Can I fly to Israel using Velocity points?

Frequent Flyer Programs
1

Hi All,

Assuming that it will all go well with Velocity, is there a way to redeem a flight to Israel?

I know that with KrisFlyer I can via Frankfurt / Istanbul.

I couldn’t find it via the Velocity website, as I believe it will be using partner airlines.

P.S.
Anyone knows if/when we can transfer points from Velocity to KrisFlyer?

2

Points transfers won’t be coming back I’m afraid.

3

Are you sure?

Do you think I will be able to transfer back from KF to Velocity?

I was saving for KF, and got 40K in KF and 250K in Velocity… hopefully I can put them in the same pool.

4

Pre COVID-19, you’d do something like: transfer Velocity points to KrisFlyer and use KrisFlyer points to book a Star Alliance redemption using Singapore and Turkish Airlines (vis Singapore and Istanbul).

Post COVID-19, you may, or you may not, still be able to do that. Nobody knows whether you’ll be able to or not. Not @doubleplatinum, not Paul Scurrah… nobody.

Best to keep your points where they are (you have no choice anyway) and wait and see how the dust settles.

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5

you used to be able to book this in business class for 136,500 velocity points each way and $140 taxes but it only ran 2 days per week. no idea if HU will fly again though

VIRGIN AUSTRALIA Flight Number VA 925
Departure: SYD SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
9:00AM
Arrival: BNE BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
9:30AM

HAINAN AIRLINES Flight Number HU 412
Departure: BNE BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
12:00PM
INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL
Arrival: SZX SHENZHEN, CHINA
7:20PM

HAINAN AIRLINES Flight Number HU 743
Departure: SZX SHENZHEN, CHINA
1:35AM
Arrival: TLV TEL AVIV TLV, ISRAEL
8:25AM

otherwise can fly Etihad to Istanbul/Amman and buy a paid ticket for the final leg

2 Likes
6

Thank you!
I will see what is available when travel restrictions will be lifted.

7

@sixtyeight Of course it isn’t certain but it doesnt take more than common sense to realise that once Singapore Airlines get 5-10% back (if they are lucky) from their initial Virgin investment they ain’t going to be jumping back into another alliance with them.

8

@doubleplatinum You may well be right, of course, but it’s not anywhere near as simple as that. The issue of whether Singapore Airlines makes money from their investment is totally separate from whether they make money from their alliance. If Singapore continues to make money, going forward, from Virgin feeding passengers into their international network, and from them feeding people visiting Australia into Virgin’s network, then of course they’re going to continue their alliance – they need every source of income they can get!

If they continue or discontinue the alliance, it will be on the basis of hard-headed rationality: will it make them money, or won’t it. I would expect that Singapore Airlines’ management would not be so petulant and irrational as to discontinue a money-making alliance as a result of a loss-making investment.

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