Update on Velocity award availability for Virgin Australia operated flights to the US – here are the award seats available as of today

In August last year we noticed that Velocity award availability had dropped markedly for Virgin Australia flights between Australia and the US.

Up to that point, Virgin’s flights from Sydney and Brisbane to Los Angeles were a ‘go to’ spot for those with points to burn and looking to get to the US in Premium Economy or Business Class – but their Business Class upgrade meant that availability was taken offline.

Given that the first of the upgraded Virgin Australia 777’s are now operating on the route I thought it’s worth looking once again at the full availability calendar between Australia and the US to see if we can draw any conclusions on improvements.

This morning we searched for 1 and 2 passengers from Sydney and Brisbane to Los Angeles, for travel in Premium Economy and Business Class.

All up, the picture is nowhere near as bad as last year, with Virgin Australia / Velocity making the following numbers of seats available:

• Sydney – Los Angeles has 30 days with at least 1 Business Class seat
• Brisbane – Los Angeles has 91 days

Premium Economy availability from Brisbane is especially good as well.

When we ran this search last August:

• Sydney – Los Angeles had 22 days with at least 1 Business Class seat
• Brisbane – Los Angeles had 36 days

Caveat: of course this availability can change at any time, and I haven’t performed searches for the return leg or for more than two passengers.

All up, it seems like the picture is a little rosier with the new 777’s coming online, with both improved Business Class and Premium Economy cabins.

Get hunting those award seats if you’re looking to travel to the US. Here’s the full list of availability as the morning of 11th May: