Virgin lures British Airways fliers after loyalty club change

Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. is seeking to win over loyalty program customers from British Airways who are disgruntled about recent changes that have made it more expensive to earn or retain top-tier status.
Virgin will match BA’s silver and gold status for members who switch loyalty programs, and is even offering a lucky draw that will award one million points to five customers who match their BA status before mid-February.
The carrier’s Flying Club program has seen enrollments triple in recent weeks and expects to see more sign ups with the status match program, according to people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information.
In December, BA announced that it would overhaul its loyalty program in early April. As part of the changes, tiers will be tied to spending and the airline will offer one tier point for every 1 pound spent. To achieve the top Gold echelon will require 20,000 pounds of expenditure in a year, or about four London-New York round-trips in business class.
The carrier’s existing system of awarding tier points based on flights and class of travel spawned a subindustry of mileage hunters looking for bargain business class seats to achieve top-tier status at the lowest cost, resulting in overcrowded lounges and priority boarding lines.
BA’s overhauled loyalty program is similar to models that other airlines use, a spokesperson said . There will be more ways to earn tier points through package holidays, extra luggage and credit card spend, underlining the carrier’s investment in its loyalty club and customers, the spokesperson said.
Still, BA’s changes to the loyalty program made tabloid headlines and complaints from disgruntled members on social media.
“Our Flying Club status match makes it easy for customers who are not feeling the love from their existing airline to experience the award-winning hospitality of Virgin Atlantic,” said Anthony Woodman, the vice president for Flying Club, in a statement.