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Welcome

Friends,

It is Saturday night and we are back to the good stuff: great point deals. This one is a gem, and the result of some good old fashioned competition.

Great links as well tonight (woohoo!), which I am thankful to resume. If you encounter any issues, can I trouble you to reply and let me know?

782 words—let’s get going.

Links

The internet is having a field day with Southwest (also their stock price went up).

Delta is ending service to Tahiti from LAX, which doesn’t surprise me.

American evacuated a 737 in Denver: the photos alone are pretty remarkable.

Recap of Covid-19 and the 2020 pandemic’s broad impact on travel.

This stands to be interesting (or completely unremarkable).

Story

My first trip to London was a (very nice) gift from my Aunt.

We flew from DFW airport’s at the time new Terminal D to London’s Gatwick airport. I still remember the charmingly dated American 767 and how cool it felt to be checking in for a transatlantic flight.

I also remember quickly learning a lot about the different airports in London, and why we were relegated to Gatwick (read more about the Bermuda II bilateral for a deep dive). Heathrow is the incumbency’s airport in London, and that is where Virgin Atlantic come into this story.

Virgin is, among other things, the flag bearer of competition in the British aviation scene. They started at Gatwick and now are second only to British Airways at Heathrow. They are a renegade player that has, rather impressively, not just survived but thrived.

Their product is also universally strong: they do not just have a solid business class product, but a great premium and economy class product too. Delta owns a material stake (largely an answer to American’s close-ness with British Airways, but I digress) and their product alignment is undeniable.

Is Virgin Atlantic perfect? No. But spend ten minutes as a flight attendant with me and you will quickly come to accept that there is no such thing as a perfect airline. They are very solid overall, as is their semi-reinvented frequent flier program. That is why I am writing about them tonight.

Their frequent flier program offers real value if you are willing to transfer points in from American Express, CapitalOne, or Chase. But before I go on: I recognize (largely writing to the higher-echelons of the points and miles world) that many of the historic sweet-spot awards have gone away in the last twelve months, but this has largely been replaced by real everyday utility plus improved access to Virgin business class seats. That represents far better value for most.

Take, for instance, their resumption of service to Toronto this month. You can easily find transatlantic premium economy for 10,500 points plus $180 in taxes. That is wild.

Business class? Harder to find, but still available for as little as 29,000 points on their shortest international routes. I am even seeing availability from LAX to Heathrow (which is a longer route) for 77,000 points in business class during peak summer flying. That is incredible.

Economy redemptions might be the best part: they have widespread availability to and from London that starts at 6,000 points one way. The same routes on British Airways start at 25,000 points (or more). And Virgin’s economy class is a great way to fly!

So, if you are planning a trip to the UK do not forget to check Virgin’s frequent flier program. And remember that even if you don’t live in a Virgin Atlantic destination, it might be worth positioning to catch the fare. I’ve done it before and do not plan on stopping anytime soon.

I cannot wait for my next flight on Virgin points.

Big Picture: Virgin Atlantic’s frequent flier program is underrated—and that’s a good thing. Check their availability the next time you book travel to, from, or via the UK to any of their destinations. And let me know if I can help you win here.

Happy flying.

Remember, this life you are living has meaning. Thank you for reading. I am grateful you are here and would love to hear from you. If you'd like to write me a note, simply reply to this email. Otherwise I'll see you in the next one.

Be well today. -Tommy

P.S. If I can ever help you plan your next travel adventure (slash help make your points go farther), I’d be delighted. You can schedule time together here.