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I hold absolutely no status with Delta or Virgin Atlantic but as I look to possibly change my airline allegiances going forward I’m paying a lot more attention to what the like of Delta and Virgin Atlantic offer….and that’s why an update posted today caught my eye.
An alert I received today let me know of a change posted to the Skymiles News & Updates page today (15 November 2018) which suggests that Delta Silver Medallion members now get at least one checked bag on Virgin Atlantic operated flights.
In most cases Silver Medallion members should expect to be allowed two checked bags.
Here’s what the update says:
Starting November 12, 2018, Silver Medallion Members are now eligible to receive a free checked bag when traveling on all Virgin Atlantic-operated* flights. This benefit includes a waived fee for one extra bag over the standard allowance on Virgin Atlantic-operated flights, regardless of the cabin you’re traveling in.
*The operating carrier for a flight indicates which airline operates the aircraft. For example, a Virgin Atlantic-operated flight means theflight will be on a Virgin Atlantic aircraft.
The way I read that announcement means that even if the fare being purchased offers no checked baggage allowance on a Virgin Atlantic operated flight (a hand baggage only fare), Silver Medallion members will still get one free checked bag.
Where the fare offers one checked bag on a Virgin Atlantic operated flight (most Economy Class fares) Silver Medallion members will get a two checked-bag allowance.
That sounds pretty good to me.
Is everyone else reading this announcement the same way as I am?
Here are the requirements for the various Delta Medallion status levels and, as you’ll see, Silver requires just 25,000 qualifying miles and $3,000 in qualifying spending (which is waived if you’re based outside of the US).
That’s not a status that’s all that hard to achieve and, with the MQD waiver for those outside of the US, it may now be a status that’s appealing to flyers based in the UK and who choose to fly with Virgin Atlantic.
The really strange thing is that, if I’m understanding the baggage rules correctly, Delta Silver Medallions appear to get a better baggage allowance than travelers with Virgin Atlantic’s Silver status and I don’t understand why the airlines would choose to let that happen.
Can someone who knows the Skymiles & Virgin Atlantic Flying Club rules better than me please confirm if this is actually the case? Thanks!
