OREANDA-NEWS. September 26, 2014. Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia announced a world first for frequent flyers, allowing members of KrisFlyer and Velocity Frequent Flyer to convert their Miles and Points between both programmes for the first time and receive a number of innovative new benefits.
 
The new conversion innovation, which is exclusive to the two airline loyalty programmes, will give members greater access to upgrades and reward seats across the combined domestic and international network of Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines. By converting their miles, KrisFlyer members will also be able to benefit from Velocity’s range of non-flight redemption rewards.
 
The new conversion capability will be available to members of both programmes from November as well as an improved online booking capability for Velocity Frequent Flyers to redeem flights on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir.
 
A range of programme enhancements have also been introduced to both KrisFlyer and Velocity members over the last 12 months and include:

redemption across all classes of travel on Virgin Australia with the inclusion of premium economy and the ability to earn Status Credits on domestic, Trans-Tasman and Pacific Islands codeshare flights operated by Virgin Australia for KrisFlyer members; and

a reduction in the Velocity Points required for Reward Seats on Singapore Airlines and the ability to earn Points on all fare classes with Singapore Airlines and SilkAir for Velocity Frequent Flyer members.

Singapore Airlines Executive Vice President Commercial, Mr Mak Swee Wah, said: “We are always looking for new ways to serve our customers better and the alliance with Virgin Australia enables us to offer a first-rate integrated travel experience across Australia. This latest enhancement will increase the benefits to KrisFlyer members, providing more value to miles accrued when travelling on Singapore Airlines and SilkAir with a wider range of redemption options.”
 
Velocity Frequent Flyer Chief Executive Officer Neil Thompson added: “As we build and strengthen our alliance partnership with Singapore Airlines, we will continue to look for opportunities to leverage their strong international network to the benefit of our most valued customers.
 
“We have built a transformational loyalty business with a membership base of more than 4.5 million and this unique innovation is part of our strategic plan to fast track the programme’s growth in becoming a world-leading loyalty programme. Enhancing reciprocal reward and recognition for our most frequent flyers will enable us to deliver them even greater benefits when flying domestically and internationally across our combined networks,” Mr Thompson said.

The Singapore Airlines and Virgin Australia alliance provides more choice for domestic and international air travel to and from Australia, with attractive and seamless travel options connecting 45 destinations in Virgin Australia’s network to over 80 destinations across Singapore Airlines and SilkAir’s global network.