Virgin Atlantic

To help passengers on their travels this summer, Virgin Atlantic’s cabin crew have listed some of their top tips for packing to help passengers have a stress free start to their holiday.

This summer Virgin Atlantic will be taking around 1.5 million passengers to 30 long-haul destinations world-wide. Here are some tips to help everyone travelling.

Virgin Atlantic has announced that it has teamed up with I Love New York (New York State Division of Tourism) to offer wine tasting in its flagship Clubhouse at Heathrow Terminal 3 this summer. During July and August, the airline’s Upper Class passengers will be able to sample six wines from New York State’s wine regions, including The Finger Lakes, Long Island, Niagara Escarpment and the Hudson Valley.

Virgin Atlantic is set to offer its passengers a great incentive to get their holidays off to the best start this summer. Between the 1 July and 31 August this year, all passengers travelling from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester Airports who check- in online will receive £10 off a purchase of two or more fragrances from the Virgin Atlantic onboard Retail Therapy Duty Free shopping range. The VScents for Her and VScents for Him ranges offer some of the latest perfumes and designers fragrances with huge savings on high street prices.

Virgin Atlantic Airways have announced today that one of its cabin crew, Lynsey Cole of Bristol, has been awarded a Chief Fire Officer’s Commendation for her bravery. The commendation is in appreciation and recognition of Lynsey’s brave actions that contributed to the survival of a motorist in a serious car accident earlier this year.

Virgin Atlantic Airways today announced that following the success of its Flying Without Fear (FWF) course the FWF team have brought out a book called – “101 of your questions answered”. The book contains answers to 101 questions about flying, valuable information from a cabin crew safety trainer, top tips from aviation experts and psychological tools to help people combat their fear of flying. The book is available to buy on Amazon – amazon.co.uk and the website shop on Flyingwithoutfear.info.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, is to increase its frequency between London Heathrow and Hong Kong from daily to twice a day. The extra services will lead to the creation of 100 new cabin crew roles. The new, second service will boost the number of seats available on the booming Heathrow-Hong Kong route and open up fresh opportunities for those passengers wishing to connect to other cities in China, or the wider Far East. It will also provide greater flexibility for stopovers, for those passengers wanting to break their journey if travelling to or from Sydney.

Following the news that Silverjet has ceased operating, Silverjet passengers wishing to travel on the New York and Dubai routes, and holding proof of a purchased ticket, can benefit from a special Virgin Atlantic fare.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, today became the first airline to announce that Economy class passengers will pay lower fuel charges than those travelling in premium cabins.

This month Virgin Atlantic celebrates its 20th anniversary of flights to Orlando in Florida. To celebrate the anniversary, Virgin Atlantic has teamed up with Walt Disney World, Orlando, to offer children passengers travelling on the Orlando flights departing from Gatwick on the 28 May Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears. In celebration Disney will also grant one lucky family a 'Disney Dream' in honour of the Year of a Million Dreams 2 celebrations currently taking place in the resorts.

Virgin Atlantic has announced that it has teamed up with Akvinta vodka - a superb quintuple distilled super premium vodka from Croatia - as part of its UK launch this summer. Passengers will be offered Akvinta vodka in the airline’s flagship Clubhouse at London Heathrow before their flight departs.

Sir Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic Airways today vowed to help Kenya to get back on track and increase tourist numbers. Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, has also unveiled a new advertising campaign aimed at attracting more travellers back to Kenya.

Sir Richard Branson, the President of Virgin Atlantic, last week helped to put the finishing touches to new school facilities in Kenya which have been partially funded by some of the airline’s frequent flyers. Sir Richard today joined hundreds of local schoolchildren and VIPS as he attended an opening ceremony at the Sekenani Primary School in the Maasai Mara in Kenya.

Five months after the official opening last December of its new Terminal at Heathrow, Virgin Atlantic today announced outstanding customer feedback and performance results for the first few months of operation in the new facilities. The new terminal 3 is also attracting thousands of new passengers, with total long-haul passenger numbers up 4% in April. Upper Class sales were particularly strong, with a 10% increase in passenger numbers last month.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, today announced that it has an amazing seat sale on until the 24 June for Upper Class tickets to selected destinations until December this year. The fares, from as little as £1099, are available for travel up to and including the 31 December to destinations such as New York, Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, Miami, San Francisco & Los Angeles in the US and Worldwide destinations such as Delhi, Mumbai, Shanghai, Dubai, Lagos & Nairobi.

Virgin Atlantic has announced that following the review of its inflight beauty therapy services, offered in the air and on the ground, it has taken the decision to significantly expand the number of treatments offered at its flagship Heathrow Clubhouse from May onwards, leading to a 70% increase in treatments. The inflight service will cease and all inflight beauty therapists will be offered jobs either as cabin crew or beauty therapists on the ground.

Following the news that Eos has ceased operating, Virgin Atlantic is offering stranded Eos passengers special one way fares in Upper Class on selected routes between London and the US.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, is to be the Official Airline of the 2008 European Ryder Cup Team. Special dispensation has been granted for the Team to fly direct from London Heathrow to Louisville International Airport onboard a Virgin Atlantic Airbus A340-600 for The 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club, Louisville, Kentucky, USA from 19 to 21 September 2008.

Virgin Atlantic is launching a second daily service to Washington Dulles International Airport, which will operate from 20 April to 25 October 2008. The new seasonal service will complement the airline’s existing daily Washington flight by offering passengers more choice and flexibility whether they are travelling to the Capital on business or taking advantage of the favourable dollar exchange rate in Washington’s hotels, restaurants and shopping malls.

Virgin Atlantic has announced the launch of its second route-dedicated inflight magazine, MRU. This bi-annual publication, which has been produced exclusively for Virgin Atlantic, is now available to all passengers onboard the airline’s flights between London Heathrow and Mauritius.

Virgin Atlantic has unveiled a brand new Clubhouse for its Upper Class passengers in Boston. The new £1m Clubhouse at Logan International Airport was created by Boston based architectural practice Bergmeyer Architects, in collaboration with the Virgin Atlantic in-house design team.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, has announced it has selected Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines to power its Boeing 787-9 fleet of aircraft.

Virgin Airways has dominated the news over its arch rival British Airways in the past five years - that’s according to the UK’s leading online news aggregator NewsNow (Newsnow.co.uk).

Virgin Atlantic is offering its passengers a great incentive to get their holidays off to the best start this Easter. Between the 1 March and 30 April this year all passengers travelling from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester Airports who check in online will receive £6 off a £30 spend onboard with Retail Therapy, Virgin Atlantic’s onboard shopping range.

Multi-national businesses are likely to move their headquarters away from London if a third runway isn’t given the go-ahead, according to Sir Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic. The consultation by the government – called “Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport” – closes this Wednesday.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, yesterday flew one of its Boeing 747 jumbo jets on biofuel from London Heathrow to Amsterdam – becoming the first airline in the world to fly on renewable fuel.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, today announced it will be a global partner for the 22nd Bond movie due out later this year. Produced by Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli for EON Productions and directed by Marc Forster, Quantum of Solace is scheduled to be released on 7 November.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, today announced that love is in the air this Valentine’s Day with a four day seat sale this weekend for Economy and Premium Economy tickets to selected destinations in the US for February and March.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, today unveiled a new £6million advertising campaign aimed at attracting even more travellers to use its speedy new Terminal at Heathrow and its Upper Class facilities.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, today announced that it will offer a three day seat sale this weekend for Economy and Premium Economy tickets.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, today said it will fly one of its Boeing 747s on biofuel during a demonstration flight in February.

Virgin Atlantic Airways today announced that following the popularity of its audio meditation programme onboard, it is now offering ‘Total Relaxation’ – a 30 minute ‘Imagination Reality’ experience. Brighton-based company Meditainment.com uses the latest in special audio effects and stunning on-screen visuals to create a wonderfully relaxing form of entertainment for passengers onboard.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, was awarded with the ‘Fastest Airport Check In’ accolade at the exclusive Wallpaper Awards last night. This accolade follows the opening of Virgin Atlantic’s new Upper Class Wing at London Heathrow in November 2007.

Virgin Atlantic and Unite the union today agreed a resolution to the current dispute over pay. Unite has now called off the industrial action planned for 9, 10, 16 and 17 January 2008.

Virgin Atlantic today said hundreds of cabin crew volunteers had come forward to ensure the airline is able to operate a near-normal service during the planned forthcoming industrial action. Cabin crew volunteers have been emailing and phoning special hotlines to offer their assistance and ensure that Virgin Atlantic runs 9 out of 10 flights during the strike period.

Virgin Atlantic has announced that it intends to operate all of its flights on 9 and 10 January and 16 and 17 January with the exception of three flights each day. These dates are affected by industrial action, which has been called by the Unite union.

The Spice Girls, arriving back into Britain to start the UK leg of their world tour today, opened Virgin Atlantic’s brand new terminal at Heathrow. The girls were greeted by thousands of fans who were waiting to welcome them home in the new £1bn facility.

Virgin Atlantic today moved into its fast and efficient new terminal at Heathrow - and immediately proclaimed it Terminal 6. The opening, by The Spice Girls and Sir Richard Branson, took place months before BA switches its flights to Terminal 5.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, today said that some union members belonging to Virgin Atlantic’s cabin crew are being balloted on possible industrial action. The move follows the recent rejection of the two-year pay deal, which amounts to an increase of around 8.3%* to basic pay.

Passengers flying on Virgin Atlantic will be able to watch the fastest growing TV show on the web, KateModern. In a unique move, the airline has teamed up with the programme’s creators to showcase this hugely popular series from the beginning of December.

Virgin Atlantic, the airline partner for the Return of the Spice Girls world tour, is launching a jumbo competition for Spice Girls fans all around the globe. To help celebrate the world tour, the girls are asking their fans to help them choose the name of a Virgin Atlantic jumbo jet which will be christened in their honour.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, is to launch its codeshare with Air Jamaica from Sunday 18th November. The codeshare follows the introduction of Virgin Atlantic flights between London Gatwick and the capital Kingston at the end of October, and the launch of services last year between Gatwick and Montego Bay.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, has come to the aid of sports travellers by announcing that they can take one piece of sporting equipment in addition to their checked baggage allowance. The announcement comes after rival carrier, British Airways, decided to ban surfboards and other sporting equipment, such as pole vaults and javelins, in the cargo hold on its flights from 6th November 2007.

For the first time ever, air passengers will be able to offset their travel during a flight as Virgin Atlantic introduces a Gold Standard Carbon Offset Scheme. The airline has partnered with myclimate to offer the scheme which is now available onboard and online, and will benefit projects in India and Indonesia.

Virgin Atlantic is delighted that the Spice Girls have named Virgin Atlantic as the airline partner for the Return of the Spice Girls world tour, which kicks off in December. The partnership deal will see Virgin Atlantic providing the flights for the Spice Girls, as well as the whole team who are responsible for making the World Tour a huge success. The deal will also include promotional tie-ups and consumer competitions.

Virgin Atlantic today launched its first direct services between London Gatwick and Kingston, the capital of Jamaica.

Virgin Atlantic has announced it is introducing the world’s fastest airport check-in with the launch of its new Upper Class Wing at London Heathrow’s Terminal 3. The new Wing, which opens on 2 November, will enable Virgin Atlantic’s business passengers to speed through the terminal quicker than ever before, moving from limo to lounge in under 10 minutes.

Virgin Atlantic Airways on Sunday launches its first non-stop service between London Heathrow and Mauritius. The services will be operated by an Airbus A340-300 with 240 seats onboard - 34 Upper Class, 35 Premium Economy and 171 Economy.

Virgin Atlantic is pleased to announce an exciting partnership with Net-a-porter.com. From today, and for a limited time only, Upper Class passengers visiting the flagship Heathrow Clubhouse will have the chance to benefit from a Net-a-porter personal shopping team and shop for the hottest looks of the season from over 150 top fashion brands available at Net-a-porter.com.

Virgin Atlantic is pleased to announce that it’s now offering Fairtrade tea and coffee to all passengers. The airline served nearly seven million cups of coffee and over five million cups of tea onboard flights in 2006 so a switch to these products will be a significant boost for farmers who are supplying the Fairtrade market.

Virgin Atlantic is an Official Partner of the British Special Olympics team and will be flying the entire team of athletes and coaches to Shanghai from Heathrow on the 26 September for the 12th Special Olympics being hosted in Shanghai. England goalkeeper David James, an Ambassador for Special Olympics GB, will be joining the athletes to offer them advice and support before they take off.

Surging passenger demand has led to Virgin Atlantic fitting out its entire Heathrow fleet with its new Premium Economy seat. With its Airbus aircraft already fitted the 747 fleet at Heathrow will offer the new seat onboard by Christmas, allowing more passengers to benefit from the widest leather seat in its class and enhanced onboard service which includes many dedicated services.

Virgin Atlantic is today helping the Crawley community to achieve its goal of clearing and restoring the Bewbush Water Gardens so that the parkland can once again be enjoyed by local people for many years to come. Around 140 staff from the airline Finance Department have volunteered for the community project as part of its team building day.

Virgin Atlantic is pleased to announce the launch of a range of amazing fares on many of its routes for the post Summer period. All fares are available now and are on sale until 25 September 2007. Fares to America start from a little as £238 to New York.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world's leading long-haul carriers, will carry 25% more passengers over the August Bank Holiday period, compared with the same time last year, partly because of the recent atrocious British weather.

Virgin Atlantic Airways today announced that a new Flying Without Fear course (FWF), is scheduled at Edinburgh Airport on the 2 September 2007. Virgin Atlantic, in association with FWF Limited, offers one-day courses throughout the year, aimed at teaching sufferers how to overcome their fear. The course includes an optional 45-minute flight at the end of the session.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, is to fly thousands of food packs and blankets to Jamaica in the wake of Hurricane Dean. Virgin Atlantic will be the first UK airline to fly to Montego Bay, in the north of the Caribbean island, since the hurricane affected the region and closed the country’s two main airports.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading airline groups, today announced that new routes and growth in its fleet of aircraft contributed to record sales during the last financial year. Core sales increased by 13% on the previous year, from £1.88billion to £2.14billion.

Virgin Atlantic is set to offer its passengers a great incentive to get their holidays off to the best start. Between the 1 August and 30 September this year all passengers travelling from Heathrow, Gatwick and Manchester Airports who check in online will receive £6 off for every £30 spent onboard Virgin Atlantic flights. Virgin Atlantic’s onboard shopping range, Retail Therapy, was voted ‘In-flight Retailer of the Year 2006’.

A sunken lounge, a sun deck and brand new business facilities are just three of the innovative new features in Virgin Atlantic’s new Narita Clubhouse. The airline’s new Clubhouse at Narita airport, re-opened on 14 July after a total refurbishment.

Virgin Atlantic Airways announced today that it would be launching five additional services between London and Montego Bay during the winter period of this year in response to high demand for flights over the Christmas and New Year period. The additional direct flights between London Gatwick and Montego Bay will operate on an Airbus A340-300.

Virgin Atlantic Airways has announced a new Flying Without Fear course (FWF), due to start at Bournemouth airport on the 22 July 2007. Virgin Atlantic, in association with FWF Limited, offers one-day courses throughout the year, aimed at teaching sufferers how to overcome their fear. The course includes an optional 45-minute flight at the end of the session.

Virgin Atlantic has this weekend launched its first flights to and from Scotland. The Glasgow to Orlando service took to the skies at 1.50pm, 23 June 2007. The occasion was celebrated with a live Scottish band on the main concourse at Glasgow International airport and a bevy of free gifts for all the inaugural passengers.

Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, today announced that Virgin would help to create a vital new elephant corridor, north of Mount Kenya, which would provide a lifeline for local communities and the dwindling elephant population in the region.

Virgin Atlantic is delighted to offer a ‘Sunglasses Styling Clinic’ to Upper Class passengers visiting its flagship Heathrow Clubhouse in the month of June. On selected days throughout the month, Lucy Garrett, from Lucy Garrett Styling, will offer consultations for men and women on the best sunglasses to suit their face and features as well as other summer style advice.

Virgin Atlantic Airways will launch direct services between London Heathrow and Mauritius on 28 October this year. This new service will bring the airline’s total number of destinations to 29 with Kingston, Jamaica being the 30th route launch two days later.

Sir Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic, today delivered the first batch of motorcycles that will help to bring much-needed medical support to small villages and communities in Kenya and throughout Africa.

To celebrate the launch of the new The Lord of the Rings stage show in London, Virgin Atlantic is introducing exclusive ‘Lord of the Rings’ amenity kits for all Economy passengers travelling into the UK.

Sir Richard Branson, the President of Virgin Atlantic, has been made a tribal Elder in a ceremony held in the Masai Mara in Kenya. He was in the region celebrating Virgin Atlantic’s new daily services to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

Virgin Atlantic’s first flight to Kenya arrived in Nairobi this morning, welcomed by the Vice President of Kenya.

Virgin Atlantic says its plans for the transformation of Heathrow T3 will provide tough competition for the new T5. By the end of this year, all Virgin Atlantic passengers will see a brand new Check In area in T3, Zone A and the creation of a state-of-the art Drive Thru Check In for its Upper Class passengers, well ahead of T5, which will open in March 2008.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, is to expand its services to Jamaica later this year with the launch of new flights between London Gatwick and Kingston using Virgin’s 451-seat Boeing 747-400 aircraft.

Virgin Atlantic is pleased to announce that Upper Class passengers will be able to surf the net with free Wi-Fi connections in all its Upper Class Clubhouses by the end of this year.

Space tourism pioneer, Virgin Galactic has appointed Sharaf Travel as its ‘Accredited Space Office’ for the Middle East region, based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Virgin Galactic has announced Mr Ibrahim Sharaf – President of the Sharaf Group as the first Emirati to sign-up to go to space. Mr ISharaf joins an actress, entrepreneur, movie-director and Royal, among others, to become one of the first of mankind to leave earth.

Virgin Atlantic Airways today celebrates its 600th Wings Ceremony for 21 of its most recently trained crew (In-Flight Beauty Therapists) at the airline’s Head Office in Crawley, near Gatwick.

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, and aircraft maker Boeing today announced an extensive partnership which includes the largest order yet by a European airline for Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner.

Virgin Atlantic Airways today launched daily services between London Heathrow and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. Chicago, which becomes Virgin Atlantic's 27th destination worldwide, will be the airline's tenth US gateway. Chicago is a key destination in its own right as well as a hub for the Mid West.

Virgin Atlantic today launched its second daily service to Washington Dulles International Airport. The additional service will operate from 24 April until 27 October 2007 to offer increased frequency and more capacity throughout the summer season.

Virgin Atlantic Airways announces a new Flying Without Fear course (FWF), due to start at Leeds-Bradford airport on the 17 June 2007. Virgin Atlantic, in association with FWF Limited, offers one-day courses throughout the year, aimed at teaching sufferers how to overcome their fear. The course includes an optional 45-minute flight at the end of the session.

Virgin Atlantic Airways announces that between the 28 May and the 15 July this year it will be running a special offer for all its keen golfers. Passengers will be able to take another piece of luggage for free in addition to taking their golf clubs along with their normal luggage allowance. The offer is for flights departing from London Gatwick and Manchester airport only for destinations to the Caribbean and Florida.

Virgin Atlantic has today launched the facility for passengers to print off boarding passes from home. Passengers' boarding passes can be printed off from home in selected destinations where online check in is available.

Virgin Atlantic today announced that it is to sponsor Robin Liston and Rory McAuliffe’s attempt to fly around Australia visiting at least 26 different places with different letters of the alphabet – the A-Z of Oz. The two men plan to set off from Melbourne in a single-engine Piper Cherokee aircraft on 9 April and hope to make the 6000 mile journey in approximately 30 days.

Virgin Atlantic has joined forces with the National Film and Television School to showcase new film making talent onboard in its own Film Festival in the Sky. Over the next four months Virgin Atlantic will be screening 14 specially selected short films on its inflight entertainment system. Passengers can watch the films during their flight and then vote until the end of June to compile a shortlist of six films that will be shown onboard for a further three months.

Virgin Atlantic would like to wish its flagship Clubhouse at Heathrow many happy returns as it celebrates its first year of operation since its redesign. In one year, the newly designed Clubhouse has played host to a record 250,000 guests, served over 125,000 glasses of champagne, given 44,000 treatments in its Cowshed salon, cut over 15,000 Upper Class heads of hair in its Bumble and Bumble salon and had 1000 passengers bathing in its Jacuzzi in addition to winning some of the most prestigious design awards in the industry.

Virgin Atlantic Airways and Tokyo based ANA (All Nippon Airways) are delighted to announce that they have agreed a new alliance agreement under which both carriers will work more closely together.

Virgin Atlantic Airways announced today that it has appointed Currimjee Jeewanjee as Virgin’s General Sales Agent in Mauritius. Paul Dickinson, Virgin Atlantic’s Director of Sales and Marketing said: "I am delighted at the appointment of Currimjee Jeewanjee as Virgin’s General Sales Agent in Mauritius.

Virgin Atlantic Airways today unveiled its own APD – Atlantic's Price Deal - for those passengers stung by the UK Government's increased Air Passenger Duty after they had already booked their flights.

Virgin Atlantic has launched a Premium Economy '50% extra' Flying Club miles offer, where Flying Club members, who purchase a full fare Premium Economy return ticket, will receive 50% extra Flying Club miles on each flight they take until the 31 March this year.

Virgin Atlantic Airways has announced that it plans to recruit 100 inflight beauty therapists by July this year. This significant recruitment drive will meet the airline’s expansion plans for 2007, which include the launch of flights to Chicago in April, Nairobi in June and Mauritius in October, along with an extra daily service to Washington during the summer season.

Virgin Atlantic Airways has announced that it will be launching daily services between Heathrow and Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, from 1 June 2007. The services will be operated by an Airbus A340-300 aircraft with 240 seats onboard -34 Upper Class, 35 Premium Economy and 171 Economy.

Virgin Atlantic Airways has announced it will start flying between London Heathrow and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. The daily services will begin on Monday 23 April next year. The airline also announced today that it is introducing a second daily service between London Heathrow and Washington for the summer season from 24 April 2007.

Virgin Atlantic has announced that its aircraft would be carrying out test trials throughout December on so-called “starting grids”, which are aimed at reducing fuel burn and CO2 emissions in the aviation industry.