Enjoy Your Virgin Atlantic Flight: Comprehend Its Various Policies

Virgin Atlantic is a UK-based airline established in 1984 by Alan Hellary, who previously served as chief pilot for a British private airline, along with Randolph Fields, an American lawyer. The airline's main office is in Crawley, West Sussex, England. Though the Virgin Atlantic Airline was initially planned to fly between London and the Falkland Islands, its maiden flight occurred on 22 June 1984 from London-Gatwick to Newark. However, currently, the airline flies to five continents at 32 locations, including North America, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and Asia. Additionally, the airline's seasonal services are also operated from Edinburgh.

Virgin Atlantic's Types of Classes

Virgin Atlantic has a fleet of 44 aircraft and maintains three distinct cabin classes. With each increasing cabin class, the airline offers its passengers distinctive and exclusive services and amenities. The cabins of the aircraft include:

Economy
Premium
Upper Class

Virgin Atlantic's Services or Facilities

Virgin Atlantic offers its passengers various services and facilities. It caters to the needs of different people, including the elderly and passengers with special assistance, with detailed features that can be seen as follows:

The airline provides guides at all the airports under its network.
The airline's Upper Class passengers can head to its award-winning Clubhouse in LHR after clearing airport security.
Whether in the UK or overseas in Atlanta, Vegas, and Orlando, the airline provides the facility of airport lounges to all its passengers, irrespective of their travel class.
Upon your request, the airline will provide scrumptious cuisine to satisfy you and your stomach in the sky.
Onboard, you are provided with in-flight entertainment services, where you can indulge in Hollywood movies, TV series, and audiobooks. A separate section is dedicated to kids.

Virgin Atlantic's hub

The airline operates its flights to various destinations across five continents, with its central hub at:

London Heathrow Airport
Manchester Airport
Edinburgh

Virgin Atlantic's Top International Destinations with Code

Virgin Atlantic operates flights to a total of 32 diverse locations worldwide. Among these, some of the most sought-after international destinations include:

London Heathrow International Airport (LHR)
John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ)
San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL)
Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
Dulles International Airport (IAD)

Virgin Atlantic's Code Share Partner

While not flying directly to a particular destination, Virgin Atlantic joined hands with like-minded airlines, which helped its passengers reach their desired destinations, which are known as code-share partner airlines, and can be seen as follows:

Aeromaxico
Air New Zealand
China Eastern
EL AL
IndiGo
Kenya Airways
Korean Air
LATAM
Middle East Airlines

Virgin Atlantic's Online Booking Process

Virgin Atlantic flies to various destinations while providing an array of comforts to its travellers. Thus, if you want to book a flight with the airline, you must know its booking process. In the following section, you can discover an easy and step-by-step process to book your Virgin Atlantic flight online:

Visit Virgin Atlantic's official website at virginatlantic.com
Please enter your flight details on the homepage, including the flying destinations, flight type, travel dates, and the number of passengers, and click on "Search."
Consider the flight prices on different dates, through its low-fare calendar.
Select the flight at your convenience and choose your flying cabin class.
Check your baggage allowance and click on "continue."
Add the details of all passengers, and contact information through which the airline informs you about your flight information and any updates.
Select the option of protecting your seat or not, tick the confirmation box, and tap on "Choose your seat."
Choose the seats for all the passengers and flights, and click "Confirm and pay."
Enter your card details and the address where your card is registered, then click on "Pay and confirm booking."
Proceed with the final payment.
The airline will send your flight ticket to your registered email address.

Virgin Atlantic's Change or cancellation policy

You must be aware of your flight's cancellation and change policy. You may be required to change your flight schedule or cancel your whole plan in some unavoidable circumstances. Thus, Virgin Atlantic's change and cancellation policy can be seen as follows:

Virgin Atlantic allows you to cancel or amend the timings of your flight without any penalty, provided that the flight is cancelled within 24 hours of the booking, reserved at least seven days before its scheduled departure, and your fare type allows you to do so.
The airline requires you to change your flight schedule differently for different types of booking, including using their online website if you have paid with "money" or "points and money," or using their customer service if you have booked your flight with Virgin points, used Virgin points for an upgrade, reserved a group booking, travelled alone as a young passenger, or have a flex ticket.
Your upgrade won't apply to your amended flight if you have upgraded while using a promotional rate.
If you change your original flight, you must again request additional services, including a special meal or a paid seat.

Virgin Atlantic's Change or Cancellation Process

If you change your plan and reconsider your time and date of travel with Virgin Atlantic after already reserving a ticket with them, you must know about the airline's change and cancellation process. You can cancel by calling Virgin Atlantic's customer service team, provided you booked the ticket directly from the website. However, if you want to change your flight, you can do it online by following the simple procedure:

Visit Virgin Atlantic's official website at virginatlantic.com
Click on "Manage Booking" under the "My booking" section.
Enter your booking reference number and first and last name.
Tap on "Search."
On your open itinerary, you can find the option to modify your trip.
Select the flight that you want to switch.
Choose your new flight according to your suitable timing.
Follow the further procedure as instructed.
Add additional services if you want, regardless of the ones you have already added to your original flight.
Make a payment, if required.
Receive your new itinerary at your registered email address.

Virgin Atlantic's Loyalty Program

The Flying Club is Virgin Atlantic's exclusive loyalty program for travellers who frequently fly with the airline or its partner carriers. Signing up for the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club allows you to accumulate valuable points, referred to as Flying Club miles, whenever you travel. These miles can be collected through flights with Virgin Atlantic and when you fly with various partner airlines across the globe. Once you've earned enough points, you can redeem them for various rewards, including flights, upgrades, and other travel experiences. Enjoy the benefits of being part of a vibrant community of travellers while making your journeys even more rewarding.

Method to Join Virgin Atlantic's Loyalty Program

There are various advantages of joining the Flying Club of Virgin Atlantic. However, you must join the program to benefit from the airline's exclusive benefits. Thus, the following section deals with the way to help you out in joining the loyalty program of Virgin Atlantic:

Visit Virgin Atlantic's official website at virginatlantic.com
Go to the "Menu."
Click on "Flying Club."
Tap on "Join Flying Club."
Enter your email address, and click on "Next."
Write the code sent to your registered email and click "Verify."
Please provide them with your details, including your name, date of birth, gender, and contact information.
Afterwards, create a password and mark a tick on the terms and conditions of joining the program.
Click on "Create my account."
You become a member of the loyalty program.

Benefits of Joining Virgin Atlantic's Loyalty Program

After joining the Flying Club, you will earn points at a percentage rate based on the flown miles, which have been multiplied by the earning rate based on your elite status and fare class. And with each increasing elite status, you will earn more and more points, which can be seen as follows:

Benefits of the red tier:

Priority boarding for Economy passengers - get on board before others in Economy.
Merge your Virgin Points into a Household account to speed up your progress towards rewards. Accumulate Virgin Points when you travel.
Use Points Plus Money for flight bookings.
Redeem Virgin Points for reward seats.
Gain access to numerous partner brands.
Earn and use your points through Virgin Red.
Complimentary Economy seat selection available with Virgin Atlantic Holidays 7 days before departure.

Benefits of the silver tier:

30% additional Virgin Points on flights.
Enjoy an extra checked baggage allowance.
Merge your Virgin Points into a Household account to swiftly attain rewards.
Premium Check-in services.
You have the option of selecting an advanced seat in economy cabins.
Accumulate and utilise your points through Virgin Red.

Benefits of the gold tier:

Enjoy 60% additional Virgin Points when booking flights.
Priority check-in for Upper Class passengers.
Gain access to our Clubhouses and the London Heathrow Revivals lounge.
Benefit from an increased luggage allowance, regardless of your travel class.
Accumulate and redeem your points through Virgin Red.
Receive a Flying Club reward voucher upon renewing your Gold status.
Earn two Flying Club reward vouchers after you gather 2,000 Tier Points during your membership year.
Merge your Virgin Points in a Household account to accelerate your path to rewards.

Virgin Atlantic's Refund Policy

Suppose you must cancel your trip for any reason, which also requires you to cancel your flight. But what about the cost you already submitted while booking your flight? You are not required to fret about it; the airline will provide a refund if your fare type allows it. Therefore, you must be aware of its refund policy, which can be seen as follows:

With Virgin Atlantic, you can even request a quote to determine your entitlement if you don't understand the terms and conditions of your ticket.
Each fare ticket has its own refundable terms and conditions. However, if you change your flight, which results in changing its terms and conditions, the airline will follow the refund policy based on your new changes.
Based on the terms and conditions of your fare ticket, you can apply for a refund even for the additional services you have added to your flight.
You need to request a refund for your reservation and extra services individually.
Virgin Atlantic will email you to confirm that they have processed your refund within seven working days of receiving the refund form.
Based on your banking processing system, the final refund will take 14 working days to reach you after the airline starts the refund process.

Virgin Atlantic's Seat upgrade

You have already chosen your fare class while booking your flight with Virgin Atlantic. But it may be possible that you want to make an upgrade on your flight afterwards. For such situations, the airline has provided you with various options and policies to upgrade your seat, which can be seen as follows:

There are five different ways to upgrade your Virgin flight: make the whole payment, upgrade using points, enjoy your upgrade with the help of the voucher, bid to fulfil the dream of travelling in your desired cabin, or upgrade your seat at the last minute at the airport.
The upgrade facility is only possible if there are vacant seats in your desired cabin when you make such requests.
When bidding for the upgrade, you must mention the amount you are willing to pay to make your upgrade successful. If your bid is accepted, you must proceed with the payment.
The amount or points you must pay for the upgrade is based on the demand for the available seats.
Moreover, you can also upgrade your seat by paying with a combination of points and money.

Virgin Atlantic's Pet Policy

Your domesticated pet may be like a family member to you, with whom you want to travel the whole world. However, you should follow some rules and conditions while travelling with Virgin Atlantic, as the airline considers many factors, including the safety of your pet and other passengers on the aircraft, when carrying your beloved pet, which you should know beforehand:

Pets younger than 10 weeks aren't allowed to travel on Virgin Atlantic.
Pugs, snub-nosed cats, and dogs aren't allowed to be carried on the airline.
The pet carrier should be at least 53 x 40 x 38 cm.
Owners of the pets are responsible for complying with the pet policy of the country they are travelling to.
The number of pets to be transported in the aircraft cabins is limited, and they will be allotted on a first-come, first-served basis.
The airline does not allow you to book your pet through its website. Thus, you must contact its customer support number to ensure your pet can travel with you.

Virgin Atlantic's Name change and date of birth change

It may happen that while reserving a ticket with Virgin Atlantic, you have made a blunder while filling out your name and date of birth. Thus, you must change them on your flight ticket to make your boarding process smooth with the airline. Hence, you have to understand the name and date of birth change policy, which can be seen as follows:

You can only get on the plane if the name on your Virgin flight ticket matches the name in your passport and your booking.
Virgin Atlantic allows you to change your name for free if you have legally changed your name or if there is a spelling mistake.
However, you are not allowed to transfer your ticket to someone else. You must cancel and rebook another ticket in another person's name.
The airline also doesn't allow you to change even a spelling mistake on your air ticket if you have booked your flight in Economy Light or have already partially used your ticket.
To make amendments free of charge, you must submit the required documents to the airline.
The airline doesn't provide any specific way to change your date of birth if you need to make some changes to it.
However, you can contact Virgin Atlantic's customer support team, who may take action upon your request.

Virgin Atlantic's Group booking

You may want to go on a group trip or a destination wedding with many people. But it requires a lot of specification and precision. However, you are not required to worry about the group booking while travelling with Virgin Atlantic. Still, you must be aware of specific terms and conditions needed to make your group booking application successful with the airline, which can be seen as follows:

Virgin Atlantic considers you part of a group travel if your group holds 10 or more passengers in Economy class or eight or more Premium or Upper Class passengers.
You will be provided 24 hours by the airline to respond to their enquiries.
You can make your reservation as early as 18 months before you schedule travel.
Through the airline, you'll have the opportunity to sit together as a group.
Apart from that, by reserving a group booking with the airline, you will have the chance to have a friendly group account team, dedicated group check-in desks, and the facility of off-airport check-in.
You can also change your name and date of travel by contacting the airline's Group Sales Team.

Virgin Atlantic's Types of Discounts & Offers

Being distinct from the group helps the individual feel special and assists in getting benefits from the rest of the group. Thus, Virgin Atlantic offers various discounts to its passengers by providing discounts in multiple sections, including:

Student discount—The airline offers discounts of up to 60 pounds for students, which vary based on your fare class and the overall ticket amount. To redeem your discount with the airline, you must log in through the Student Beans verification platform, where the airline will send you your unique code to redeem your discount.
Military discount—The airline will offer a discount to the UK Armed Forces, provided the flights depart from the UK. This will help the members make their flights more affordable. Military personnel must register for their flights with the Defence Discount Service to redeem the discounts.
Senior Citizen discount—Virgin Atlantic also offers a senior citizen discount on its website. However, you must submit the essential documents proving your age to avail of these discounts.
Special fare discount—In addition to offering specific discounts to a group of passengers, Virgin Atlantic also occasionally offers deals on various flight routes. You must be aware of when the airline makes such deals.

Virgin Atlantic's Coupon (Festival Coupon)

You can reduce the cost of your flight ticket by utilising a coupon from Virgin Atlantic. If you wish to apply these vouchers, you can follow the steps outlined below:

Visit the official website of Virgin Atlantic at virginatlantic.com.
Proceed to create a new reservation.
Input the necessary itinerary information, add the discount code to the space available, and click on "Search."
Follow the further procedure, like booking your usual air ticket.
Choose your preferred flight and enter the details of all the passengers.
Please share your contact details with them and proceed.
In the payment section, you must pay less than the original amount after adding your coupon.
Your travel plans will be sent to the email address you have registered.

Virgin Atlantic's Last Minute Deals

You must be thrilled if you can find inexpensive and budget-friendly flights for last-minute travel. Virgin Atlantic offers several options for this:

You can sign up for airline newsletters to stay informed about last-minute airline promotions.
Additionally, consider enrolling in Virgin Atlantic's loyalty program, which provides exclusive offers for last-minute travel.
Virgin Atlantic's flexible date option allows you to view the available flight prices for the next few days.
You can also apply a Virgin Atlantic promo code during your booking to help lower the cost of your flight.

Virgin Atlantic's International Travel Rules

When travelling on an international flight, it's essential to be familiar with the global travel regulations of Virgin Atlantic, which include the following:

All passengers, including adults and infants, must carry their passports for international travel.
You must ensure that you have all necessary documents, such as valid identification, for entry into your destination.
Depending on your citizenship and your point of arrival, you might require a visa for entry.

Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class Features

Though Virgin Atlantic offers various features in all of its cabin classes, the upper class has exclusive benefits, which can be seen as follows:

Its seats are extra large, which provides ample space for the legs.
The upper-class seats can be converted into a fully flat bed.
Upper-class passengers are allowed to check two bags, where each bag can weigh up to 32 kgs.
These passengers have the facility to make a pre-order for their luxurious 4-course fine dining.
You will be provided with fast-track security at the time of departure.
Moreover, these passengers have full access to the airline's clubhouse.

Virgin Atlantic's Cheapest Time & Date of Booking Flight

The most economical time to secure a flight with Virgin Atlantic is during the early hours of Tuesday and Wednesday. The mornings in the middle of the week typically experience much lower rates than other days. This occurrence is primarily due to the airline’s strategy of adjusting ticket prices according to the fluctuating demand from travellers. As the week progresses, prices tend to rise in response to increased interest, making these early days a savvy choice for budget-conscious flyers looking for great deals.

FAQ's

To how many destinations does Virgin Atlantic fly?

Virgin Atlantic operates flights to more than 32 locations across five continents.

What is the process for booking a group booking on Virgin Atlantic?

To book a group flight on Virgin Atlantic, you must call the airline's dedicated group booking team.

How can I earn points in the Flying Club?

Virgin Atlantic provides various ways to earn points in the Flying Club, including flying with the airline and its partner airlines.

How do we know that Virgin Atlantic's flight has been cancelled?

The airline will inform you immediately if the Virgin Atlantic flight has been cancelled.

In what form do I receive my refund if I cancel my Virgin Atlantic flight?

If you cancel your Virgin Atlantic flight, you will get a refund using the same method you used to pay when you booked your reservation.