Virgin Blue is now Virgin Australia and spokeswoman Emma Copeman was quoted in Melbourne’s The Herald Sun as saying, “We are looking to make it [Velocity] a world-class program with global coverage. We’ve got some very exciting changes to come.” The relaunched program is set to debut later this year.

One of the first changes announced is the way that members earn status credits. Now, members earn toward obtaining or retaining elite status based only on distance flown and fare type. Previously, status credits and points were earned the same way, calculated per dollar spent flying on Virgin Australia, Pacific Blue and Polynesian Blue or per distance flown and fare type on V Australia and its international partners. The new status credit policy makes it easier for members to see the status credits they’ll earn per flight. Visit http://insideflyerus.wpengine.com/link/?4845 to see the new status credit charts. The credits required to retain elite have also changed and now members need fewer status credits to retain their elite level. In other news, a new higher elite level, Platinum, is in the works but the timeframe for its launch has not been announced.

Unconfirmed reports have also surfaced that Virgin Australia will partner with the FlyBuys customer loyalty program that includes Coles and Bi-Lo supermarkets, Target, Kmart and Liquorland, as well as Budget car rentals and Best Western Hotels.