Virgin Atlantic may be the underdog of U.K. long-haul airlines, but it has long strived to give its passengers a hip cabin and delightful service across all classes. This made the airline a favorite for many U.S. and U.K. based travelers, letting it quickly expand to destinations across the United Kingdom, North America, Asia, the Caribbean, and the Middle East.
If you have an upcoming flight to the U.K. (namely, London or Manchester), there’s a decent chance that you’ll find yourself on a Virgin Atlantic plane. No matter what class of service you choose to book, one thing rings true: you’re going to have to physically board the plane before the Virgin Atlantic experience begins.
However, Virgin Atlantic has a somewhat untraditional boarding process that makes it different from British Airways, United Airlines, and others that fly from the U.S. to the U.K.
In this article, we’ll show you how the Virgin Atlantic boarding process works, saving you some major confusion at the airport.
Without further ado, let’s dive in!
Virgin Atlantic Boarding Zones
Image Credit: Virgin AtlanticAs you’d expect, Virgin Atlantic breaks up its boarding zones class-by-class. However, there are a couple of things that make this different than other airlines — namely that economy boarding is split up by the type of economy fare you choose to purchase. So with that in mind, make sure you know what type of economy fare you’ve purchased before you go to board.
However, like most airlines, those with status can board ahead of their purchased class of service. Here’s how the boarding process works:
First to Board
Second to Board
- Premium (Virgin Atlantic’s version of premium economy) class passengers
Third to Board
- Economy Delight passengers
Fourth to Board
- Economy Classic passengers
- Economy Lite passengers
Note that Economy Classic and Economy Lite passengers are called by row, starting from the back to front.
Priority Boarding
Currently, there is no way to buy priority boarding outright. Instead, you’ll have to either earn frequent flyer status on Virgin Atlantic or Delta or purchase an Upper Class, Premium, or Economy Delight ticket.
How to Build up Your Virgin Atlantic “Flying Club” Balance
Flying on Virgin Atlantic — whether in economy, Premium, or Upper Class — doesn’t need to be an expensive feat. In fact, you can book tickets on the airline using the airline’s mileage currency —Flying Club — to fly on the airline for a relatively low amount of Virgin Points.
You can earn Virgin Points in a variety of ways, the first being by flying on Virgin Atlantic or one of its airline partners. The airline partners with a number of different airlines like Delta Air Lines, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Australia, and others. You can view the full list of airline partners on Virgin Atlantic’s website.
Hot Tip: You can use your Virgin Points to redeem for flights on Delta Air Lines, Singapore Airlines, ANA, and other Virgin Atlantic partner airlines. Check out our Virgin Atlantic redemption guide for more info.
However, the most popular earning method for most Flying Club members is transferring in Virgin Points from a number of credit card and hotel transfer partners like American Express Membership Rewards, Chase Ultimate Rewards, Citi ThankYou, and Marriott Bonvoy. Each of these transfer at varying rates, and offer bonus deals from time to time.
Further, you can also earn Virgin Points by signing up for a Virgin Atlantic co-branded credit card from Bank of America. The Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® has a solid sign up bonus and earns bonus Virgin Points on Virgin Atlantic purchases.
These are our recommended cards for earning Virgin Points:
Virgin Atlantic Credit Card
As mentioned earlier, Virgin Atlantic has one co-branded credit card with Bank of America. This card — dubbed the Virgin Atlantic World Elite Mastercard® — earns 3x points on Virgin Atlantic purchases and 1.5x points everywhere else. It offers a varying signup bonus, too, so it’s a good way to earn Virgin Points relatively quickly.
On top of this, there’s a 15,000 point anniversary bonus issued upon account renewal, and spend bonuses that let you earn upgrade certificates and companion fares. The card currently has a relatively low annual fee of $90.
Chase Ultimate Rewards Credit Cards
Having the Chase Sapphire Preferred in your wallet helps you earn Ultimate Rewards points that can be easily transferred to Virgin Points. Image Credit: Jeramey Lende via ShutterstockChase Ultimate Rewards points transfer to Virgin Atlantic at a 1:1 ratio. You can use these credit cards to earn Ultimate Rewards points quickly through sign up bonuses and everyday spend:
Recommended Chase Cards (Personal)
| Credit Card | Benefits & Info |
|---|
Chase Sapphire Preferred®
Learn More (at Chase's secure site) | - Earn 80,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $1,000 when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®.
- Enjoy benefits such as a $50 annual Ultimate Rewards Hotel Credit, 5x on travel purchased through Chase Ultimate Rewards®, 3x on dining and 2x on all other travel purchases, plus more.
- Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 80,000 points are worth $1,000 toward travel.
- With Pay Yourself BackSM, your points are worth 25% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
- Good to Excellent (670-850)
- Annual Fee: $95
$1,600
Must Reads: For more info on the Chase Sapphire Preferred, see our thoughts on its benefits and travel insurance coverage, which includes primary car rental insurance. Take a look at our full review to see why it’s one of our favorite cards. |
Chase Sapphire Reserve®
Learn More (at Chase's secure site) | - Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That’s $750 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
- $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
- Earn 5x total points on air travel and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards® immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
- Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Ultimate Rewards®. For example, 50,000 points are worth $750 toward travel
- With Pay Yourself BackSM, your points are worth 50% more during the current offer when you redeem them for statement credits against existing purchases in select, rotating categories
- 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
- Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority PassTM Select and up to $100 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck®
- Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more
- Excellent (740-850)
- Annual Fee: $550
$1,000
Must Reads: For more on the Chase Sapphire Reserve, see our thoughts on its benefits, global airport lounge access, and travel insurance protection. Take a look here for our full review. |
If you’re a business owner, see our list of the best Chase business credit cards.
Amex Membership Rewards Credit Cards
You can transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to Virgin Atlantic at a 1:1 transfer ratio. See our post on how to earn lots of Amex points where credit cards are a great tool for that.
Citi ThankYou Points Credit Cards
Like Amex and Chase, Citi ThankYou points can be transferred to Virgin Atlantic at a 1:1 transfer ratio. See our article on the best Citi credit cards to top up your ThankYou point balance.
Marriott Bonvoy Credit Cards
Marriott Bonvoy points transfer to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club at a 3:1 ratio, with a 5,000-point bonus awarded for every 20,000 Virgin Points (60,000 Bonvoy points) transferred.
You can earn Marriott Bonvoy points by staying at Marriott hotels or by signing up for a Marriott Bonvoy co-branded credit card from Chase or American Express.
Final Thoughts
The United Kingdom is one of the most popular international destinations for American tourists, and Virgin Atlantic is one of the most comfortable ways to cross the pond.
Before you head to the airport though, it’s important to know what to expect so that you’re not caught off guard. While Virgin Atlantic has a largely standard boarding process, its decision to split up different types of economy passengers may throw off some first time Virgin Atlantic flyers.
We really hope this will help get your next Virgin Atlantic trip to the U.K. off to an enjoyable and stress-free start — safe travels!
