Virgin Atlantic offers top tips for a tip top summer 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.

1. Book your tickets online – go to virginatlantic.com to get the best deals and once you have made your booking you can choose where you would like to sit onboard and order any special meal requests.

2. Check in online – this summer all passengers who check in online between 1 July to 31 August will receive a £10 off voucher for duty free onboard along with discount vouchers selected duty free retailers within the departures area of Terminal 3 Heathrow and South Terminal Gatwick and checking in online means you can even print your boarding pass at home.

3. Twilight check in – passengers checking in at Gatwick Airport can use the Twilight Check In service, which enables them to check in themselves and their luggage the afternoon before their flight departs, making the day they travel completely hassle-free. In the Caribbean, 'Check In and Chill Out' is popular with passengers who can check in for their flight when checking out of their hotel. In Florida' Virgin Atlantic offers a check in facility in Downtown Disney enabling passengers to check themselves and their bags in at a kiosk on the day of departure and spend the last day of their holiday in the theme park, without having to rush back to the hotel.

4. Extra leg room seats – if you would like more leg room you can purchase exit row seats at Gatwick airport on selected flights on the day of travel from between £50 and £75 one way depending on the route. Alternatively Virgin Atlantic is creating a number of Economy seats on its Gatwick fleet of aircraft with a larger seat pitch of 34 inches which will also be available to purchase at check in for only £30 one way.

5. Upgrade at the airport – if you want to travel with more space and luxury why not upgrade at the airport to Premium Economy. Depending on your economy ticket type an upgrade can be purchased on the day of departure at the airport, prices start from £149 one way. Premium Economy offers passengers a leather seat with a seat pitch of 38 inches. Passengers travelling in Premium Economy benefit from many dedicated services including a dedicated check in, cabin crew and meal service along with priority boarding and luggage.

6. Take advantage of amazing summer Upper Class fares – fly to New York, Boston, Washington, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco in the luxury of Upper Class by buying one of our sale fares which start from £1140. These sale fares will be available for booking up until 8 July.

7. Book a treatment – for passengers travelling in Upper Class beauty treatments and haircuts can be booked in advance in the Cowshed Spa and Bumble and bumble salon at Heathrow and the Virgin Touch Spa at Gatwick, kicking your holiday off to a pampered start. Bookings must be made 24 hours before travel and can be made online.

8. Pre-order your duty free – you can browse through all of the duty free items online and pre-order any item before you fly which means it will be delivered to your seat and allows you to buy the items for sale which are exclusively for pre-orders only.

9. Enjoy your time onboard – check out the full list of films and entertainment that will be played onboard your flight online and once you get onboard you can even set your own playlist at the beginning of the flight to help you watch everything you want to. You can even be updated with breaking news stories throughout the flight. 14 million films and TV programmes are watched on Virgin Atlantic planes every year!

10. Join flying club - and be rewarded with miles everytime you fly with Virgin.