What are the key events that have shaped Virgin Atlantic to date?

Virgin Atlantic Airways came from an idea taken to Richard Branson by Randolph Fields in the early 1980's. Original called British Atlantic Airways, VAA first flew from Gatwick to Newark with their single 747 on 22nd June 1984.

Branson took the torch from Sir Freddie Laker's Skytrain operation - which had been the pioneer of discounted transatlantic air travel, but suffered at the hands of BA's price war to eliminate the competition. Virgin too didn't have an easy ride with BA, and won substaintial damages from them after successfully proving their 'Dirty Tricks' campaign.

Two years after their first flight to Newark, Virgin introduced a scheduled service to Miami in 1986. This was followed two years later with Orlando in 1988. By the end of the 1980's, Virgin added a slew of new routes including Tokyo in May 1989, JFK in August 1989 and Los Angeles in May 1990.

By their tenth anniversay in 1994, Virgin were flying to Boston, Hong Hong and San Francisco.

Virgin also created regional services under the separate banners of Virgin Express in Europe and Virgin Blue (and Pacific Blue) in Australia.

Virgin are known for their innovation, and the intense competition with BA on the transatlantic routes has pushed forward services unlike any other carriers in the world. Virgin were the first airline to introduce personal inflight entertainment systems in Economy, and they have re-defined business class pushing it way beyond the expectations of even a first class product only a decade earlier.

Virgin and BA raced to introduce flat beds in business class. A race which BA won, pipping Virgin to the post just months before the introduction of its J2000 seat. Virgin responded by investing heavily in the Upper Class Suite - the largest flat bed in the sky, let alone a business class product.

On their 20th anniversary, Virgin announced the service to Sydney - a route Sir Richard Branson had dearly wanted to fly for many years.

Future growth for the airline includes new routes to the middle east, India and Carribean. The company are also expanding into America with Virgin America and Africa with Virgin Nigeria.

Which aircraft are currently flying with Virgin Atlantic, and how can I find out which aircraft has which seat & entertainment type?

Virgin have a fleet that currently consists of 3 aircraft types; the 747-400, A340-300 and A340-600.

Their largest operational airport is London Heathrow, where there are 5 x 747-400s, 19 x A340-600s and 6 x A340-300s.

At Manchester and Gatwick there are 8 x 747-400s, 5 of these are often referred to as the ex-Alitalia aircraft although in reality Alitalia never owned them. They were originally ordered by the Italian state carrier, but when they cancelled Virgin stepped in and snapped up a bargain for brand new aircraft.

15 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners are on order – with options on another 8. Delivery of these aircraft is due from 2011.

6 A380 'Super Jumbos' are also on order. These were originally due to start delivery in 2006, which was put back to 2008. The latest news (October 2006) is that the delivery will now take place in 2013 - this is down to various Airbus delays with the project.

A list of the current aircraft is below, but for detailed information, including the entertainment system, seat maps & type and route history, visit the Aircraft Database.

GVBIG	Tinkerbelle	LHR744
GVFAB	Lady Penelope	LHR744
GVHOT	Tubular Belle	LHR744
GVROC	Mustang Sally	LHR744
GVWOW	Cosmic Girl	LHR744
GVATL	Miss Kitty	LHR346
GVEIL	Queen of the Skies	LHR346
GVFOX	Silver Lady	LHR346
GVGAS	Varga Girl	LHR346
GVGOA	Indian Princess	LHR346
GVMEG	Mystic Maiden	LHR346
GVNAP	Sleeping Beauty	LHR346
GVOGE	Cover Girl	LHR346
GVSHY	Madam Butterfly	LHR346
GVSSH	Sweet Dreamer	LHR346
GVWKD	Miss Behavin	LHR346
GVBLU	Soul Sister	LHR346
GVWIN	Lady Luck	LHR346
GVFIT	Dancing Queen	LHR346
GVFIZ	Bubbles	LHR346
GVYOU	Emmeline Heaney	LHR346
GVRED	Scarlet Lady	LHR346
GVWEB	Surfer Girl	LHR346
GVBUG	Lady Bird	LHR346
GVAIR	Maiden Tokyo	LHR343
GVELD	African Queen	LHR343
GVFAR	Diana	LHR343
GVHOL	Jetstreamer	LHR343
GVSEA	Plain Sailing	LHR343
GVSUN	Rainbow Lady	LHR343
GVAST	Ladybird	LGW/MAN744
GVGAL	Jersey Girl	LGW/MAN744
GVLIP	Hot Lips	LGW/MAN744
GVROM	Barbarella	LGW/MAN744
GVROS	English Rose	LGW/MAN744
GVROY	Pretty Woman	LGW/MAN744
GVTOP	Virginia Plain	LGW/MAN744
GVXLG	Ruby Tuesday	LGW/MAN744

Which aircraft have been retired from the Virgin Atlantic fleet, and where are they now?

Virgin have constantly updated their aircraft, getting rid of older models and adding new ones. Listed here is the current status of ex-Virgin aircraft as at Jan 2006 (listed by aircraft type):

A320-211
G-OUZO (Spirit of Melina), an A320-211 which used to do the Athens route, was a leased aircraft which went to Airtours after Virgin before being returned to the leasing company at the end of 2003 - it is currently active with MyTravel as G-JOEM

A320-214
G-VMED (Mediterranean Maiden) went to Transair Sweden, Goodjet and then Atlas International and is now registered as TC-OGF
G-VTAN (Sunshine Girl) is with Atlas International and is now registered as TC-OGE
G-VKID (Sundance Kid) went to Transair Sweden as SE-RCD, then GoodJet as SE-RCD and is currently with Iberworld under EC-IMU

A321-211
G-VATH (Hellenic Beauty), which also operated the Athens route, was with Volar Airlines under the registration EC-IMA, but is now with Turksish Airlines as TC-JME.
G-VKIS (Sunkissed Girl) went to Volar as EC-IMA and is now with Turkish Airlines as TC-JMF

A340-311
G-VSKY (China Girl), went to BWIA in January 2004 and now flies under the registration 9Y-JIL.
G-VBUS (Lady In Red), has been flying with Virgin Nigeria since December 2005.
G-VFLY (Dragon Lady), went to Finnair in June 2006 and now flies under the registration OH-LQA.
G-VAEL (Maiden Toulouse), currently being repainted at Filton (Bristol) for transfer to Air Comet.

B747-123
G-VMIA (Spirit of Sir Freddie) - scrapped

B747-212B
G-TYKO (Maiden Japan) to Tower Air as N616FF, currently with Kalitta Air as N703CK
G-VRGN (Maid of Honour) to Tower Air as N618FF, then to UPS as N526UP

B747-219B
G-VBEE (Honey Pie) to Transaero Airlines as VP-BQA
G-VIBE (Spirit of New York), to Wells Fargo Bank Northwest as N701TA
G-VPUF (High As A Kite) to Wells Fargo Bank Northwest as N705TA, then to Transaero as VP-BQC (currently stored)
G-VSSS (Island Lady) to Wells Fargo Bank Northwest as N703TA, then to Transaero as VP-BQB
G-VZZZ (Morning Glory) to Transaero Airlines as N702TA

B747-238B
G-VJFK (Boston Belle) to Kabo Air as 5N-PDP
G-VLAX (California Girl) to Kabo Air as 5N-PPP

B747-243B
G-VGIN (Scarlet Lady) to Kabo Air as 5N-EEE

B747-267B
G-VCAT (Wild Thing) to European Aircharter as G-CCMA (currently stored)
G-VRUM (Calypso Queen) to Wells Fargo Bank Northwest as N230AL, now with Southern Winds as LV-AZF (currently stored)

B747-283B
G-VOYG (Shady Lady) - scrapped

B747-287B
G-VIRG (Maiden Voyager) to Kabo Air as 5N-NNN

How can I find out which aircraft is going to be on my flight?

Select your flight number from the drop down box in the What Aircraft? tool, and click "Submit". This will give you a route map, and details of the aircraft that have flown the route over the last 3 months.

When will Virgin Atlantic be fitting Upper Class Suites across the fleet?

All the current VS fleet have the Upper Class Suite.

Any new aircraft delivered will come with Suites installed.

What planes have been fitted with the new Premium Economy seats?

As of 24th May 2008, the following aircraft have been fitted with the new Premium Economy seats (the Echo project):

G-VATL - Miss Kitty (A346)
G-VBLU - Soul Sister (A346)
G-VBUG - Lady Bird (A346)
G-VEIL - Queen of the Skies (A346)
G-VFIT - Dancing Queen (A346)
G-VFIZ - Bubbles (A346)
G-VFOX - Silver Lady (A346)
G-VGAS - Varga Girl (A346)
G-VGOA - Indian Princess (A346)
G-VMEG - Mystic Maiden (A346)
G-VNAP - Sleeping Beauty (A346)
G-VOGE - Cover Girl (A346)
G-VRED - Scarlet Lady (A346)
G-VSSH - Sweet Dreamer (A346)
G-VSHY - Madam Butterfly (A346)
G-VWEB - Surfer Girl (A346)
G-VWIN - Lady Luck (A346)
G-VWKD - Miss Behavin (A346)
G-VYOU - Emmeline Heaney (A346)

G-VAIR - Maiden Tokyo (A343)
G-VELD - African Queen (A343)
G-VFAR - Diana (A343)
G-VHOL - Jetstreamer (A343)
G-VSEA - Plain Sailing (A343)
G-VSUN - Rainbow Lady (A343)

G-VBIG - Tinkerbelle (LHR B744)
G-VFAB - Lady Penelope (LHR B744)
G-VHOT - Tubular Belle (LHR B744)
G-VROC - Mustang Sally (LHR B744)
G-VWOW - Cosmic Girl (LHR B744)

It's expected that the LGW/MAN/GLA fleet will get the new PE seats in 2009.

Still to be refitted:

G-VAST - Ladybird (LGW/MAN B744)
G-VGAL - Jersey Girl (LGW/MAN B744)
G-VLIP - Hot Lips (LGW/MAN B744)
G-VROM - Barbarella (LGW/MAN B744)
G-VROS - English Rose (LGW/MAN B744)
G-VROY - Pretty Woman (LGW/MAN B744)
G-VTOP - Virginia Plain (LGW/MAN B744)
G-VXLG - Ruby Tuesday (LGW/MAN B744)

How do I earn tier points, and how is the membership year worked out?

In the beginning you will start as a Red member with 0 points – whilst we are at it – you will not actually receive your Red plastic membership card and kit until you have completed your first VS flight.

Then you will begin to earn tier points for most VS flights and associated partner airlines on the following scale:-

Virgin Atlantic
Economy: 2 TP per leg* – so 4 for a return
Premium Economy: 3 TP per leg
Upper Class: 5 TP per leg

*N fares to the US and Caribbean will only earn 1 tier point per leg - so 2 for a return.

For VS flights to/from Sydney;
Economy - 4 TP one way (8 return)
Premium Economy - 6 TP one way (12 return)
Upper Class – 10 TP one way (20 return)

Singapore
Economy flight under 2000 miles: 1 TP per leg
Economy flight over 2000 miles: 2 TP per leg
Business Class flight under 2000 miles: 3 TP per leg
Business Class flight over 2000 miles: 5 TP per leg
First Class flight under 2000 miles: 5 TP per leg
First Class flight over 2000 miles: 7 TP per leg

All Nippon Airways (ANA)
Economy flight under 2000 miles: 1 TP per leg
Economy flight over 2000 miles: 1 TP per leg
Business Class flight under 2000 miles: 2 TP per leg
Business Class flight over 2000 miles: 3 TP per leg
First Class flight under 2000 miles: 3 TP per leg
First Class flight over 2000 miles: 5 TP per leg

All other partner airlines
Economy flight under 2000 miles: 0 TP per leg
Economy flight over 2000 miles: 1 TP per leg
Business Class flight under 2000 miles: 1 TP per leg
Business Class flight over 2000 miles: 2 TP per leg
First Class flight under 2000 miles: 1 TP per leg
First Class flight over 2000 miles: 2 TP per leg


For Virgin Atlantic, all revenue fares will now earn Tier Points.
Any companion or reward flights will not earn TP or flying club miles – for a more detailed overview of fare classes, take a look at the fare codes guide.


Moving up the tiers
So you start at 0 as we said as a Red member, and you start flying on qualifying flights, once you earn 15 TP’s in a 12 month period (it’s a rolling 12 months, it does not have to be between January and December like some airlines) – you will move up a tier to Silver level. As soon as you hit the 15 TP mark, your account is upgraded almost immediately and that becomes your first milestone anniversary date (M1).

From M1 you then have a 13 month period to earn another 10 TP to retain Silver. However when you hit M1, your TP total does not reset like some airlines. So if you continue earning TP’s and manage to earn 40 TP within the 12 month period then you will move up a tier to Gold.

Workings….
a) Start off as a new Red member with 0 TP
b) You take a return Premium Economy flight (F1 and F2)in February and earn 6 TP
c) You take a return Upper Class flight (F3 and F4) in June and Earn 10 Tier Points
d) When you arrive back from your return leg in June, when the flight is credited to your account. You will be moved up a tier to Silver when the system does the sweep in the evening – This is M1.
e) Your 13 month window from M1 has then started – so you have until the end of July the following year to retain Silver.
f) Your TP count is at 16
g) So if you were to earn another 24 TP before the first anniversary of F1, then you have reached 40 TP in a 12 month period and would be moved up to Gold tier.

So you have reached Silver tier, you have 13 months from M1 to either earn 10 TP to retain Silver or to reach 40 TP to earn Gold.

If you do reach 40 TP and make Gold tier, then shortly after you have completed the qualifying flight that has taken you to or past 40 TP, your account will be upgraded to Gold Tier. At this point you have hit Gold Anniversary One (GA1) After this point your TP balance will be zeroed, and you start again as you now need to earn 30 TP in the 13 months following GA1.

If you fall short of earning the required 40 TP to reach Gold status in the 12 months following F1, then you will stay at Silver until 13 months past M1. In the 13 months following M1, you will need to earn 10 TP to retain Silver status. At the end of the 12 months past M1, the flying club system will check to see if you have earned 10 TP in that 12 month period – if you have it will automatically process your status for the next 13 months (send out a new card, vouchers etc). If you have not earned 10 TP in that time, it will again check a month later (13 months since M1) – if you have by then earned 10 TP then it will process your status and order, if on the other hand you have not it will move you down to Red tier again. If this happens, you will have to start again and earn 15 TP to reach Silver status again.

In the 13 months following GA1, you will need to earn 30 TP to retain Gold status. At the end of the 12 months past GA1, the flying club system will check to see if you have earned 30 TP in that 12 month period – if you have it will automatically process your status for the next 13 months (send out a new card, vouchers etc) and zero down your TP balance. If you have not earned 30 TP in that time, it will again check a month later (13 months since GA1) – if you have by then earned 30 TP then it will process your status and order (and zero down your TP balance), if on the other hand you have not it will move you down to Silver tier again. If this happens, you will have to start again and earn 40 TP to reach Gold status again. However your TP balance will not zero down, as it enters the normal Silver status check point explained below.

When your anniversary for Silver status arrives, your TP balance is not zeroed like it is on Gold tier, instead it stays as it is but TP are only valid for 12 months at a time. So if you earned 5 TP for a qualifying flight on 8th May 2004, they will disappear from your account on 9th May 2005. So as an example:

a) Feb 2004 - Start off as a new Red member with 0 TP
b) March 2004 – Upper Class Return (F1 and F2)– 10 TP
c) 10th April – One Way Upper Class flight (F3)– 5 TP
d) M1 reached on 10th April as you have earned 15 TP to reach Silver tier, the 13 month clock is now ticking to earn 10 TP to requalify)
e) August 2004 – Economy Return Flight (F4 and F5)– 4 TP
f) September – Economy Return Flight (F6 and F7) –4 TP
g) April 2005 – M1+ 12 month time window reached – system checks but only 8 TP reached
h) Late April 2005, - Premium Economy Return – 6 TP
i) May 2005 – M1 +13 month time window reached – system checks and you have now earned at least 10 TP in the last 13 months so you requalify for Silver for another year – however your current balance is 14 TP as the 15 TP earned for flights F1, F2 and F3 have now expired.

Please note that a detailed explanation of Tier Points will be included in the next edition of the V-Book - this FAQ will be updated when this edition is released.

What are the advantages and benefits of being a Red Tier member of flying club?

Flying Club red is the first level of membership. Anyone can join by going to www.virgin-atlantic.com. The benefits of red status are naturally quite limited. After all you do not actually have to fly with Virgin to apply! Of course being a member of Flying club means you can earn miles when flying with Virgin Atlantic or their partner airlines, or when you spend with their partner businesses. But there are a few other benefits:

5% off BCP airport parking services at London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Manchester. It should be remembered that shopping around may well get you a better car parking price.

Up to 10% off Virgin Holidays. Quote your flying club number at the time of booking.

You can receive updates on offers and promotions either by e-mail or snail-mail.

Access to the flying club section of Virgin Atlantic’s web site. This has a number of special offers, competitions, news stories and allows you to keep track of your miles and Tier points.

What are the advantages and benefits of being a Silver Tier member of flying club?

Once you have earned enough Tier Points you move up to silver status (referred to in V-Flyer as Ag – the chemical symbol for silver)

This entitles the member to:

A 25% miles bonus when you fly with Virgin on any revenue ticket (which excludes MilesPlusMoney). You will receive 25% of the base miles for the flight you take, on top of the normal mileage.

Use of Premium Economy check-in on every Virgin Atlantic flight, regardless of your class of travel. Given the queues at the Economy check-in, this can be a significant benefit.

Priority wait listing for flights (excluding reward bookings). If the flight you'd like to book is already full, Virgin will bump you up the queue making you one of the first people offered a seat, after gold members.

Four complimentary single First Class upgrade vouchers for Gatwick Express and Heathrow Express (two for each service). A useful benefit if you do use the airport express trains, although it is understood that the Gatwick Express will cease service soon.

Free membership of Global Assistance - a 24 hour emergency travel and event ticketing service, which provides: ticketing for events, news/sport/weather/stock market updates and assistance for lost passports or lost/stolen money.

10% off all BCP parking services at London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Manchester. While this is an increase on the 5% benefit of red membership it is still worthwhile shopping around.

20% discount on long stay airport car parking (standard gate rates) with Parking Express at London Heathrow. Again the warning to shop around applies.

Unofficially, being a silver also moves you up the pecking order for operational upgrades.

What are the advantages and benefits of being a Gold Tier member of flying club?

Gold membership (referred to in V-Flyer as Au – the chemical symbol for gold) is the highest level within the flying club. It is at this level that the benefits become really desirable:

A 50% miles bonus when you fly with Virgin on any revenue ticket (M+M excluded) you will receive 50% of the base miles for the flight you take on top of the normal mileage. (Until the 1st March 2006 the bonus was 25% of miles)

Use of the Upper Class check-in on every Virgin Atlantic flight regardless of your class of travel. A real queue beater.

Access to Virgin Clubhouses around the world when flying in any class for you and one guest (although they must be travelling with Virgin Atlantic on the same day)

Access to Virgin Atlantic's Revivals lounge when flying into London Heathrow on a 'VS' prefixed ticket (assuming your flight arrives during the revivals opening hours)

Fast track through Immigration & Security on departure at London Heathrow and Gatwick with a guest, they must be travelling with Virgin Atlantic on the same day.

Ten complimentary single First Class upgrade vouchers for Gatwick Express and Heathrow Express (5 for each service). We understand Gatwick Express will cease service soon.

A Family Account, enabling up to six members of your household aged between 2 and 17 years to earn miles on qualifying Virgin Atlantic flights. Any miles they earn will be automatically transferred into your Flying Club Gold account.

A supplementary Flying Club Silver Account for someone aged 18 years or over sharing your home address. Whilst they enjoy the benefits of Silver membership, you will be able to spend miles from their account in order to reach rewards more quickly. You can also transfer miles into your Gold Account.

Priority boarding and priority baggage handling when a member flies with Virgin Atlantic in any class of travel

Increased excess baggage allowance. See Virgin Atlantic’s site for more details

Use of the London Heathrow bmi business lounge when travelling on an International flight with bmi.

15% off BCP airport parking services at London Heathrow, London Gatwick and Manchester. Shopping around may still get you a better price.

30% discount on long stay airport car parking (standard gate rates) with Parking Express at Heathrow only. Again do shop around.

A guaranteed Economy seat on any Virgin Atlantic flight provided a full fare flight is booked at least 3 days before departure. But remember a full fare Y ticket can be very expensive.

Additionally when you renew your Gold membership you will receive One complimentary companion reward ticket on any Virgin Atlantic flight in any class. You must be travelling in the same class, on the same date and the same flight as your companion, and your ticket must be a full fare ticket, i.e. Y,W,S,B or L classes (L is excluded for bookings ex USA)

Access to a dedicated “premier team” to deal with all your booking, flying club and general queries. The premier team are contactable by phone or email and the details are supplied when you reach gold level.

Of course, as a gold member you are near the top of the pecking order for operational upgrades. Also, your status is known to the cabin crew and often brings little added benefits, such as a glass of bubbly even if you are travelling in economy. But do not expect these benefits as a right!

How do I earn Flying Club Miles while flying with Virgin Atlantic?

To earn Flying Club Miles on qualifying flights, simply have your Flying Club membership number associated with your flight booking (at time of booking, before flight, or at check-in). Please check the Virgin Atlantic website for complete details.

What is a "qualifying flight"?
With Virgin Atlantic, all reward flights (including MilesPlusMoney) do not qualify for Flying Club Miles. All other fares ("revenue fares") earn miles according to the fare class, as set out in the table at the bottom.

BASE MILEAGE TABLE
This table shows the base mileage between the Departure Airport (DEP column) and all Virgin Atlantic destinations. To calculate the mileage earned for a mixed cabin round trip, simply add together the single leg figures listed below (LEG column).

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AIRPORT	CODE	DEP	LEG	RND TRIP
ANTIGUA	ANU	LGW	4087	8174
BARBADOS	BGI	LGW	4210	8420
BARBADOS	BGI	MAN	4163	8326
BOSTON	BOS	LHR	3267	6534
CAPE TOWN	CPT	LHR	6019	12038
CHICAGO	ORD	LHR	3950	7900
CUBA	HAV	LGW	4662	9324
DELHI	DEL	LHR	4169	8338
DUBAI	DXB	LHR	3404	6808
GRENADA	GND	LGW	4355	8710
HONG KONG	HKG	LHR	5970	11940
JAMAICA	MBJ	LGW	4703	9406
JOHANNESBURG	LNB	LHR	5640	11280
LAGOS	LOS	LHR	3115	6230
LAS VEGAS	LAS	LGW	5224	10448
LOS ANGELES	LAX	LHR	5442	10884
MAURITIUS	MRU	LHR	6074	12148
MIAMI	MIA	LHR	4430	8860
MUMBAI	BOM	LHR	4469	8938
NAIROBI	NBO	LHR	4246	8492
NEW YORK	JFK	LHR	3458	6916
NEWARK	EWR	LHR	3458	6916
ORLANDO	MCO	LGW	4336	8672
ORLANDO	MCO	MAN	4224	8448
SAN FRANCISCO	SFO	LHR	5358	10716
SHANGHAI	PVG	LHR	5719	11438
ST LUCIA	UVF	LGW	4228	8456
ST LUCIA	UVF	MAN	4176	8352
SYDNEY	SYD	LHR	10555	21110
SYDNEY	SYD	HKG	4585	9170
TOBAGO	TAB	LGW	4373	8746
TOKYO	NRT	LHR	6220	12440
WASHINGTON DC	IAD	LHR	3672	7344

Qualifying fares & earning rates


TO/FROM LONDON

FARE CLASS (CODE)	% OF BASE MILES
DISCOUNTED EC (Q,X,V,N)	50%
EC (Y,B,L,M)	100%
DISCOUNTED PE (K,H)	125%
PE (W,S)	150%
DISCOUNTED UC (R,Z)	150%
UC (J,D)	200%

Reward flights and Miles Plus Money fares inclusive of classes G, I, U, T, E or O do not qualify for miles or tier points, please check for any restrictions at the time of booking.

Flying Club Silver members earn an additional 25% of "base mileage" regardless of cabin type
Flying Club Gold members earn an additional 50% of "base mileage" regardless of cabin type

How do I earn Flying Club Miles while flying with Virgin Atlantic's Partner Airlines?

Virgin Atlantic have specified various Partner Airlines that will allow you to earn Flying Club Miles when flying with them.

To earn miles on qualifying flights, simply have your Flying Club membership number associated with your flight booking (at time of booking, before flight, or at check-in)

NB: Flying Club members do not earn any extra "base mileage" bonuses when flying with Partner Airlines, regardless of their membership level.

What is a "qualifying flight"?
Some Partner Airlines restrict the fare classes that Flying Club Miles can be earned in. Also, all reward flights do not qualify for Flying Club Miles, please check when booking your flight.

For current earning rates and restricted booking classes, please see the Virgin Atlantic website

Current list of Partner Airlines

Air China
Air Jamaica
Air New Zealand
All Nippon
BMI
Caribbean Star Airlines
Continental Airlines
Delta Air Lines
Gulf Air
Hawaiian Air
Malaysia Airlines
SAS
Singapore Airlines
South African Airways
US Airways

Please note that a more detailed explanation of earning miles on Partner Airlines will be included in the next edition of the V-Book - this FAQ will be updated when this edition is released.

How can I earn Flying Club Miles by flying on a Codeshare flight?

Codeshare flights are flights on certain Partner Airlines that are prefixed with a Virgin Atlantic flight code (i.e. VSXXX) - for example, you could fly from London Heathrow (LHR) to Singapore (SIN) on Singapore Airlines flight SQ317, but this also has a codeshare flight code of VS7317.

If you're booked under the VS flight code, you can earn miles on your Flying Club account as per the table below. If you're booked under the Partner Airline flight code, then you can earn Flying Club miles as per the rates below:

AIRLINE	DESTINATIONS	ECON.	BUSINESS	FIRST
Singapore Airlines	To/From LON/MAN
	SINGAPORE	13496	N/A	N/A
BMI	To/From LON (*)
	AMSTERDAM	500	750	N/A
	EIRE	500	750	N/A
	MADRID	500	750	N/A
	MILAN	500	750	N/A
	BRUSSELS	500	750	N/A
	ALICANTE	500	750	N/A
	VENICE	500	750	N/A
Continental Airlines	To/From LGW
	NEWARK	6916	13832	N/A

* connecting with a Virgin Atlantic flight

As always, please check the Virgin Atlantic website or ring Flying Club for complete details.

How can I earn Flying Club Miles while staying in Hotels?

Flying Club has partnered with several hotel groups around the world, so if you want to earn a little extra mileage, chances are there'll be a partner hotel in the city you're travelling to.

The following is a list of current hotel partners (check the Virgin Atlantic website for complete details):

Bajan Services
Blakes Hotel and the Hempel
The Hilton Family of hotels (Hilton, Conrad, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations Club, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Scandic Hotels)
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
Jumeirah
Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group
Marco Polo Hotels
Marriott International Hotels
Maybourne Hotel Group
Millennium & Copthorne Hotels
Morgans Hotel Group
Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts
Red Carnation Hotels
Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts
Starwood Hotels & Resorts (Four Points Hotels, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, St Regis, W Hotels, Westin Hotels and Resorts and Le Meridien)
Summit Hotels & Resorts
Taj Hotels Resorts & Palaces

How can I earn Flying Club Miles using a Credit or Charge Card?

Flying Club Miles can be earned with credit/charge cards as follows (check the Virgin Atlantic website for application links and Terms & Conditions):

American Express UK (All charge card types)
1 Membership Rewards point for every £1 spent - convert 1 Membership Rewards point into 1 Flying Club mile.

American Express US (All charge card types including the International Dollar Card)
1 Membership Rewards point for every USD $1 spent - convert 1 Membership Rewards point into 1 Flying Club mile.

American Express South Africa (All charge card types)
1 Membership Rewards point for every R5 spent - convert 1 Membership Rewards point into 1 Flying Club mile.

American Express South Africa (Gold Charge Card and Supplementary Gold Charge Card)
1,000 Flying Club miles on approval.
1 Membership Rewards point for every R5 spent - convert 1 Membership Rewards point into 1 Flying Club mile.

American Express Hong Kong (All charge card types)
1 Membership Rewards point for every HKD$1 spent - convert 128 Membership Rewards points into 10 Flying Club miles. Minimum transaction - 12,800 Membership Reward points and then only in multiples of 1,000.

American Express Japan (All charge card types)
1 Membership Rewards point for every Y100 spent - convert 1 Membership Rewards point into 1 Flying Club miles. Must be converted in multiples of 1,000 Membership Rewards points.

Diners Club Card US only (All card types)
Automatic enrolment in Club Rewards. 2 Club Reward Points for every $1 spent - convert a minimum of 2,000 Club Reward Points into 1,000 Flying Club miles.

Virgin Atlantic Credit Card* (UK only)
No Annual Fee
Earn 1 flying club mile per £1 spent - 2000 bonus miles on your first card purchase

£80 Annual Fee
Earn 2 flying club miles per £1 spent - 4000 bonus miles on your first card purchase

*The Virgin Mastercard will cease to be miles earning in December 2006, and application for the card has been ceased.


Virgin Atlantic American Express card from MBNA

The White card
No Annual Fee

Earn 1 Flying Club mile per 1 spent
Earn 2 Flying Club miles for every 1 spent direct with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays
3000 bonus miles on your first card purchase

MBNA customers converting the Virgin Mastercard to the White Virgin Atlantic American Express card recieve the following accelerated earning until the end of July 2007:

2 Flying Club miles per 1 spent
3 Flying Club miles Per 1 spent direct with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays
Plus 5000 bonus miles on your first card purchase (for converting before 15/09/06)

The Black card
£115 Annual Fee

Earn 2 Flying Club mile per 1 spent
Earn 4 Flying Club miles for every 1 spent direct with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays
3000 bonus miles on your first card purchase

MBNA customers converting the Virgin Mastercard to the Black Virgin Atlantic American Express card recieve the following accelerated earning until the end of July 2007:

4 Flying Club miles per 1 spent
6 Flying Club miles Per 1 spent direct with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin Holidays
Plus 10000 bonus miles on your first card purchase (for converting before 15/09/06)

What other ways are there to earn Flying Club Miles apart from flights, hotels and cards?

Flying Club miles can also be earned in the following ways (check the Virgin Atlantic website for complete details):

1. Pre-ordering Retail Therapy
You can pre-order Retail Therapy goods for delivery to your seat during your flight. From the UK, call 0870 1903003 (from outside UK, +44 870 1903003) to place your pre-order up to 96 hours before you fly.

If you spend over £20, you will earn FC miles at the rate of 10 per £1 spent.

Note that the £20 threshold applies per leg and per order - e.g.: if you pre-order £10 of RT for the outbound leg, and £30 for the return leg (or even make 2 separate orders of £10 and £30 for the same flight), you only receive 300 miles because they will be treated as separate orders even if you pay for them at the same time.

Also, an important note to make is that the miles only credit to your account the month after the flight you pick the pre-order up on (and if you make an order for both outbound and inbound, they're credited separately)

2. Miles More Friends
"Miles More Friends" is Virgin Atlantic's membership referral scheme.

You can earn miles if you introduce or are introduced to flying club.

As the introducer, you'll earn the following when your friend takes their first flight.

- 2,000 miles if their first round trip is in Economy (Y, B, L, M, V, Q, X and N fare classes)
- 5,000 bonus miles if their first round trip is in Premium Economy (W, K, H and S fare classes)
- 10,000 bonus miles if their first round trip is in Upper Class (J, D and Z fare classes)

As an introducee, you'll earn the following when you take your first flight (the same qualifying classes as above);

- Economy = 1,000 miles
- Premium Economy = 2,000 miles
- Upper Class = 3,000 miles

You can refer as many friends as you like through Miles More Friends, but you will only earn bonus Flying Club miles on the first ten who enrol and then take a qualifying flight.

If you don't have someone to refer you, drop the site publisher an email (pete@v-flyer.com) and we'll get you sorted.

NB: Some discounted booking classes, special offers and complimentary upgrades will not qualify for miles. Travel on codeshare flights and partner airlines will also not qualify for miles. Both legs need to be in a qualifying fare class for the referer to be eligible for the bonus miles.

3. Car Rental
When renting a car with Avis or Hertz, you can earn miles per rental as follows:

Special flying club or retail rate: 1000
Corporate or local rates: 500
Note that discounted rates may not qualify for miles

4. Virgin Wines
UK delivery only Earn 1000 miles and a £20 discount on your first order of wine bought and 750 miles on every subsequent order of wine (note, miles are earned per order, not per case)

5. Virgin Experience
Virgin Experience offers over 60 exciting ways to earn 2 flying club miles per £1 spent when purchasing from their wide range of Experiences

6. Virgin Games
High Flyer points can be earned evey time members make a bet on any of the games in the Virgin Casino. Points are earned regardless of whether members win or lose and these points can be exchanged to Flying Club miles. 1 High Flyer Point equals 1 Flying Club mile

7. Virgin Holidays
UK members only. A 10% discount will be given on brochure price and 'Megadeals' holidays when booking direct with Virgin Holidays. To make a booking, Flying Club red and silver members call: 0870 066 0833 and Flying Club Gold members call: 0870 066 0899

8. Texaco
UK members only. Join the Texaco "We.O.U" Club and earn 1000 miles per 1000 Texaco Stars. "We.O.U" Stars may only be converted to Flying Club miles in multiples of 1000. Flying Club members to call Texaco on 0870 241 4993 to authorise the transfer

9. BAA WorldPoints
WorldPoints members can earn 1 point for every £1 spent at a BAA airport, including Heathrow and Gatwick. These points can be exchanged for flying club miles at a ratio of 500 WorldPoints for 500 Flying Club miles.

10. Cunard
Cruises originating from Europe and of more than 12 nights will earn 20,000 Flying Club miles.
Transatlantic cruises originating from the US will earn 10,000 miles

11. Argyll Business Centres (UK)
Meeting Rooms
Earn 200 Flying Club miles per hour per Meeting Room booking (capacity 4 delegates)
Earn 1,500 Flying Club miles per day per Conference Room booking (capacity 8 delegates)
Earn 2,000 Flying Club miles per day per Boardroom booking (capacity 12 delegates)
Earn 3,000 Flying Club miles per day per Boardroom booking (capacity 20 delegates)

Offices
Earn a one-time 'welcome' bonus of 20,000 Flying Club miles on becoming a new Office client with Argyll Business Centres

Note, Argyll Business Centres will be leaving Flying Club on 30th April 2006. Final date to claim any missing retrospective miles for meeting/conference room bookings (up to 30th April) is 31st May 2006

12. Babylon Restaurant at the Roof Gardens, London (UK)
10 miles per £1 spent exclusive restaurant and nightclub

13. Bombay Brasserie (UK)
Indian Cuisine - 250 miles per booking

14. Premium Membership at the Roof Gardens, London (UK)
5,000 miles when taking out the annual membership

15. Quilon Restaurant (UK)
Indian Cuisine - 250 miles per booking

16. Ulusaba Game Reserve (South Africa)
Limited Edition by Virgin. Miles earned; 4,500 per person per night when staying in the Rock Rooms at Rock Lodge or Safari Rooms at Safari Lodge

17. FTD.COM (US)
10 miles per US$1 floral arrangements and gift merchandise only

18. Bajan services (Caribbean)
1 mile per BBD$1 (exc VAT). A real estate agent and an exclusive affiliate of Sotheby's specialising in long and short term luxury villa rentals on the west coast of Barbados.

19. Trident Wines (Caribbean)
5 miles per BBD$100. e.g. Spend with Trident Wines and get 5% of your money spent back in miles.

How can I spend my hard-earned Flying Club Miles with Virgin Atlantic?

There are 5 ways to spend your Flying Club miles directly with Virgin Atlantic - Reward Tickets, Companion Tickets, MilesPlusMoney (MpM), Upgrades and the Chauffeur Driven Car (CDC) service. Here, we'll explain how you can spend those miles (In all cases, please check the Virgin Atlantic website for complete details):

1. Reward Tickets
With enough miles, and subject to availability, you can book "free" tickets with your miles to fly with Virgin Atlantic to their destinations (see tables below for mileage costs). Reward Tickets are booked in the following fare buckets:
Upper Class: G
Premium Economy & Economy: U
Economy: T

So, there needs to be enough availability in those fare buckets for a Reward Ticket to be available on the flight you want. It's always best to plan well in advance and have a flexible approach to your travel dates. Flights can be booked either online or via the Flying Club helpline.

*Please note, Reward Tickets do not earn Miles & Tier Points, and UC Reward Tickets do not include the CDC service. Mileage spent covers the base flight cost only - any airport fees, taxes & charges, etc.. are still payable for a Reward Ticket*

Flying Club spending rates for Reward Ticket bookings changed on 1st March 2006 (Upgrades & Companion Tickets were not affected by this change) - the current table is shown below:

MILES FOR ROUND TRIP FLIGHTS TO/FROM THE UK (from 1st March 2006)
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AIRPORT	CODE	DEP	Econ	PE	UC
ANTIGUA	ANU	LGW	50000	75000	100000
BARBADOS	BGI	LGW	50000	75000	100000
BARBADOS	BGI	MAN	50000	75000	100000
BOSTON	BOS	LHR	45000	67500	90000
CAPE TOWN	CPT	LHR	50000	75000	100000
CHICAGO	ORD	LHR	50000	75000	100000
CUBA	HAV	LGW	50000	75000	100000
DELHI	DEL	LHR	50000	75000	100000
DUBAI	DXB	LHR	40000	60000	80000
GRENADA	GND	LGW	50000	75000	100000
HONG KONG	HKG	LHR	60000	72000	100000
JAMAICA	MBJ	LGW	50000	75000	100000
JOHANNESBURG	LNB	LHR	50000	75000	100000
LAGOS	LOS	LHR	40000	60000	80000
LAS VEGAS	LAS	LGW	50000	75000	100000
LOS ANGELES	LAX	LHR	50000	75000	100000
MAURITIUS	MRU	LHR	50000	75000	100000
MIAMI	MIA	LHR	50000	75000	100000
MUMBAI	BOM	LHR	50000	75000	100000
NAIROBI	NBO	LHR	50000	75000	90000
NEW YORK	JFK	LHR	45000	67500	90000
NEWARK	EWR	LHR	45000	67500	90000
ORLANDO	MCO	LGW	50000	75000	100000
ORLANDO	MCO	MAN	50000	75000	100000
SAN FRANCISCO	SFO	LHR	50000	75000	100000
SHANGHAI	PVG	LHR	60000	72000	100000
ST LUCIA	UVF	LGW	50000	75000	100000
ST LUCIA	UVF	MAN	50000	75000	100000
SYDNEY	SYD	LHR	105000	126000	180000
SYDNEY	SYD	HKG	45000	54000	80000
TOBAGO	TAB	LGW	50000	75000	100000
TOKYO	NRT	LHR	60000	80000	100000
WASHINGTON DC	IAD	LHR	45000	67500	90000

2. MilesPlusMoney (MpM) Flights
MpM allows you to add money to your miles for some great low fares to Virgin Atlantic destinations. To take advantage of MpM fares, you need to have:

2,000 Flying Club miles for Economy fares
7,500 Flying Club miles for Premium Economy fares
15,000 Flying Club miles for Upper Class fares.

You can search for current offers on the Virgin Atlantic website and book these online or via the Flying Club helpline,

*Please note, MpM Tickets do not earn Miles & Tier Points, and UC MpM Tickets do not include the CDC service. MpM Tickets are subject to availability and must include a minimum stay of a Saturday night and only allow a maximum stay of one month*

3. Companion Tickets
If you purchase a ticket in a qualifying fare class (see table below), you can purchase a Companion Ticket in the same class of travel using your miles (subject to availability). Companion Tickets must be for the same date and flight as that of the paying passenger. The paying passenger is entitled to travel in the same or higher cabin than that of the companion if required, however companion tickets may never be booked into a higher cabin than the revenue ticket holder.

*Please note, Companion Tickets do not earn Miles & Tier Points. Mileage spent covers the base flight cost only - any airport fees, taxes & charges, etc.. are still payable for a Companion Ticket*

Miles needed for Companion Flights
To & from all destinations (except Sydney)

CLASS	MILES REQ'D
Economy	20000
PE	30000
UC	65000

To & from Sydney)

CLASS	MILES REQ'D
Economy	40000
PE	60000
UC	130000

Qualifying fare levels for Economy Companion Tickets

COUNTRY OF FARE ORIGIN	FARE CLASS
UK	Y,B,L
Japan	Y,B,L, M
Caribbean	Y,B,L
USA	Y,B
Hong Kong	Y,B,L
China	Y,B,L
South Africa	Y,B,L, M
Nigeria	Y,B,L
India	Y,B,L, M
United Arab Emirates	Y,B,L
Australia	Y,B,L

Qualifying fare levels for Premium Economy Companion tickets

COUNTRY OF FARE ORIGIN	FARE CLASS
ALL	W, S

Qualifying fare levels for Upper Class Companion tickets

COUNTRY OF FARE ORIGIN	FARE CLASS
ALL	J

4. Upgrades
Subject to availability, Flying Club miles can be spent on upgrades to a higher class of travel when purchasing a qualifying fare (see tables below). For upgrades of one sector, simply halve the mileage requirement below.

Please call your Flying Club helpline to book an upgrade reward flight or for more information.

*NB: Upgrades are not valid on flights booked through Virgin Holidays. Upgraded tickets will earn Miles & Tier Points as per the class originally booked (e.g. book Economy & upgrade to UC with miles = Miles & Tier Points earned for the original Economy fare). UC Upgrade Tickets do not include the CDC service.*

Miles needed for Upgrades (round trip flights to/from the UK - except Sydney)

From	To	MILES REQ'D
Economy	PE	20000
Economy	UC	60000
PE	UC	40000

Miles needed for Upgrades (round trip flights to/from Sydney)

From	To	MILES REQ'D
Economy	PE	40000
Economy	UC	120000
PE	UC	80000

Qualifying fare levels for Economy Upgrade tickets

COUNTRY OF FARE ORIGIN	FARE CLASS
UK	Y,B,L
Japan	Y,B,L, M
Caribbean	Y,B,L
USA	Y,B
Hong Kong	Y,B,L
China	Y,B,L
South Africa	Y,B,L, M
Nigeria	Y,B,L
India	Y,B,L, M
United Arab Emirates	Y,B,L
Australia	Y,B,L

Qualifying fare levels for Premium Economy Upgrade tickets

COUNTRY OF FARE ORIGIN	FARE CLASS
ALL	W, S

5. Chauffeur Driven Car (CDC) service
If you're taking an Upper Class reward flight or have used your miles to upgrade to Upper Class, you can book a CDC transfer. To book or find out more, please call your Flying Club helpline. *Please note that Drive Thru Check In is not available with this reward*

Miles needed for a Chauffeur Driven Car (per qualifying sector)

TO/FROM	MILES REQ'D
LHR/LGW & Home Counties	12500
MAN	12500
USA Airports	12500
South Africa Airports	12500

How can I spend my hard-earned Flying Club Miles with Partner Airlines?

Subject to availability, you can book reward tickets on the airlines that Virgin Atlantic have partner agreements with. Call Flying Club to book these reward tickets. For current mileage requirements, please see the Virgin Atlantic website

Current list of Partner Airlines

Air China
Air Jamaica
Air New Zealand
All Nippon
BMI
Caribbean Star Airlines
Continental Airlines
Gulf Air
Hawaiian Air
Malaysia Airlines
SAS
Singapore Airlines
South African Airways
US Airways

Notes:
1. With effect from 28.01.06, Delta Air Lines are no longer a mileage redemption partner. Any redemption travel booked with them prior to 28.01.06 must be completed by 28.07.06. However, they continue to be a mileage earning partner.

2. Some airlines require 48 hours notice to secure a reservation. Others may require up to 7 days notice.

How can I spend my hard-earned Flying Club Miles at Hotels?

Flying Club has partnered with several hotel groups around the world, subject to availability, reward stays can be booked using miles. To book a hotel stay, call your Flying Club helpline for a voucher, then contact the hotel reservations to check availability and make a booking (NB hotel vouchers are valid for six months).

The following is a list of current hotel partners that accept mileage reward bookings (check the Virgin Atlantic website for complete details):

Gitcombe House
Hilton HHonors
Radisson SAS Hotels & Resorts
Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts
Starwood Hotels & Resorts
Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces

How can I spend my hard-earned Flying Club Miles by renting cars?

Use your miles to rent a car with Avis, Hertz or Stoutes. Please check the Virgin Atlantic website for complete details.

Miles needed for Car Rental vouchers

COMPANY	MILES REQ'D	REWARDS
AVIS	12500 (increments)	£50.00 voucher per 12,500 miles
HERTZ	12500 (increments)	£50.00 voucher (or USD equiv) per 12,500 miles
STOUTES	12500-55000	From 1 to 7 day rentals in summer or winter seasons in Barbados

Notes:
Reservations are subject to availability
Quote your Avis AWD or Hertz CDP discount number to obtain great rates (discount codes can be found on your Flying Club membership card)
To book a car hire reward, call your Flying Club Helpline to exchange your miles for a voucher. To utilise your voucher and make a reservation, please call the car rental company's helpline.
Blackout dates may apply.

How can I spend my hard-earned Flying Club Miles apart from flying, staying at hotels and on car rental?

Please check the Virgin Atlantic website for complete details and Terms & Conditions. To book rewards, please call your local Flying Club helpline. Blackout dates and seasonal rates may apply.

UK
1. Virgin Balloons
Miles required: 30000
Take a balloon flight over the English Countryside.

2. Virgin Galactic
Miles required: 2000000*
Take a trip to space with Virgin Galactic.
The first space flight is due to take place in 2008, that's enough time to save miles for this fantastic adventure.
* only miles earned on Virgin Atlantic Airways flights may be used to redeem for Virgin Galactic flights.

3. Virgin Holidays
Miles required: 10000-20000
£50 or £100 voucher towards Virgin Holiday packages that include flights and accommodation. Vouchers may only be redeemed when booking direct with Virgin Holidays.

4. Virgin Vouchers
Miles required: 12500
£50 Virgin voucher is accepted by most Virgin companies as well as other specially selected partners.

5. Virgin Wines
Miles required: 12500-25000
UK delivery only. £50 or £100 voucher towards purchases with Virgin Wines. To redeem miles, you must join The Virgin Wines Club.

6. Parking Express
Miles required: 15000
For 5 days parking at London Heathrow.

NB: From 01/02/05, Parking Express London Gatwick no longer offers redemptions for Flying Club members.

7. Flying Without Fear
Miles required: 35000
1 day course aimed at conquering the fear of flying.

8. Babylon Restaurant at the Roof Gardens, London
Miles required: 20000-30000
3 course dinner for 2

9. Premium Membership at the Roof Gardens, London
Miles required: 125000
Annual membership

11. Nirvana Spa
Miles required: 20000-40000
1 day including treatments and lunch

12. Lower Lodge Shooting Grounds
Miles required: 30000
Clay pigeon shooting for 2 people

13. Palmersport
Miles required: 160000
Within the UK. Motorsport Sensation, full day driving event.

14. Eurostar
Miles required: 18000
Between London or Ashford to Paris, Brussels and Disney Land, Paris in Standard Class

Miles required: 30000
Between London or Ashford to Paris, Brussels and Disney Land, Paris in Castle Class

Miles required: 13000
Between London or Ashford to Lille in Standard Class

Miles required: 26000
Between London or Ashford to Lille in First Class

USA
1. Virgin Vacations
Miles required: 15000-75000
US members only. $100, $300 or $500 vouchers for use on any Virgin Vacations package.

2. FTD.COM
Miles required: 10000-50000
Floral and non-floral speciality

CARIBBEAN
1. Limited Edition By Virgin: Necker Island
Miles required: 1000000
Stay on the glorious Necker Island for 7 nights based on 2 sharing

2. Cave Shepherd (Duty Free Caribbean Ltd)
Miles required: 10000
BD$100.00 voucher

3. Tall Ships
Miles required: 10000
A variety of day cruises

SOUTH AFRICA
1. Limited Edition By Virgin: Ulusaba Game Reserve
Miles required: 340000-570000
From 3 to 5 night breaks based on 2 sharing

2. Virgin Active
Miles required: 50000
South African members only. A 12 month Premier Gym Membership

3.Safari Park Lodges
Pilansburg
Tshukudu
Miles required: 175000
2 nights for 2 sharing including 2 game drives

Bakubung
Miles required: 68500
2 nights for 2 sharing including 1 game drive.

Kwa Maritane
Miles required: 68500
2 nights for 2 sharing including 1 game drive

Mpumalanga
Kruger Park Lodge
Miles required: 52750
2 nights for 2 sharing.

Zambia
Thorntree Lodge
Miles required: 80000
2 nights for 2 people sharing including game drives, all meals.

Nambia
Swakupmund Hotel
Miles required: 48000
2 nights for 2 sharing, includes breakfast

4. Bill Harrop 'Original' Balloon Safaris
Miles required: 50000
4-5 hour Magaliesberg River Valley Balloon Safari for 2 people.

5. 12 Apostles Hotel
Miles required: 110000-340000
2 nights for 2 sharing.

ASIA
1. Virgin Cinemas, Roppongi, Tokyo
Miles required: 14000
4 Premier Screen tickets

2. Virgin Megastore, Tokyo
Miles required: 14000
¥10,000 voucher

3. City'Super
Miles required: 15000
HK$400 voucher.

4. Dragonair
Miles required: 49000-70000
Holiday packages per person

5. Excel Nail Care
Miles required: 15000-22000
Various Head Spa and Manicure/Pedicure treatments

6. Flower Arrangment by Christian Tortu
Miles required: 13000
Exquisite seasonal bouquet

7. Helicopter Night Flight
Miles required: 24000
20 minute cruise

8. Lane Crawford
Miles required: 15000
HK$400 voucher

9. Marks & Spencer
Miles required: 15000
HK$400 voucher

10. Maxim's Cantonese Restaurants
Miles required: 15000
HK$400 voucher

11. Restaurant Vouchers, Tokyo
Miles required: 22000-45000
From Y15,000. Voucher for use at a selection of recommended restaurants including Aristotei, Il Pinolo, Niu, Citabria, Park Hyatt Tokyo, Hotel Okura and Fuku Sushi.

12. Selection of Hotels and Inns
Miles required: 30000-55000
1 night stay - weekend/weekday supplements apply

13. Thalgo Esthetique Salon
Miles required: 15000
Choice of 1 of 2 facial or body treatments for 1

14. Virgin Cafe
Miles required: 14000
A voucher to be used at Virgin Cafe Shinagawa and Virgin Cafe Roppongi in Tokyo

15. Wine Case
Miles required: 12500-17000
Selection of fine wine and champagne

When can I book my Flying Club rewards or can I change my reward flights? If so, how much does it cost?

It’s best to book at least 21 days in advance. You can book later than that (up to three days before departure for Virgin Atlantic flights, and up to seven days before departure for other rewards), but you may have to pay a small handling charge as below. You can also make changes to your rewards, which may have a small handling charge associated. Please see the charts below for an explanation of charges and local currency equivalents.

Express Fee
Adults & Children only, infants are exempt from this charge

TYPE	FC GOLD	FC SILVER	FC RED
VS Award	Book up to	Book up to 7 days	Book up to 21 days
	day of dep	prior to dep - no	prior to dep - no
	- no express	charge	charge
	fees	Book 7-3* days	Book 21-3* days
		prior, £25 pp	prior, £25 pp
		(* Subject to availability, VS rewards can
		be booked within 3 days - £25 pp fee
Partner Award	Book up to 7	Book up to 7 days	Book up to 21 days
	days prior	prior - no charge	prior - no charge
	- no charge
			Book 21-7 days
			prior, £25 pp

Cancellation Fee
Adults & Children only, infants are exempt from this charge.
Eurostar rewards are non-refundable.

TIME	FC GOLD	FC SILVER	FC RED
Outside	£25 per person	£25 per person	£25 per person
7 days	with 75% miles	with 75% miles	with 75% miles
	re-credited	re-credited	re-credited
Within	No charge, no	No charge, no	No charge, no
7 days	miles re-credited	miles re-credited	miles re-credited

Change Fee
Adults & Children only, infants are exempt from this charge.
Eurostar rewards are non-changeable.

FC GOLD	FC SILVER	FC RED
No change fees	Booking may be	Booking may be
applicable	changed for £25pp	changed for £25pp

Regional Handling Charges

COUNTRY	AMOUNT
UK	£25
USA & Caribbean	US$50
South Africa	£25 *
India	1,500 Rupees
China	Y325RMB
Hong Kong	HK$300
Japan	¥4000

* To be changed into local currency at time of booking

Please check the Virgin Atlantic website for complete details

What are the different type of booking codes, and what do they mean?

Air travel has a unique pricing structure which means that you can pay a fraction of the cost of a passenger sitting next to you, yet receive exactly the same service. This is because seats are sold in discount categories known as 'buckets'.

The three main buckets on Virgin Atlantic are J, W & Y which are full fare Upper Class, Premium Economy and Economy respectively. Within each class, the full fare bucket is then broken down into the various discount fares, which are all subsets of the full fare bucket. All seats will be available at the full fare price, but only a subset will be available at the discounted prices.

The codes Virgin use for revenue fares, in order of their bucket class priority, are;

Upper Class: J, D, Z
Premium Economy: W, S, K, H
Economy: Y, B, L, M, Q, X, V, N

All Upper Class and Premium Economy fare codes are mileage and tier point earners. The only non-eligible revenue fare is N class in Economy. Certain Economy fares (the more expensive ones) also provide a mileage bonus.

Officially, only certain fare codes can be upgraded with miles, although you might get lucky at the airport if they need to make some moves on an aircraft due to a busy flight. You can generally pay to upgrade any fare code with hard cash, although this is normally the difference in price between the fare you paid and the upgraded class - so you're not really gaining anything by starting with the low fare unless they are offering incentive pricing at the airport. Basically, the rule is, the cheaper your fare code, the more restrictions. However, once you're on that aircraft - the service is exactly the same.

You can also hold a ticket for a flight on Virgin Atlantic in a non-revenue fare code, such as a mileage reward or companion flight. These codes are;

Upper Class: G
Premium Economy & Economy: U
Economy: T

Non-revenue fare codes do not earn tier points or miles, and you will not be able to upgrade them.

A full list of the fare codes and their descriptions are on the V-Flyer website here.

What is the "Availability Tool", and how do I interpret the results?

Unfortunately, the servers supplying the V-Flyer members-only Availability Tool (web-based) & V-Tool application have stopped supplying data feeds. However, there are a few other tools available on the web to show the available seats to sell on a specified flight.

V-Flyer have teamed up with ExpertFlyer to offer our registered forum users & members 20 free queries on ExpertFlyer.com.

Additionally, registered forum users on V-Flyer can enjoy a 10% discount on their initial monthly or annual subscription at ExpertFlyer.com. For V-Flyer Members, that discount is increased to 15%. Please see the ExpertFlyer forum for details.

Amongst others, there is a downloadable application available at:
http://www.stud.ntnu.no/~hartberg/ft/SabretoolSetup.htm

Whichever tool you use, once you've input your flight details, the results will look very similar. Before you read on, make sure you've read the detail about fare codes at http://www.v-flyer.com/codes.asp. Fare classes are as follows:

Upper Class: J, D, Z
Premium Economy: W, S, K, H
Economy: Y, B, L, M, Q, X, V, N

So, imagine you received this set of results from an availability tool query:

J4 D4 Z4 W3 K0 Y6 B4 L2 M2 Q1 X1 N0

The letters are the fare classes as above. The fares will be in order of the highest fare first (J = full fare Upper Class) to the cheapest (N = MegaSaver Student Fare). The number next to the code letter is the number of seats available. With Virgin, the largest number of seats shown in Upper or Premium is 4 and 7 in Economy, so J4 means there are 4 or more seats available for sale in full fare Upper Class.

Also, the sub-categories in each class don't add together to give you the total number of seats available: ie, in the example above, X1 + Q1 + M2 + L2 + B4 + Y6 doesn't equal 16 available Economy seats. The way to read that is that there are 6 full fare economy seats, of which 4 can be sold in B class, 2 in L class, 2 in M and so on.

A special note about certain non-numeric seat availability (If you see a letter after the class code rather than a number). 'A' means there is availability, but the tool is unable to display it. 'L' means no seats available, but passengers may add themselves to the waitlist. 'C' means the waitlist is closed. 'X' means it's *really* closed, even to priority passengers.

It is also worth bearing in mind that the number of seats shown as available for sale does not necessarily mean physical seats that are empty on the plane. In the example above, we can see there are 6 seats available in economy. However, all airlines regularly oversell seats based on finly-tuned percentages on every route of how many no-shows, last minute changes, and a number of other reasons.

How do I go about pre-booking a seat, and how many seats are available for pre-booking?

Approximately 60% of the seats on any flights are available for pre-allocation. Bulkheads and exit rows cannot be pre-booked, and will only ever be allocated at check-in. Exit row seats have restrictions on their allocation as the occupier must be able-bodied and capable of getting the door open in an emergency. Bulkheads are generally reserved for passengers with babies (where there is a basinet fitted) or for special needs. Exit rows in Economy can be sold at check-in for a £50 or £75 premium, depending on route (if chcecking in at a US airport, the £ amount is converted to $). If those seats are unsold, they can be assigned FOC (free of charge).

You can pre-select your seat by either calling Virgin Atlantic directly, or by using the Virgin Atlantic website (if you booked direct or via Virgin Holidays).

Virgin have an obligation to use their best efforts not to split families travelling together, which is one of the reasons not all seats are available for pre-allocation. However, "best efforts" does not mean they are obliged to give you seats together - just try and sit you together. Normally, if you turn up on time for your flight or have pre-reserved your seats, there won't be a problem. However, if you're on a full flight, haven't pre-reserved seats and turn up at the last moment, you may find your group is split around the cabin.

Where do Virgin Atlantic have Clubhouses, how do I gain entry, and what can I expect to see in there?

Virgin Atlantic have full Clubhouse facilities at the following airports:

London Heathrow
London Gatwick
New York JFK
New York Newark
Washington DC
San Francisco
Johannesburg
Tokyo
Hong Kong
Boston

Passengers requiring access to the Clubhouse must be flying with Virgin Atlantic on the day of entry. To gain entrance to the Clubhouse the passenger must have one of the following:
- an Upper Class boarding card;
- a Flying Club Gold card;
- a Gold card of selected other airlines' frequent flier programmes;
- a UK American Express Centurion card (black card with numbers starting 3742);
- a Flying Co. access voucher (London Heathrow & London Gatwick only);
- a Virgin Holidays pre-paid clubhouse access voucher (London Heathrow & London Gatwick only)

When travel has been booked through Virgin Holidays and is not in Upper Class, vouchers for London Heathrow & London Gatwick Clubhouse access can be pre-booked for the sum of £60 & £35 respectively. See the Virgin Holidays website for further details. Note, this is strictly subject to availability

For further information on Flying Co., please see the Virgin Atlantic website for further details. A V-Flyer FAQ will be written on this subject soon.

Upper Class passengers and Flying Club Gold members can bring a guest into the lounge with them (providing the guest is flying with Virgin Atlantic that day), but entry by any of the other methods mentioned does not entitle guest access.

All Clubhouses have a free bar and food service. The larger facilities at London Heathrow & London Gatwick also offer V.Touch beauty treatments and other extras such as games and/or music rooms, libraries, shoe shine and airfield viewing areas.

The London Heathrow Clubhouse has recently undergone a major refurbishment, doubling in size and adding new features such as a Deli, Spa pool, observation deck, Sauna and a Tanning salon.

What Virgin Touch beauty treatments are available in the London Gatwick ClubHouse?

Due to passenger demand, only one complimentary treatment is offered per passenger

TOUCH TRIO HANDS
Dust and Polish
Filed and finished with a nail polish of your choice

Handsome Hands
Nail shape, cuticle work and a rejuvenating hand massage

Hot Hands
A luxurious, hydrating hand treatment

TOUCH TRIO FEET
Dust and Polish
Filed and finished with a nail polish of your choice

Cute Boots
Nail shape, cuticle work and rejuvenating foot massage

Bubble and Feet
Foot spa and a relaxing foot and leg massage

BEAUTY TREATMENTS
Beautiful Brows
Eyebrow shape

Sensational Facial
Great for both men and women, includes Huet Biologie mask

Back in the Clouds
An Ayervedic treatment that treats the upper back, shoulders, neck and scalp

Back Down to Earth
Back, neck, shoulder massage using aromatherapy oils.

Tan and Go
A natural looking tan in minutes.

Waxing
Hair removal

HAIRDRESSING
Ladies Cut and Blow Dry
Gents Cut and Blow Dry
Ladies Blow Dry
Ladies Straightening - using hot irons

Philip Kingsley Hair and Scalp Treatments
You can choose from an intensive elastisiser for your hair or a soothing cream to condition your scalp.

Sensational Shave
Includes a cool cleanse, calm cream, hot and cold towels, facial massage.

Pre-booking:
Do you know you can prebook a pampering hair or body treatment at the Virgin Touch salon? Choose one from the selection of manicures, pedicures, facials or haircuts for a totally relaxing treat.

The prebooking service is an exclusive benefit for Upper Class passengers and Flying Club Gold members. If you are bringing a guest to the Clubhouse with you, they are welcome to use the Virgin Touch salon but will need to book their desired treatment at the Clubhouse on the day of departure.

To prebook a treatment call 01293 444 342 or email vtouch.lgw@fly.virgin.com

What Cowshed/Bumble & Bumble treatments are available at the London Heathrow ClubHouse?

This list is current as at 7th August 2006. To check for any updates, click the titles of each section - they contain a hyperlink to the relevant pages of the Virgin Atlantic website.

Cowshed treatments:

The following treatments take 30 minutes, which includes consultation and changing time. Treatments must be completed at least 45 minutes before your flight departs.

RHINESTONE COWBOY
The full cowboy treatment with a deep cleanse, wet shave and massage to leave you feeling completely refreshed for the flight. Included in the treatment:
* Shoulder massage
* Power cleanse & invigorating scrub
* Wet shave with hot towel infusion
* Tone & condition

FINE FARM HANDS
Ideal if you are after a tidy up of hands and nails, this treatment will nourish and soften even the driest of hands. Included in the treatment:
* Shoulder massage
* File tidy
* Cuticle cleanup
* Hand & arm massage or nail polish

ON THE HOOF
This pedicure is designed to refresh and revitalise tired legs and to stimulate blood circulation. Included in the treatment:
* Cleansing & exfoliating foot soak
* Shoulder massage
* File tidy
* Cuticle clean up
* Refreshing & cooling leg treatment or nail polish

FRESH AS A DAISY
An express facial pick me up, designed for people who need a refreshing and energising lift or have been travelling and find their skin dehydrated. Included in the treatment:
* Shoulder massage
* Double cleanse-exfoliation
* Hot towel infusion
* Eyebrow tidy

If you don't have 30 minutes to spare, why not try one of these shorter treatments?

FLOATY COW
A 15 minute treatment on the massage horse concentrating on your back, shoulders and the pressure points on your neck and head. Oil- free, it is a quick fix to relax you for the flight.

BRONZED COW
Step into the state of the art St Tropez tanning booth for a flawless, all over tan in 15 minutes. Choose the fully automated option or have it sprayed on by a professional therapist.

EYEBROW TIDY
Let one of the Cowshed team shape and define your brows. It only takes 10 minutes.

FILE AND PAINT
A quick tidy of your fingernails or toenails followed by a polish. This will take only 15 minutes (but allow for a little more drying time).

Or if you just want to unwind in your own time, please feel free to use the spa pool, steam rooms and sauna.

Bumble & Bumble treatments:

Men's and Women's Haircut
* Wash, cut, style

Women's Blow Dry
* Wash, style

Bb. bar
* Quick dry styling

Pre-booking:
As an Upper Class passenger or Flying Club Gold member, you can benefit from being able to prebook a pampering treat at Cowshed at the Clubhouse or at the Bumble and bumble salon.

The prebooking service is an exclusive benefit for Upper Class passengers and Flying Club Gold members. If you are bringing a guest to the Clubhouse with you, they are welcome to use the spa but can only book their desired treatments directly at the Clubhouse on the day of departure.

Treatments can be booked in advance up to eight weeks ahead of departure, by calling 020 8897 5055 or email cowshed.heathrow@fly.virgin.com

Where Virgin Atlantic don't have their own Clubhouse, which shared lounges are available? Are there other cards I can use to gain access to a Shared Lounge such as Priority Pass - and if so, do I still get 'Virgin Service'?

Delhi
The Taj lounge, located in Terminal 2 airside, has a bar, snacks, TV, daily newspapers and limited business facilities.

Dubai
The Gulf Air lounge, located in Terminal 1, offers multiple seating areas and a self service refreshment section with soft and alcoholic beverages and hot and cold food, including sandwiches and pastries. Two PC’s are also available.

Lagos
The recently renovated ASL business class lounge has a range of facilities including a self service bar offering alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and snacks, TV and shower facilities. The lounge is on the Upper Floor.

Las Vegas
First Class Lounge, adjacent to Gate 3.

Los Angeles
Upper Class passengers can use the Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge and all of its facilities, from the self service bar and snack facilities, through to a wide range of newspapers. Credit card phones and fax machines are also provided. The lounge is located in Terminal 2.

Miami
The Club America Lounge is open to Virgin Atlantic Upper Class passengers. Food and drink are available together with entertainment facilities including TV and video. The lounge is located on Concourse E, 2nd floor (landside).

Manchester
The Escape Lounge, First Floor, Airside.

Orlando
The Delta Airlines Crown Room, Terminal B

Port Harcourt
No facilities currently available.

Shanghai
Gate 17, First Class Lounge. Nothing much to write home about. You can get snacks, Chinese beer and wine, tea coffee and sodas. Normally the flight boards at gate 17 so it is convenient. Smokers facilities can be found near gate 19. Internet terminals are available, but heavily censored by the government authorities. Chinese and Western (apx 1 day old) newspapers are available.

The Caribbean
In Barbados, The Club Caribbean VIP Executive Lounge is available.
In Antigua, The Club 1761 Lounge is available.
In Grenada, the Especiale Lounge is available and is located on the right hand side after security.
There are currently no facilities available at Tobago.

Where can I freshen up on arrival at a Virgin Atlantic destination?

Arrival lounge facilites are only currently available at Virgin Atlantic's London airport bases - Gatwick & Heathrow.

London Heathrow - Revivals Lounge

Open from 0430-1330hrs every day, the Revivals Lounge provides an oasis for you to freshen up in on your arrival. It is non-smoking throughout.

Facilities provided: Buffet breakfast (if you arrive early enough), deli and bar service, showers (body wash/shampoo/towels/etc provided), V:Touch Beauty Salon, housekeeping (shirt need ironing? Simply call housekeeping and it'll be done while you're in the shower!), phones, faxes & internet access.

To get to Revivials:
After clearing customs you'll come out into arrivals - head for Car Park 3 and take the lift up one level (you should see VA lounge signs around here). When the lift doors open, turn right and Revivals is in front of you.

Go inside and register at reception - the lovely staff there will book a shower room and/or V:Touch treatment, and advise you where everything is.

The Virgin Atlantic website Revivals lounge page gives some further detail on the services available, and here's a link to a map of LHR T3 (the directions to Revivals are slightly wrong on this map - follow the ones above)

London Gatwick - US Airways Arrivals Lounge


Open from 0600-1200hrs every day, Virgin Atlantic Upper Class and Flying Club Gold customers can access the US Airways Arrivals Lounge at LGW, when arriving on a VS flight. Facilities include showers, tea, coffee, juice, continental breakfast buffet, TV and a business centre. The lounge is non-smoking throughout.

The lounge is landside - when you exit customs into arrivals, you should see a bank of lifts. You need to go down in the lift to get to the lounge level.

Here's a link to the forum topic announcing US Airways arrivals lounge access and a link to a map of LGW South Terminal