Virgin Blue has been embarrassed after mistakenly sending an e-mail to many of its Velocity rewards subscribers offering a free 'Gold' membership upgrade.
The carrier sent an e-mail to an undisclosed number of Velocity members on Friday afternoon informing them of the offer and promising next time "we’ll make sure you’re treated like a VIP".
But Virgin rescinded the offer in a second e-mail sent about three hours later.
"Oops! Due to an error you've received our previous email by mistake," the message read.
"Please disregard the free upgrade communication as unfortunately you do not qualify for that upgrade."
The company apologised to customers for the mistake.
Gold access grants members benefits including priority check-in, extra baggage allowances and access to The Lounge.
The plush room offers complimentary food, alcohol, coffee, cinema and television entertainment and even showers with towels.
When a ninemsn employee sought entry to The Lounge yesterday, a Virgin staffer apologised and reiterated the company’s stance the email had been a mistake.
But she offered a temporary pass to the area and said she believed the offer would stand for anyone flying with the airline until tomorrow.
She said "heaps" of other Virgin customers had come forward requesting entry to The Lounge since Friday.
Membership to The Lounge costs $369 per year plus a joining fee of $199.
But Gold status cannot be bought and is reserved for regular flyers, with membership earned by accruing some 50,000 reward points in a calendar year.
The points scaling system varies greatly. For example, a 5.15pm Sydney to Melbourne flight on August 16 received just 345 points, while an identical flight departing at 6.45pm last night was rewarded with 900 points.
Membership is relegated to either Silver or Red access if the customer fails to reach 50,000 in any following 12-month period.
It is not known how many people subscribe to Velocity.
Ninemsn's calls to Virgin Blue today were not immediately returned.
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