VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: Lounge membership cost increase
If you are considering Virgin Australia lounge membership now, buy now, before 1 July, and save AU$150.
If you have earned Gold status with Virgin Australia, you get lounge access as part of your privilege. But for some less frequent flyers who enjoy the comforts of a lounge, direct payment is the other access option.
From 1 July, access to one of Virgin Australia’s seven main capital city lounges will be more expensive. Expect to pay an extra AU$50 per year to access the lounges in Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast, Melbourne, Perth, or Sydney. Expect to pay a joining or re-joining fee of AU $99 if your membership has lapsed for more than a month.
Content of this Post:
The new Lounge Membership charges
- AU$ 450 instead of AU$399 for a one-year membership
- AU$ 99 joining fee – or re-joining fee if you lapse for more than a month. Currently, that joining fee is waived
- AU$ 65 remains the price of single access entry, or AU$ 45 for children 2 to 17 yoa
- AU$ 9,750 remains the cost of lifetime membership
If you are a lifetime member and have achieved Gold or above status, your lounge access comes complimentary with that status. For Platinums, you even get post-flight access.
On lifetime membership – it may be a good option for some, but I would prefer to spend that kind of money on actual flights, and gain status sufficient to give me ‘free’ lounge access. Who knows what the future will hold for your travel patterns or the services Virgin lounges will offer?
Virgin Lounges worth it?
The newly updated lounges are pretty nice, particularly in Adelaide and Melbourne. The Sydney one is nice enough but frequently overcrowded. I’ve not visited the lounges at other destinations, so I will leave readers’ opinions in the comments.
Lounges are great retreats if you want to get some work done. They generally provide better facilities to plug in your laptop, grab a refreshment that you don’t have to (mostly) queue or pay for, and relax. However, when they are full and loud, not that I have anything against celebrating sports fans, they can be awful.
Despite their limited selection, I often find the food offerings in the Virgin lounges and the sandwich/wrap style offerings much more appealing than the curry/stew/bolognese slop options in the Qantas lounges, even in the Business lounges. Devotees of the DIY Toastie in the Qantas lounges will, of course, disagree.
However, don’t expect to be able to get a gin and tonic in a Virgin Lounge. Options are limited to beer, wine and sparkling.
2PAXfly Takeout
Personally, I love a lounge. But these days in most airports, you can get better food options outside the lounges. You will have to pay, and airports are a captive market, so expect to pay a premium.
Virgin Lounges outside of Sydney and peak times are pretty nice places to spend an hour or two. Pay for membership if you are not going to earn it by status and you value the facilities. If not, sticking to the airport’s offerings is advice.
Customer loyalty is an extremely valuable asset and if Virgin start getting dollar hungry it won’t take long for regular flyers to become disenchanted…once that rot sets in a whole swathe of customers could move across to the opposition and if this starts to happen who knows what the Opps might offer to sweeten the change!
Max, thanks for your comment. I think you are correct. Positive public perception of the Virgin brand is essential for their market appeal. That and price and service are what distinguishes them from Qantas. They can’t easily compete on frequency or network.