Valuable Customer or Not?

Just looking for some views on this one, please[?]

Whenever I fly VA I have my family with me. There are 5 of us in total, including 17, 14 and 9 year olds - so that's 4 full price and 1 child fare each time. Routes include LAX & SFO in summer, MCO at Easter and Caribbean in winter. That can make me the buyer of up to 15 tickets in a year. Yet, all I can get is FC Red for myself with our 9 year old not even qualifying.

Am I being unreasonable in feeling I deserve some rewards more akin to what I would receive for booking 15 flights a year for myself[?]

[Decker]

Unreasonable? Difficult - there have to be rules and sometimes the grey areas can frustrate those caught in the "boundary conditions". The thing is, the fc schemes are designed to reward the flyer NOT the payer. There IS a scheme designed to reward the payer called Flying Co (see https://www.virgin-atlantic.com/flyingc ... co.view.do) so I guess you could register yourself as a company and your family as employees? Might want to check the small print though. Also discounted tickets tend not to apply [:(]

I was in a similar boat paying for my daughters flights and not getting any reward, once I made gold no probs at least I now get the miles from her travel.I did look in to flying Co but if you are not paying full fare forget it.

I have written to VS about the same thing, my son is two so has ten years of either 65% ticket cost or 100% ticket cost before he can join the FC. That can be over 150,000 miles! I have suggested that they allow 2-10 year olds to get 50% of the miles flown when paying Childs fare.
hell, they are paying for a ticket, why should they be discriminated against?
The next flight, as he has been upgraded from Economy, I have had to pay full economy for him but he gets no FC benifits.
I got a reply standard e:mail, we look at all letters sent to us etc... but that is it.

[Decker]

I'd guess there are legal issues with minors as this age limit seems to apply to most airlines. IANALB

Direct Marketing Association Guidelines in the UK say "The DMA Code recommends for example that "Children ,must not be eligible to participate in a promotion in which prizes such as, for example, holidays, pet animals, goods or cash are offered which may be likely to cause problems between parent and child, unless the rules require the written consent of a parent." This is fine so far as it goes although some might regard the "likely to cause problems" qualification as seriously undermining the clause altogether, while we have already pointed out that contractually a minor cannot bindingly enter into any prize promotion in any event.

Separately there is "Unsolicited commercial email communications must not be addressed to children without the verifiable and explicit prior consent of the parent/teacher." The Code also requires that websites directed to children should require a child to give their age before any other personal information is requested. If the age is under 14, the child should be excluded from giving further personal information until the appropriate, verifiable and explicit consent has been given."

and in the US it is even more draconian.

I have same problem I recently took duaghter and partner (both full fare) and plan two take both sets of parent UC this year. 2 Economy ticket and 4 UC with no reward.

Paul

[Nottingham Nick]

I have a vague memory of some sort of FC (or was it Freeway ) scheme for children being touted a few years ago. I don't know if it ever got off the ground -(excuse the pun:) )

My son is 14 now and is FC silver, so eventually the points will start to appear for the children.

Nick

I dont see the logic in Virgin restricting household accounts to being a gold benefit. No way am I suggesting that Virgin model its Flying Club on the BA Exec Club but a household account available to any level of Flying Club would be a solution to Ian's situation and many others I guess.

quote:Originally posted by anteo
I dont see the logic in Virgin restricting household accounts to being a gold benefit. No way am I suggesting that Virgin model its Flying Club on the BA Exec Club but a household account available to any level of Flying Club would be a solution to Ian's situation and many others I guess.

There is also the marketing ability, if VS have a childrens FF programme, the children will badger the parents to use VS over alternative airlines to get their points (Goodies??) and you know how soppy us parents are with our kids :D