{"id":84966,"date":"2023-03-02T13:00:05","date_gmt":"2023-03-02T13:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/?p=84966"},"modified":"2026-04-08T13:45:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:45:55","slug":"virgin-atlantic-joining-skyteam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/news\/virgin-atlantic-flying-club\/virgin-atlantic-joining-skyteam\/","title":{"rendered":"Virgin Atlantic Joins SkyTeam; New Redemption Options Already Bookable"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Virgin Atlantic announced at a press conference in London on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, that the airline would join the <a href=\"\/airlines\/airline-alliances-and-partnerships\/\">SkyTeam airline alliance<\/a>. Now, this has come to pass. Virgin Atlantic officially <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skyteam.com\/en\/about\/press-releases\/press-releases-2023\/virgin-altantic-to-join-skyteam-alliance-today\" rel=\"noopener\">joined SkyTeam<\/a> today, <strong>March 2, 2023<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The move is not particularly surprising considering Virgin's relationship with SkyTeam members. The airline already had a deep relationship with the big three members of the SkyTeam alliance: Delta, Air France, and KLM. Not to mention that Delta owns a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"What_We_Know_So_Far_About_Virgin_Atlantic_Joining_SkyTeam\">What We Know So Far About Virgin Atlantic Joining SkyTeam<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Here is what we know so far from the press conferences and the accompanying press releases on the Virgin Atlantic newsroom <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skyteam.com\/en\/about\/press-releases\/press-releases-2023\/virgin-altantic-to-join-skyteam-alliance-today\" rel=\"noopener\">website<\/a>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Virgin Atlantic joined SkyTeam on March 2, 2023.<\/li>\n<li>Flying Club members will be able to earn and use Virgin points with all alliance members. New redemption rates have been released as of March 2, 2023. See below for details.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span id=\"Elite_Status_Levels\">Elite Status Levels<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In terms of elite status levels:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Flying Club Silver = SkyTeam Elite.<\/li>\n<li>Flying Club Gold = SkyTeam Elite Plus.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Virgin Atlantic elite members receive the usual raft of benefits granted as part of alliance-wide elite status. These include priority check-in, baggage handling, lounge access, and more.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the elite benefits that Flying Club elites can now expect when traveling with SkyTeam partners:<\/p>\n<p><img data-aspectratio=\"750\/638\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-96486 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Virgin-Atlantic-Flying-Club-elite-benefits-300x255.png\" alt=\"Virgin Atlantic SkyTeam elite benefits\" width=\"750\" height=\"638\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Virgin-Atlantic-Flying-Club-elite-benefits-300x255.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Virgin-Atlantic-Flying-Club-elite-benefits-1024x871.png 1024w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Virgin-Atlantic-Flying-Club-elite-benefits-768x653.png 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Virgin-Atlantic-Flying-Club-elite-benefits.png 1144w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Lounge_Access\">Lounge Access<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>SkyTeam Elite Plus members traveling on Virgin Atlantic, Delta, or Aeromexico will have access to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London Heathrow. One exception: Delta Gold Medallion members will not have access to Virgin Atlantic\u2019s Heathrow Clubhouse unless traveling in Virgin Atlantic Upper Class or Delta One.<\/p>\n<p>Other SkyTeam Elite Plus members will have to use the &#8220;airline-designated lounge&#8221; in Terminal 3.<\/p>\n<p>Virgin Atlantic Gold members can now access a network of 750 worldwide airport lounges as Elite Plus members.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"New_Virgin_Atlantic_Flying_Club_Redemptions\">New Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Redemptions<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Virgin Atlantic already offered a sizable list of partner airlines where travelers could earn and redeem Virgin points. Now with Virgin Atlantic joining SkyTeam, that list just grew by 14 airlines:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Aerol\u00edneas Argentinas<\/li>\n<li>Aeromexico<\/li>\n<li>Air Europa<\/li>\n<li>China Airlines<\/li>\n<li>Czech Airlines<\/li>\n<li>Garuda Indonesia<\/li>\n<li>ITA Airways<\/li>\n<li>Kenya Airways<\/li>\n<li>Korean Air<\/li>\n<li>MEA<\/li>\n<li>Saudia<\/li>\n<li>TAROM<\/li>\n<li>Vietnam Airlines<\/li>\n<li>XiamenAir<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<figure id=\"attachment_128613\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img data-aspectratio=\"750\/358\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-128613 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/SkyTeam-Alliance-map-300x143.jpg\" alt=\"Graphic showing all SkyTeam airlines superimposed on top of a world map\" width=\"750\" height=\"358\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/SkyTeam-Alliance-map-300x143.jpg 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/SkyTeam-Alliance-map-768x367.jpg 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/SkyTeam-Alliance-map.jpg 1019w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><center><em>Updated map of SkyTeam alliance airlines now that Virgin Atlantic has joined the alliance.<\/em><\/enter><\/figure>\n<h3><span id=\"Virgin_Atlantic_SkyTeam_Award_Redemption_Rates\">Virgin Atlantic SkyTeam Award Redemption Rates<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Unlike its non-alliance partners, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is using a uniform distance-based award chart for all its new SkyTeam partners:<\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-419\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-419 tablepress-responsive\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1 odd\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\">Flight distance (miles)<\/th><th class=\"column-2\">Economy<\/th><th class=\"column-3\">Premium (where available)<\/th><th class=\"column-4\">Business<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">0-500<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">5,500<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">9,000<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">14,500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">501-1,000<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">7,000<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">12,500<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">15,500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">1,001-1,500<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">10,000<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">16,000<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">21,500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">1,501-2,250<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">11,500<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">22,000<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">35,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">2,251-3,000<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">15,500<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">26,500<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">40,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-7 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">3,001-4,000<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">20,500<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">37,500<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">60,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-8 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">4,001-5,000<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">25,500<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">47,500<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">75,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-9 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">5,001-6,000<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">31,000<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">57,500<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">85,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-10 even\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">6,001-7,000<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">37,000<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">70,000<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">100,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-11 odd\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">7,001-12,000<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">50,000<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">95,000<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">140,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n<p>However, Virgin Atlantic is retaining previous redemption award charts for Air France, KLM, and Delta &#8212; for better or worse.<\/p>\n<p>Many new redemption options are already bookable on Virgin Atlantic's website. For example, fly the busiest aviation route in the world &#8212; between Seoul Gimpo and Jeju, South Korea &#8212; for just 5,500 Virgin points in economy or 14,500 Virgin points in business class:<\/p>\n<p><img data-aspectratio=\"750\/596\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-96489 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/GMP-CJU-award-search-Virgin-Atlantic-300x238.png\" alt=\"Virgin Atlantic award search on SkyTeam partner Korean Air\" width=\"750\" height=\"596\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/GMP-CJU-award-search-Virgin-Atlantic-300x238.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/GMP-CJU-award-search-Virgin-Atlantic-1024x813.png 1024w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/GMP-CJU-award-search-Virgin-Atlantic-768x610.png 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/GMP-CJU-award-search-Virgin-Atlantic.png 1210w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span id=\"Awards_Not_Yet_Available\">Awards Not Yet Available<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>While that's a lot of additions, two SkyTeam airlines didn't make the cut in today's additions:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>China Eastern:<\/strong> accrual and redemption won't be available until July 2023.<\/li>\n<li><strong>ITA Airways:<\/strong> redemption won't be available until &#8220;later in 2023.&#8221; <strong>Update: <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/news\/virgin-atlantic-flying-club\/book-ita-awards\/\" rel=\"noopener\">ITA Airways awards are now bookable through Virgin Atlantic Flying Club<\/a>.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"Will_Virgin_Atlantic_Sweet_Spots_Be_Eliminated\">Will Virgin Atlantic Sweet Spots Be Eliminated?<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While Virgin joining SkyTeam is generally great news, some Flying Club members are still concerned about what will happen to some of the best <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/airlines\/virgin-atlantic-flying-club\/sweet-spots\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Flying Club redemption sweet spots<\/a>. For now, you can still use your Virgin points for many excellent awards, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>ANA business class from Japan to Europe or Central\/Eastern US for 47,500 Virgin points each way plus taxes and fees.<\/li>\n<li>Air New Zealand business class awards from New Zealand to either North or South America for 125,000 Virgin points round-trip plus taxes and fees.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Both Air New Zealand and ANA are members of Star Alliance. This puts them in direct competition with many of Virgin Atlantic\u2019s new alliance partners.<\/p>\n<p>These redemptions weren't cut from the moment that Virgin Atlantic joined SkyTeam. Instead, all of these partners were grouped into an &#8220;other airline partners&#8221; section:<\/p>\n<p><img data-aspectratio=\"750\/375\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"Virgin-Atlantic-other-partners-300x150\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-96477 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Virgin-Atlantic-other-partners-300x150.png\"  width=\"750\" height=\"375\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Virgin-Atlantic-other-partners-300x150.png 300w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Virgin-Atlantic-other-partners-1024x513.png 1024w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Virgin-Atlantic-other-partners-768x385.png 768w, https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Virgin-Atlantic-other-partners.png 1516w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/>However, we got some bad news on March 7 when Virgin Atlantic <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"\/news\/virgin-atlantic-flying-club\/ana-first-class-award-devaluation\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Flying Club devalued ANA first class redemptions<\/a> without notice.<\/p>\n<p>Will the other non-alliance sweet spots remain? Or is the time nearly up for these excellent redemption options? Only time will tell.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Our_Take\">Our Take<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It's generally good news to see an airline join an alliance as it gives members of the program new opportunities to earn and redeem points. And we are only seeing encouraging developments from the moment from that Virgin Atlantic joined SkyTeam.<\/p>\n<p>However, Virgin Atlantic joining SkyTeam has already led to the devaluation of one excellent sweet spot: ANA first class. We can only hope that Virgin Atlantic continues to maintain its other non-alliance relationships as is and won't continue to devalue these sweet spots.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ftoc\"><div id=\"toc_container\" class=\"toc_light_blue no_bullets\"><p class=\"toc_title\">Page Contents<\/p><ul class=\"toc_list\"><li><a href=\"#What_We_Know_So_Far_About_Virgin_Atlantic_Joining_SkyTeam\">What We Know So Far About Virgin Atlantic Joining SkyTeam<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Elite_Status_Levels\">Elite Status Levels<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Lounge_Access\">Lounge Access<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#New_Virgin_Atlantic_Flying_Club_Redemptions\">New Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Redemptions<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#Virgin_Atlantic_SkyTeam_Award_Redemption_Rates\">Virgin Atlantic SkyTeam Award Redemption Rates<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Awards_Not_Yet_Available\">Awards Not Yet Available<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#Will_Virgin_Atlantic_Sweet_Spots_Be_Eliminated\">Will Virgin Atlantic Sweet Spots Be Eliminated?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#Our_Take\">Our Take<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Virgin Atlantic joined the SkyTeam airline alliance today, March 2, 2023. Effective immediately, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club members can earn Virgin points on 14 new partner airlines &#8211; and redeem Virgin points on 13 additional airlines. Here are the new redemption rates and the latest details on Virgin Atlantic joining SkyTeam, from lounge access to reciprocal elite perks.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":52720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_wpscppro_dont_share_socialmedia":false,"_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_instagram_share_type":"","_medium_share_type":"","_threads_share_type":"","_google_business_share_type":"","_selected_social_profile":[],"_wpsp_enable_custom_social_template":false,"_wpsp_social_scheduling":{"enabled":false,"datetime":null,"platforms":[],"status":"template_only","dateOption":"today","timeOption":"now","customDays":"","customHours":"","customDate":"","customTime":"","schedulingType":"absolute"},"_wpsp_active_default_template":true},"categories":[12069],"tags":[12625,12670,12766],"coauthors":[36383],"class_list":["post-84966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-partners-and-alliances","tag-skyteam","tag-virgin-atlantic-flying-club"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=84966"}],"version-history":[{"count":38,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84966\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":255834,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/84966\/revisions\/255834"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52720"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=84966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=84966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=84966"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awardwallet.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=84966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}