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Home » Virgin Atlantic » Virgin Atlantic Spares Europe From Massive Delta Devaluation
Delta Air LinesVirgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic Spares Europe From Massive Delta Devaluation

Matthew Klint Posted onJanuary 11, 2021November 14, 2023 3 Comments

a woman sitting in a plane

Some good news, for a change, even if it feels a bit like celebrating one survivor amidst untold casualties. Virgin Atlantic will spare Europe from its massive and unannounced Delta redemption devaluation. This is cause for relief, but hardly praise.

Virgin Atlantic’s Shameful, No-Notice Devaluation

Virgin Atlantic rang in the new year with a no-notice devaluation. We woke up to find that awards skyrocketed by as much as 175% in price. For example, a Delta nonstop from Detroit to Shanghai  was 60,000 miles for business class and suddenly cost 165,000 miles for the same flight.

That’s an extreme example, but across the board Delta prices rose dramatically, especially for premium cabin awards. Pricing on flights to London remained unchanged, but those flights carry enormous surcharges, defeating their value.

At the time, Virgin Atlantic defended the devaluation, stating “the redemption pricing remains competitive.” That was true…Virgin Atlantic was the lone sweet spot when it came to redeeming points or miles for travel on Delta. Redeem via Delta directly and prices were similarly high. Booking via Korean Air SkyPass or Air France FlyingBlue were somewhat better, but still did not have the ease and value of Virgin Atlantic pricing.


> Read More: Virgin Atlantic’s No-Notice Devaluation Has Delta’s Fingerprints All Over It


The problem, in that sense, was not so much the devaluation itself, though lamentable, but the lack of notice, which showed an utter disregard for members. We’re in the midst of a global downturn in which commercial aviation has been squeezed hard and Virgin Atlantic rewards its members by devaluing its program without notice? That is simply shameful, unethical behavior.

Delta Award Flights To Europe Return To 2020 Pricing Via Virgin Atlantic Flying Club

In a small reprieve, Delta nonstop flights between North American gateways and cities in Europe (outside of London) will drop back to 2020 pricing levels.

That means 30,000 one-way for economy class and 50,000 one-way for business class. 

Please note that Delta does not impose fuel surcharges on trips originating in the USA (one-way or round-trip), but if you originate in Europe, you will face fuel surcharges.

This pricing is not distance-depending, so a one-way Los Angeles to Paris will cost the same as a one-way from New York to Paris.

CONCLUSION

This is good news only so far as the original bad news is not quite as bad. But hey, we’ll take what we can get. Using your Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles to travel from the USA to Europe nonstop will remain a sweet spot…for now.

(H/T: GSTP)

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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3 Comments

  1. Ethan G Reply
    January 11, 2021 at 2:35 pm

    WHEW, great news. This is the only reason I collected Flying Club miles. Thanks, Matthew!

  2. Christian Reply
    January 11, 2021 at 4:54 pm

    So it’s only people not flying to Europe that get screwed. Now people are happy, LOL. It’s like the Marriott-Starwood merger where Marriott jacked up award prices, then told customers how great the company was by offering a “discounted” rate that was more than the initial price.

  3. DAVE Reply
    January 11, 2021 at 6:13 pm

    What a great deal by Virgin: we increase redemption tickets by 175% and introduce 1000 GBP surcharges. But in exchange you can have a status match from BAEC. What will the status match get you? Nothing, because all our lounges are closed and travel restrictions likely prohibit you from taking any single one of our flights. LMAO

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