News

Virgin Atlantic to charge seat reservation fees

16 Dec 2013 by Alex McWhirter

Virgin Atlantic is set to follow in the footsteps of rival British Airways by charging passengers a £25 fee to reserve a seat in advance.

Although the airline has yet to announce the news officially, details of the new scheme, effective December 18, have just been posted on its website.

The fee is £25 per seat per flight, and is set to be introduced on all of Virgin Atlantic's long-haul routes with the exception of Tokyo. Domestic flights with Little Red will be exempt.

A Virgin spokesman told Business Traveller: "Advance seat allocation is free of charge if you are a Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold member, for passengers travelling in Upper Class, Premium Economy and for Economy passengers on fully flexible tickets.

"Other passengers travelling in the economy cabin need to pay to select seats if they want to choose them in advance of the 24-hour online check-in window."

But confusion could set in because, rather than introduce the fees across the board, Virgin Atlantic is introducing them in stages. Fees on some routes start more or less immediately while others will start in the coming months.

The full scheme, allowing seat reservations up to one year ahead, will not come into force until June 1 of next year.

And will US carrier Delta Air Lines, with whom Virgin Atlantic operates a transatlantic joint venture (see news, November 11), follow suit on these particular routes?

By moving towards fees for advance seating, Virgin Atlantic would be expected to earn millions of pounds in ancillary charges, which for many airlines is the difference between profit and loss.

virgin-atlantic.com

Alex McWhirter

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