Virgin Atlantic - TravelMole

About us

Our story Since Virgin Atlantic launched, it’s held the imagination of the travelling public It’s easy to look to things like innovative products and services, glamorous destinations and charismatic crew in bright red uniforms as the reasons for our success. But these are just part of our story. The personality and language of our brand plays a major role too, and to get a grasp on why, it’s useful to look at our past. When we first started flying in 1984, the world was changing rapidly. In the UK, boom time had arrived, and a lot of people had more money to spend, with a greater desire to explore the world. The airline world hadn’t changed much at all and there wasn’t much choice, each ...Read more

Virgin Atlantic - About Us

It’s easy to look to things like innovative products and services, glamorous destinations and charismatic crew in bright red uniforms as the reasons for our success. But these are just part of our story. The personality and language of our brand plays a major role too, and to get a grasp on why, it’s useful to look at our past.

When we first started flying in 1984, the world was changing rapidly. In the UK, boom time had arrived, and a lot of people had more money to spend, with a greater desire to explore the world. The airline world hadn’t changed much at all and there wasn’t much choice, each country only had its state owned legacy airline. Expensive, with little emphasis on the customers’ needs, if you needed to get somewhere, you only had one airline to choose from. And what a dull, grey experience that was.

The time was right for someone to come in and shake things up. And did we ever.

With a parent brand that had owned a music label and record stores, we used marketing and public relations to our advantage. Using the same skill we’d developed promoting the likes of Culture Club and Simple Minds, we set out to inspire the public to fly with us. We flew to desirable destinations. We came up with innovative new products and services that would make the journey much more fun. We hired happy people with lively personalities to be our cabin crew. And we didn’t charge the earth.

We gave people a choice. A bright red, fun, friendly, fabulous choice that made travel attainable for everyone. Back then, our personality was cheeky and over the top. We were a tiny airline up against much bigger players. We needed to use quite radical language to get attention. We were the airline that loudly proclaimed ‘BA doesn’t give a shiatsu’ to promote our onboard massages. ‘Play with yourself’ was the way we chose to advertise the first ever seatback games. Not exactly subtle, but it got us noticed.

Richard Branson, our enthusiastic chairman, did anything to get attention for his businesses, including hot air ballooning, abseiling down Manhattan high rises or kissing Spice Girls. The more he got in the news for his adventures, the more Virgin Atlantic became renowned as the airline you flew if you wanted an adventure. His personality became our airline’s personality. ‘Screw it, let’s do it’ was Richard’s philosophy, and it served us well too as we grew, launching new destinations and taking on the airline world with our emphasis on exceptional service. As we arrived in new markets, his fame had often beaten us there, and it was easy for us to tap into his personality to establish ours.

Throughout the 80s and early 90s, we continued to lead the pack. Sleepy legacy carriers were too slow, or too entrenched in their ways to catch up with us. And even if they did, we’d dream up something even more innovative. As our business established itself in markets appealing to business travellers, then our personality slowly had to change too. The cheeky language we’d employed to encourage people to fly with us on their holidays was no longer quite as appropriate to talk to a business audience. That said, we still managed to promote our seatback screens as ‘nine inches of pure pleasure.’

But as much as people enjoyed flying with us, we didn’t fly everywhere, so they often had to fly with somebody else. Eventually, our success led to the rest of the airline world starting to match our products and service. So the differences started to become, well, not that different.

As well as that, alliances like oneworld® and the Star Alliance arrived on the scene, with legacy carriers linking together to offer their passengers access to an even greater network, seamless travel and reciprocal frequent flyer benefits. While we made some moves to link up with others, we felt our strength was in our independence.

Company Name : Virgin Atlantic

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News & announcements

18 Feb 25
NEWS
Virgin Atlantic expands WestJet codeshare
Virgin Atlantic is expanding its partnership with Canada based WestJet. The partnership expansion aims to ...Read more

Virgin Atlantic expands WestJet codeshare - News & announcements

Virgin Atlantic is expanding its partnership with Canada based WestJet. The partnership expansion aims to boost airline codeshare connectivity for customers travelling between the UK, Canada and beyond. The two airlines will be conveniently co-located at Toronto Pearson International Airport’s Terminal 3. The first phase of the agreement will allow customers booking through Virgin Atlantic to connect from their preferred city on a WestJet flight via Toronto Pearson International onwards to London with Virgin Atlantic on one ticket. Cities include Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Ottawa, and more. Flights are on sale now for tickets to London Heathrow via Toronto commencing 30 March 2025. Loyalty partnership program benefits across both Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and WestJet Rewards are expected to roll out later this year. Virgin Atlantic will launch its Toronto route next month, which is the first Canada flights in more than a decade The route will enable optimal onward connectivity for Canadians travelling to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, as well as Dubai, the Maldives, Cape Town and Johannesburg via London Heathrow. Juha Jarvinen, EVP and Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic, said, “Canada is an incredibly important opportunity for Virgin Atlantic as many of our customers travel between Canada, the UK, India and beyond.” “This expanded partnership with WestJet, alongside our partners at Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM, will create seamless connectivity for our customers.” Virgin Atlantic recently appointed Canada Country Manager, Stephen Goulding, who previously served in various leadership roles at WestJet.
06 Feb 25
NEWS
Virgin Atlantic enables Apple feature to accelerate baggage recovery
Virgin Atlantic passengers can now independently use the new Share Item Location feature to share ...Read more

Virgin Atlantic enables Apple feature to accelerate baggage recovery - News & announcements

Virgin Atlantic passengers can now independently use the new Share Item Location feature to share the location of their AirTag or Find My network accessory with the airline. This new functionality enables Virgin staff to locate delayed bags and reunite them with customers more quickly. Corneel Koster, Chief Customer and Operating Officer, Virgin Atlantic commented: “We’re always looking for innovative solutions to ensure our customers enjoy the best possible experience”. “On the rare occasion, when operational issues or misconnecting flights may require bags to be located, our teams now have this shared source of information”. To share the location of their AirTag or Find My network accessory, customers can first generate a Share Item Location link in the Find My app on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac. When customers make their missing bag report they can then share the link with the airport and baggage tracing teams. These staff can view the live location of the bag and use it to reunite customers with their luggage. For customers’ privacy and security, location sharing will automatically end as soon as a customer receives their bag, and can be stopped by the customer at any time. Share Item Location is built on the Apple Find My network, a crowdsourced network of over one billion Apple devices that use Bluetooth wireless technology. The entire process is end-to-end encrypted and anonymous, so no one else, not even Apple or Find My Network accessory manufacturers, can view the location.
10 Nov 24
NEWS
Virgin Atlantic returns to Mexico with Cancun flights
Virgin Atlantic is set for a return to Mexico in winter 2025 with three weekly ...Read more

Virgin Atlantic returns to Mexico with Cancun flights - News & announcements

Virgin Atlantic is set for a return to Mexico in winter 2025 with three weekly flights to tourist hotspot Cancun. Launching on 19 October 2025, the route will be the only direct service between London Heathrow and Cancun. It also offers esay onward connections with SkyTeam partner Aeromexico and codeshare partner LATAM to destinations including Mexico City, Santiago, Buenos Aries and Lima. Cancun is the gateway to pristine beaches, Mayan ruins and more. Adventure and eco-tourism experiences can be enjoyed in Riviera Maya and Tulum. Virgin Atlantic Holidays offers a variety of accommodation options for holiday packages ranging from adults only resorts and family friendly all-inclusive hotels plus excursions to Tulum, the parks of Xcaret and Xel-Há and Chichen Itza – a UNESCO World Heritage site. Cancun flights are operated on the airline's newest, most fuel-efficient aircraft, the Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. It offers 16 Upper Class, 56 Premium and 325 Economy Delight, Classic and Light seats as well as the airline's Upper Class social space, The Booth. Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Offer, Virgin Atlantic, said, "We're delighted to be returning to Cancun, offering customers a new destination for winter sun”. “We can't wait for more of our customers to enjoy Virgin Atlantic's trademark fiesta and flair, on their way to Mexico." Andres Martinez, Director of the Tourism Promotion Council of Quintana Roo, said: "Expanding international connectivity has been a top priority as travellers continue to showcase strong interest in exploring our twelve iconic destinations and rich Mayan culture."

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31 Oct 24
NEWS
Every Virgin Atlantic seat now available to book with points
Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club members can pay for any seat onboard on all flights with ...Read more

Every Virgin Atlantic seat now available to book with points - News & announcements

Virgin Atlantic's Flying Club members can pay for any seat onboard on all flights with Virgin Points. It is the first rewards programme offering this, it says. This is in addition to the launch of new Saver reward seats in every cabin and increased points earn rates in Premium and Upper Class. Flying Club members can now use Virgin Points to pay for any seat and for any date. The price of seats will vary in line with demand, in a similar way to standard ticket sales. Virgin Atlantic recently launched new Saver reward seats. This offers reward seats on flights to New York starting from 6,000 Virgin Points. The Saver reward seats prices vary depending on demand and if standard or peak season. Additionally, members will be able to use their points to upgrade to any available Premium or Upper Class seat from standard or reward tickets. In addition, members will be able to use their Companion or Upgrade vouchers on any seat. Also, the number of Virgin Points earned on Upper Class and Premium tickets will also be increased for flights flown.

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04 Oct 24
NEWS
Virgin Atlantic, SAS agree airline codeshare partnership
Virgin Atlantic and SAS Scandinavian Airlines have announced a new airline codeshare agreement, adding business ...Read more

Virgin Atlantic, SAS agree airline codeshare partnership - News & announcements

Virgin Atlantic and SAS Scandinavian Airlines have announced a new airline codeshare agreement, adding business and leisure connections to and from key Scandinavian hubs. The codeshare partnership launches next week. It means Virgin Atlantic customers travelling on flights from the US and Canada can book onward connections through London Heathrow and Manchester. These connections are on SAS's services to Stockholm, Oslo, Copenhagen, Stavanger and Bergen. SAS customers will also have the opportunity to connect via Heathrow onto Virgin Atlantic's Caribbean, African, Middle East and South Asian destinations. These range from Barbados, Jamaica, the Maldives, Cape Town and Johannesburg. SAS' formally joined the SkyTeam alliance on 1 September, joining Virgin Atlantic, which is the only UK airline. Virgin’s Flying Club members will receive instant earning and redeeming opportunities when travelling on the Scandinavian carrier. Additionally, SAS EuroBonus members will be able to earn and redeem their points across Virgin Atlantic services. Virgin Atlantic's Gold and Silver Flying Club members, alongside SAS EuroBonus members, can take advantage of SkyPriority services at London Heathrow and airports in key Scandinavian gateways. These benefits include priority check in, baggage handling and boarding. Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic, said: "We're delighted to launch an airline codeshare with our SkyTeam partners at SAS, enhancing our connectivity and offering greater customer benefits to our frequent flyers."

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01 Oct 24
NEWS
Virgin Atlantic tweaks frequent flyer programme
Virgin Atlantic has announced Flying Club members will be able to pay for any seat ...Read more

Virgin Atlantic tweaks frequent flyer programme - News & announcements

Virgin Atlantic has announced Flying Club members will be able to pay for any seat onboard with Virgin Points. This is in addition to the launch of new Saver reward seats and increased points earn rates in Premium and Upper Class. It kicks in from 30 October. Flying Club members will be able to use Virgin Points to pay for any seat on the plane on any date, offering more flexibility for members. The price of seats will vary in line with demand. The airline is launching new Saver reward seats, available across thousands of flights. They will start from prices even lower than reward seats today, with flights to New York from 6,000 Virgin Points. Members will be able to use their points to upgrade to any available Premium or Upper Class seat from standard or reward tickets. In addition, members will be able to use their Companion or Upgrade vouchers on any seat. Additionally, the number of Virgin Points earned on Upper Class and Premium tickets will also be increased at the same time. From 30 October, every seat on a Virgin Atlantic operated flight will be made available for Flying Club members to purchase using their Virgin Points, including for upgrades. All vouchers issued today to credit card holders and to Gold tier members will be moving to a new Flying Club reward voucher. The amount of Virgin Points earned on Upper Class tickets will increase by up to 50% and Premium tickets will increase by up to 75%, allowing customers to earn even more Siobhan Fitzpatrick, CXO, Virgin Atlantic, said: "This announcement is not only a first for the UK, but a significant step further in offering as much choice, value and flexibility as possible."

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03 Sep 24
NEWS
Virgin launching new Saudi flights
Virgin Atlantic is set to launch direct Saudi flights from London next spring. Starting in ...Read more

Virgin launching new Saudi flights - News & announcements

Virgin Atlantic is set to launch direct Saudi flights from London next spring. Starting in March 2025, Virgin will fly to Riyadh daily from London Heathrow on Airbus A330neo aircraft. The maiden Saudi flight takes off on March 30, 2025. The new route was agreed as part of Saudi Arabia’s Air Connectivity Program. Virgin Atlantic as the tenth airline to partner with ACP this year. “The entry of Virgin Atlantic will enhance air connectivity and support the growth of international tourism from the UK as well as Virgin Atlantic’s network in North America,” said Majid Khan, CEO of ACP.

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07 Aug 24
NEWS
Virgin Atlantic SAF ad banned
The Advertising Standards Agency has again cracked down on airlines for what it calls misleading ...Read more

Virgin Atlantic SAF ad banned - News & announcements

The Advertising Standards Agency has again cracked down on airlines for what it calls misleading claims about sustainable flights. Virgin Atlantic produced an advert for the world's first transatlantic flight to be 100% powered by sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). This was misleading, the ASA said. The airline didn’t qualify its ‘100% sustainable aviation fuel’ claim. The agency banned the advert. All further Virgin Atlantic ads referring to SAF benefits must include verifiable information explaining the environmental impact of the fuel, the ASA says. The radio ad was originally aired last November. "Virgin Atlantic's Flight 100 will take to the skies on our unique flight mission from London Heathrow to JFK to become the world's first commercial airline to fly transatlantic on 100% sustainable aviation fuel," the ad stated. The ASA said listeners would presume that ‘100% sustainable aviation fuel’ meant exactly that but that was not the case, the ASA said. Virgin Atlantic then confirmed to the ASA that the SAF powered flight emitted the same amount of CO2 as conventional jet fuel. “It’s important that claims for sustainable aviation fuel spell out what the reality is so consumers aren't misled," said the ASA's director of complaints and investigations Miles Lockwood.
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04 Aug 24
NEWS
Virgin Atlantic ditching Bahamas, Turks and Caicos routes
Virgin Atlantic, following a network review, plans to drop routes to The Bahamas and Turks ...Read more

Virgin Atlantic ditching Bahamas, Turks and Caicos routes - News & announcements

Virgin Atlantic, following a network review, plans to drop routes to The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. The final inbound flight to Turks and Caicos will take off on February 21, 2025 with the last Bahamas London Heathrow departure two days later. Virgin currently flies to the destinations two and three times a week respectively. “As we continue to focus on optimising our network, we regularly review the destinations we fly to,” Virgin said. “We’ve made the decision to increase our frequencies to Antigua, Barbados, and Cape Town next year, and to suspend operations to The Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.” Customers who are booked on flights beyond these dates will be contacted by the airline. It means Antigua flights will increase to four for winter 2024/5 season, with Barbados flights boosted to 10 per week. Virgin’s Montego Bay, Jamaica service will remain unchanged. London to Cape Town seasonal service will be extended by a month.

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23 Jul 24
NEWS
Virgin Atlantic confirms Airbus order
Virgin Atlantic has confirmed an Airbus aircraft order to complete its fleet transformation. It ordered ...Read more

Virgin Atlantic confirms Airbus order - News & announcements

Virgin Atlantic has confirmed an Airbus aircraft order to complete its fleet transformation. It ordered seven Airbus A330-900s which will be delivered from 2027 and are being bought directly from Airbus by Virgin Atlantic. This new order builds upon the initial A330neo order made in 2019, as the first UK airline to order the aircraft type. It takes the airline's total A330neo fleet to 19. Virgin currently operates five A330-900's flying to destinations including New York, Boston and Miami. A further three will be delivered later this year and four more by the end of 2026. As part of the fleet transformation, Virgin plans to gradually retire its A330-300s starting from September 2024. These aircraft joined Virgin Atlantic's fleet in 2011 and will be replaced by the new A330-900s. The new planes are designed to be 13% more fuel and carbon efficient. By 2028, Virgin Atlantic plans to operate a total of 45 next gen aircraft comprised of 19 A330-900s, 12 A350-1000s, and 14 787-9s. This will bring down the average age of the fleet to 6.4 years. Also, long-term lease extensions have been agreed with AerCap for seven Boeing 787-9's. These planes will continue to fly on routes to the Caribbean, North America and India, as well as new routes to the Maldives and Bengaluru, India. Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic said: "Today, we complete our multi-billion-dollar fleet transformation. This is a significant lever towards decarbonising long-haul aviation.” CEO, Commercial Aircraft business, Airbus, Christian Scherer said: "The A330neo not only delivers unbeatable operational seat mile cost, it also greatly enhances Virgin Atlantic's fleet efficiency."

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17 Jul 24
NEWS
Virgin suspending Shanghai flights
Virgin Atlantic is suspending its only mainland China flights claiming increased flight times avoiding Russian ...Read more

Virgin suspending Shanghai flights - News & announcements

Virgin Atlantic is suspending its only mainland China flights claiming increased flight times avoiding Russian airspace makes it financially unviable. The airline said it will halt London Heathrow-Shanghai route from 26 October, 2024. Virgin has been operating Shanghai flights for 25 years, save for a pandemic hiatus. The route has become ‘increasingly costly.’ London-Shanghai flights take an hour longer while the return takes two additional hours. This means additional costs in extra crew time. Customers booked on flights after 26 October will be contacted this week to arrange a refund. This will signal the end of Virgin Atlantic services in East Asia. Virgin’s Heathrow-Hong Kong flights were dropped in October 2022 and Tokyo flights were scrapped in 2015. ”Significant challenges and complexities on this route have contributed to the commercial decision to suspend flying to Shanghai,” Virgin said The airline could return to the region at some point. It has loose plans for flights to Seoul once the Korean Air – Asiana airline merger goes through. The airline first began flying to Shanghai in 1999.

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11 Jun 24
NEWS
Virgin Atlantic returning to Canada
Virgin Atlantic is celebrating a milestone of 40 years of flying. Four decades ago, the ...Read more

Virgin Atlantic returning to Canada - News & announcements

Virgin Atlantic is celebrating a milestone of 40 years of flying. Four decades ago, the airline offered £99 tickets from London to Newark on a second hand Boeing 747. Virgin Atlantic is now celebrating its Ruby Anniversary. At the same time, it marked the launch of its 15th service to the US, as it commenced flights between Manchester and Las Vegas. The new service complements the airline's existing daily service to Las Vegas from London Heathrow. Virgin Atlantic is also restarting Canada flights. The airline's first route to the country in more than a decade will begin next summer, as it launches direct flights between London Heathrow and Toronto Pearson International Airport. The daily service will launch on 30 March, 2025 with fares starting from £490 per person. Canada flights will operate a mix of aircraft on the route including the A330-900neo. To support the route Virgin Atlantic is announcing an expanded codeshare partnership with Canadian carrier WestJet, which is slated for October this year. The partnership will allow customers to travel throughout the region, including flights from Ottawa and Winnipeg. Benefits for both airlines' frequent flyers are expected to follow in 2025. Sir Richard Branson said: "When starting Virgin Atlantic 40 years ago, I went against everyone's advice. and on paper, they were right.” Back then, travelling by plane wasn't a fun experience, but I realised then that there was a gap to give passengers a great experience – and I love a challenge.”

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