Virgin reboots international travel with Bali and Fiji

Virgin Australia is planning a limited reboot of international flights in 2022, with Denpasar (Bali) and Nadi (Fiji) now back on the schedule. With travel to Fiji kicking off on 23 December 2021 from certain cities, you could be enjoying the Christmas break in the idyllic Pacific Islands! Bali rejoins the network from late March 2022 as well.

Even better, Virgin’s ‘Flexible Flying’ policy will cover you with free changes and cancellation to a credit voucher. This policy is currently valid for standard bookings made before 28 February 2022, but we expect it will be extended further.

Got a stash of Velocity Points? Virgin also offers free cancellations with its reward seats until the same date, which makes it the most risk-free way to book overseas travel. But at the time of writing, you can’t use your points for those international reward seats just yet. So you’ll need to sit tight. That long-awaited feature will be returning soon.

Where will Virgin Australia fly to internationally?

The airline’s schedule now shows its new international flights taking wing from 23 December 2021. You’ll be able to relax in Fiji from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Then by the end of March 2022, flights from those 3 capital cities to Bali will recommence as well.

Route	Start	Frequency	Aircraft
Sydney-Nadi (Fiji)	23 Dec 21	Daily	Boeing 737
Melbourne-Nadi (Fiji)	23 Dec 21	Daily	Boeing 737
Brisbane-Nadi (Fiji)	24 Dec 21	Daily	Boeing 737
Sydney-Denpasar (Bali)	27 Mar 21	Daily	Boeing 737
Melbourne-Denpasar (Bali)	27 Mar 21	Daily	Boeing 737
Brisbane-Denpasar (Bali)	27 Mar 21	Daily	Boeing 737

Flights on the upcoming Fiji route cost around $689 return with Virgin’s new seat-only ‘Lite’ fare. Fancy the complete Economy experience with seats and baggage? That’ll set you back around $729 return, on the standard ‘Choice’ fare.

As for Bali, expect to stump up $679 for a return ‘Lite’ fare or $719 for a return ‘Choice’ fare.

How do I book or upgrade to Business Class with points?

As we’ve mentioned previously, you can’t use Velocity Points for reward bookings or upgrades yet. But when you can, here is roughly what you should expect to pay:

Route	Economy Reward (+taxes)	Business Reward (+taxes)	Upgrade from ‘Choice’ to Business	Upgrade from ‘Flex’ to Business
Sydney-Nadi (Fiji)	17,800 pts	35,500 pts	30,000 pts	9,900 pts
Melbourne-Nadi (Fiji)	22,300 pts	49,500 pts	35,000 pts	14,900 pts
Brisbane-Nadi (Fiji)	17,800 pts	35,500 pts	30,000 pts	9,900 pts
Sydney-Denpasar (Bali)	22,300 pts	49,500 pts	35,000 pts	14,900 pts
Melbourne-Denpasar (Bali)	22,300 pts	49,500 pts	35,000 pts	14,900 pts
Brisbane-Denpasar (Bali)	22,300 pts	49,500 pts	35,000 pts	14,900 pts

Remember that with Economy and Business rewards, you’ll also have to pay taxes on top. As exact figures aren’t available yet, we estimate that the taxes will be around $120pp for these flights, each way.

If you’re a Velocity Platinum member, you may be able to use your Complimentary Platinum Upgrades for a free one-up to Business Class, if you book an Economy ‘Flex’ fare on these routes. But this won’t become available until Virgin’s reward seats are unlocked on international routes.

Summing up

While it’s still too early to know for sure how the Australian Government will relax international borders, all the chatter is headed in the right direction. Virgin Australia joins Qantas in selling tickets on overseas routes in 2022.

Booking these flights is certainly a gamble at this stage. You’re protected by Virgin’s strong ‘Flexible Flying’ initiative, which promises free changes and cancellations to a credit. But the best option will be using your points to book a refundable reward seat, once Velocity flicks the switch and turns that coveted feature back on.