallion perks (which beyond boarding early frankly escape me). Does he have that much hand luggage that he needs a whole bin? Might be its a premium experience that makes DL pale in comparison.
Seems there is a larger issue at hand.
Not merger, joint venture.
Early boarding is one thing, definitely (and can be a big help).
But a LH star gold frequent flier wouldn’t qualify for premium economy seating when flying on United – and vice versa.
DL-VS is not in the same alliance, but it is a JV, so I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect to have SOME reciprocity (though nowhere near the expectations of the OP).
Just from my own experience, boarding procedures seem hit and miss across *most* airlines. There is some variation, but I’ve had many experiences on different carriers where they don’t even adhere to their OWN procedures as they were written on the website.
On United, until they actually created six lanes at each gate as a forcing function for gate agents, and gave gate agents scripted prompts for boarding announcements, boarding would often be a haphazard maneuver: sometimes they’d forget to call Global Services, sometimes they wouldn’t board 1Ks with business class… some agents would let families board whenever… whatever – it seemed like gate agents all were doing their own thing. Now, though, it’s been standardized by force (following howls of complaints from elites along the same lines as this article’s OP), with six clearly marked lanes and boarding groups that display on screens above the jet-bridge.
My point is just that boarding idiosyncrasies aren’t unique to Virgin Atlantic – it’s not uncommon for boarding procedures to be applied in a haphazard manner across a large airline. Yes, it might be different from what Delta advertise, but sometimes that’s just the luck of the draw… I’ve had a similar experience on Delta in LA myself.
From what I understand from a friend who used to work for VS, it’s much more than a JV, but they are not telling the public that. My friend said that all VS staff are of the understanding that SRB sold out to DL but managed to keep the Virgin brand intact.
I am sorry, yes this person sounds just like me, “untitled”.
We all have been pushed around and these airlines are making all of these deals but not living up to the promise. Specially since this deal between Virgin and Delta is so new, it’s hard for one airline to honor these deals.
Three years ago a friend died in Midland, Texas and I had to make the trip from Washington D.C. I was lucky to get frequent flyer tickets, since the last minute fare was $1,400. But it was the week that Continental and United were merging. My first leg from Dulles to Houston was cancelled and I was rebooked on a flight to Denver, then onto Midland. Only problem Continental was screwed up in transferring bags. I went on a Sunday morning for the wake and funeral was on Monday. Guess when my bags arrived, the Tuesday I was leaving. So the airline was able to put my bags back on my flight home.
It took a year and a half to get money back for the clothes that I bought.
Folks weren’t helpful at all and United would say it was Continentals fault and I needed to talk with them, Continental said it was a United booked flight so they had to deal with it.
All I am saying is that it takes a while these mergers. It’s terrible and flying is terrible now.
Very true. LAN do not recognize Platinum AA passengers when it comes to seat assignments.
Does everyone know that if you book on a VS flight using the Delta flight numbers you are not entitled to the free limo transfers? I am a corporate travel agent and when I first came across this, I blasted both the VS and DL reps assigned to our clients. I got a response back from the VS rep saying there were still things to iron out with the partnership and they hoped to offer it soon. Also seats cannot be booked via GDS, they have to be booked either online (if the VS site manages to recognize their own locator) or over the phone. So any corporation who is on a management fee with an agency is getting charged for them having to do extra work
I definitely get where this guy is coming from. I do SYD-LAX about 4 times a year. Delta does one flight per day, and Virgin does one flight per day out of SYD and another out of Brisbane. Delta really pushes the Virgin operated flights on their website. Typically the first page will show *only* Virgin operated flights, and often they try to push you to fly to Brisbane which is completely nonsensical when your home airport is Sydney. In order to push more people onto these Virgin flights, Delta has raised the price of the DL flight by a few hundred bucks.
Anyway. The point is, Delta is actively pressuring its customers to take VA operated flights. Yet Delta customers cannot even choose seats on the Virgin flights. If you want to pay for an upgrade or a better seat (or even if you just want to choose a seat), this can only be done by calling Virgin and Virgin does not have an obligation to Delta Medallions to provide any perks. It seems to me, if Delta wants Delta customers on Virgin flights, the Medallion perks need to be there. Premium economy upgrades seem out of the question (since those seats are pretty fancy on Virgin) but options for bulkhead/aisle seats, as well as an ability to actually choose one’s seat, should be available.
Good point about Virgin not being SkyTeam… I forgot about that part — chris
The issue I have with this is even though Delta and Virgin Atlantic Code share, VS is not a Sky Team member. Therefore, the poster is not entitled. When I flew LH to Frankfurt on a UA ticket, I was allowed early boarding because of my status and because LH is a *A carrier.
The last time I flew AF, I got Premium Economy for free as a Platinum… but that’s been a while. 🙂
So here’s my $0.02 here…
I agree with a lot of the folks below who say that the writer does come off as somewhat entitled… but he does bring up _one_ good point — and that is that Delta _does_ state that Priority Boarding is given to Diamond/Platinum/Gold Medallions… and if he didn’t get that, then that is something that Delta needs to address… the rest of the laundry list? Well, it’s just that… a laundry list of complaints… which Delta and Virgin Atlantic will take or leave (probably leave 🙂 )…
The rest of the stuff? Well.. yeah…if you didn’t buy Premium Economy, don’t expect it. If you didn’t buy Upper Class, don’t expect it. And his whole “third round trip” experience — I’ve been on United flights where they’ve walked around with their credit card machines “selling” the remaining Economy Plus seats that were available, so… that doesn’t surprise me…
(And, seriously… he hated the second trip so much that he did it again?? Go figure…)
Sorry, but the writer simply comes off as an entitled douche. Want the perks of elite level Medallion? Stick to Delta. Partner airlines do not always reciprocate elite flyer benefits. That’s true with Skyteam and it’s true with Star and One World as well.
Want Upper Class? Pay for it. Problem solved.
I flew Delta from LHR to LAX earlier this month and got the best of both worlds: I got to use the Virgin private wing (though it wasn’t exactly smooth – had to wait while they called up an IATS security agent from the Delta checkin desk), use of the clubhouse with a haircut/lunch/cocktails, etc. But, because I was flying on Delta in BE I also got Precheck for my connecting flight, could pre-board the plane, etc.
Delta and Virgin may be in a JV, but I wouldn’t expect too much out of it – certainly not a free upgrade on a long-haul flight (yes, being put in premier economy is considered an upgrade on Virgin as opposed to Delta – it’s a totally different cabin!). Can you point to any JV where the partner airline would do this? Not UA-LH-AC, and certainly not AA-BA.
You get what you pay for. If you want to sit in Premium Econ, you need to cough up the $. It’s not *all* that much more when you price it out (and compare it to a business fare). This isn’t a domestic Delta flight here. Virgin is in NO sort of financial situation to be dishing out free upgrades to DL elites. Modify expectations. You got to use their fabulous lounge in Heathrow, you probably got a free massage and free lunch with a free cocktail. Quit whining.
Also have to agree with the poster below that $50k spend on the DL AmEx doesn’t really say much. If that spend had been on Delta itself, then that might mean something. But, my guess is that if you’re taking $1250 milage runs to LHR in December, this guys Delta spending isn’t anywhere close to that kind of a range…
Lastly – sounds a bit ludicrous that someone based in ATL would threaten to leave for another airline. Which airline is going to be better? BA econ is just as bad, if not worse. The DL Medllion rep probably took one look at his spend and said ‘buh-bye’.
I don’t think SG is saying the he should have sat in Virgin’s Premium economy… sounds to me like there are some coach seats on VA that are roomier than others (aisle, bulkhead) for which he’d like his Medallion status to apply. He would also like to have boarded early as promised on the Delta website. Sounds like a reasonable request to me. –Chris
Is this any different treatment than Delta elites would expect to get on the KLM-Air France-Alitalia JV? They need a global upgrade coupon to get from Economy to Premium economy on Air France, don’t they? And that’s a anti-competitive immune JV, isn’t it? Such ‘upgrades’ aren’t given out for free by Air France-KLM to Delta elites just because they’re loyal to Delta.
United elites don’t get bumps into premium economy on Lufthansa or AC (which is another JV). In the other JV, AA elites don’t get into premium economy on BA (and vice versa) – indeed AA elites can use their upgrades to get from Econ into Premium Econ on BA.
This all seems like a bogus expectation to me. Entitlement. You get what you pay for. Pay $1250 for a crappy econ seat and you should be prepared to sit in your crappy econ seat.
49% is still minority.
Virgin Atlantic is a bit more than a partner airline. Delta owns 49% of the company. While I agree that some of what the OP describes are a bit of entitlement, some of his complaints are justified. If Delta is going to have a JV with another airline, then Delta needs to make sure that the Delta elites are treated well.
You booked in economy and took a Virgin flight. Delta doesn’t do Medallion upgrades internationally and why would he expect Virgin to? And Diamonds in coach – more boo hoo. Bringing your family to Europe for the holidays? Cough it up and buy Upper Class. You’re upset because you’re at the back of the plane? You got what you paid for.
We liked Virgin a lot. I’d never fly Delta and those coffin like 767 seats again to London from NY. We paid for Upper Class and enjoyed it. Seats were extremely comfortable, pajamas, and a comforter to sleep on and one over you. Nothing like Delta.
Coming back to NY from London, the Virgin Wing experience was surreal. Our car was met by a smiling agent, bag tags and boarding passes in her hands. They whisked the bags away, and we were through security in a minute. The Virgin crew coming back was terrific – going over less so, but I got on and went to sleep.
My biggest complaint is that there is no special security line at JFK and it was mayhem to get through. I wasn’t afforded pre-check as I usually am domestically, and it was get in line that just didn’t move. Virgin needs to match the London service at JFK.
I don’t expect Medallion boarding or anything else from a partner airline. I just am glad I don’t have to put up with Delta’s substandard International service, and uncomfortable seats on the 767 and still get miles and MQM’s. The seats on the A330 we took to Rome this fall were far more comfortable, but it’s the same lame service.
And his point on spending $50k on his AMEX card? What does he expect for that? He gets his MQM’s, for every $30k in spend, and that’s all it’s good for. They devalued the benefits greatly so that’s all one expects is the MQMs. Tell him to cough up another $10k in spend and he won’t have to take mileage runs (not that they work any longer).