Virgin Australia and Qantas are at loggerheads over frequent-flyer benefits for bureaucrats, with the Flying Kangaroo pushing back against Virgin lobbying to ban them. “Virgin Australia believes status-related benefits – such as lounge access or priority boarding – can easily be addressed through the booking code process,” a spokesperson told The Australian Financial Review. Currently, around 3.3 per cent of Qantas bookings and 1.4 per cent of Virgin bookings are for government travel. “The Review heard anecdotal report of frequent travellers waiting until bonus status credit offers were made by airlines to book their upcoming trips. “This Paper includes several topics for consideration, including fare offerings, airline benefits (including treatment of status credits), technology and systems.