Virgin Atlantic Increases Surcharges on Award Tickets for the Second Time in Less Than a Year

Updated: April 16, 2026, 9:22am CDT

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Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Hikes Award Ticket Surcharges
Final Thoughts

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Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club program has long been a solid option for booking award tickets from the U.S. to London and beyond, thanks to reasonable award rates and decent availability on many routes.

However, the program’s Achilles’ heel has been the surcharges it adds to award tickets, which cost travelers hundreds of dollars in addition to the points they redeem.

Over the years, Flying Club has raised these surcharges numerous times without warning, and it’s just done it again. Here’s what you need to know.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Hikes Award Ticket Surcharges

In what’s ostensibly a response to the global spike in oil prices, the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club program has increased the surcharges it levies on award tickets yet again — and done so without any prior warning.

This is the second time the program has increased these fees in less than a year. After the last fee hike, economy awards carried about $111 in fees, premium economy awards cost an additional $240, and Upper Class (the airline’s business class) award tickets tacked on about $586 in fees.

Now, one-way economy awards have increased to about $165, premium economy to about $300, and Upper Class to about $707 on flights departing the U.S. and bound for London. Note that these fees remain the same no matter the cost you pay in points, whether you find a Saver award rate or pay dynamic pricing on a popular travel date.

Virgin Atlantic Award Fees JFK LHR — Virgin Atlantic Flying Club surcharges on award tickets between New York (JFK) and London (LHR). Image Credit: Virgin Atlantic

Unfortunately, these fees are even steeper if you’re departing from London. One-way economy awards now require an additional £243 (~$329), premium economy an additional £468 (~$634), and Upper Class an additional £720 (~$975). Again, these fees are charged no matter which award rates you’re able to find.

Virgin Atlantic Surcharges LHR-BOS — Virgin Atlantic Flying Club surcharges on award tickets between London and Boston (BOS). Image Credit: Virgin Atlantic

As you can see, Flying Club charges as few as 29,000 points for a one-way Upper Class award between the East Coast and London, but you’ll need to pony up almost $1,000 to book the ticket if you’re flying back from London. Unless you’re desperate, this makes using your hard-earned points for Virgin Atlantic awards not worth it.

Hot Tip:

Despite these fee hikes, there’s still value to be found in Virgin Atlantic’s loyalty program. Read our full guides to learn about all the ways to earn and redeem Flying Club points for maximum value.

Final Thoughts

Virgin Atlantic has raised surcharges on award tickets again, presumably in response to the recent increase in oil prices. We have our doubts that the carrier will knock them down once oil prices subside, but, as the saying goes, time will tell.