Virgin America - Flights With Bennies

Virgin America - Flights With Bennies

Virgin America has launched a new “Flights with Bennies” promotional campaign encouraging travellers to ‘break up’ with their current airline loyalty programs in exchange for what it terms a more ‘beneficial,’ relationship with Virgin America.

The campaign plays off common relationship problems and the idea of “friends with benefits” (‘bennies’) suggesting there’s no “point” being tied to an inferior offer to earn a few miles.

Instead, the airline suggests customers get what they need--members or not--while promoting Virgin America’s point-based Elevate frequent flyer program. New members get 500 Elevate points for signing up for Elevate during the “Flights with Bennies” campaign.

Stuart Dinnis, Director of Loyalty at Virgin America said of the campaign :

Flyers appreciate our innovative approach to travel – from our loyalty program to our website to our onboard experience. Now we’re giving them a chance to break up with that old airline that doesn’t treat them well, and instead put the magic back in the flying experience by choosing Virgin America.

Virgin also encourages new Elevate members to send a message to friends on social media suggesting it’s time to ‘move on’ by sharing their reasons for breaking up with their former airline with pre-written “breakup” cards.

“Dear Plane Peanuts, You can’t satisfy me. I’m leaving you for Bennies so I can get spoiled on demand,” one says.

The airline shared the campaign on social media with the hashtag #FlightswithBennies .