Virgin Australia’s Velocity is undergoing a major revamp with the addition of two more tiers and changes to the way in which points and status credits are earned by frequent flyers.

The airline will add a new “Forever Gold” status from October next year, matching Qantas’ gold lifetime status, as well as a “Platinum Plus” tier above platinum. Velocity Frequent Flyer hit 12 million members earlier this year,

Virgin Australia will reward its top frequent flyers with lifetime Velocity status and a new Platinum Plus tier as the airline aims to close the loyalty gap against Qantas. Both are part of what is arguably the most significant shake-up in the program’s almost 20-year history,