Explore three new ways to fly

Virgin Atlantic is making the biggest change to its Economy cabin by introducing three new ways to fly Economy and tailoring bookings without compromising on food, drink, entertainment and service.

Devika Jeet from London

Recognising that one size does not fit all, Virgin Atlantic unveils three new ways to fly as part of its multi-million pound investment in the Economy cabin. From spring 2018, passengers will be able to choose to fly Economy Delight, Economy Classic or Economy Light. This will allow customers to choose the product that suits their budget and travel style.

Economy delight will feature a 34-inch legroom seat, free advanced seat assignment, and priority boarding and check in. Economy Classic offers free seat assignment, providing extra reassurance for families and groups for them to sit together and Economy Light, the handbag-only fare, will offer Virgin Atlantic’s lowest fare, making long haul travel affordable and accessible for millennials, and consumers jetting off on city breaks.

“When I started Virgin Atlantic, I wanted to challenge the status quo and make flying amazing – regardless of which cabin you’re in. We’re unveiling a multi-million pound investment to make Virgin Atlantic’s Economy cabin the best of any UK airline and setting the bar for others to follow,” says Sir Richard Branson, Founder, Virgin Atlantic.

The three new ways to travel are part of a wider investment in Virgin Atlantic’s Economy Cabin, delivering innovations on the ground and in the air. At a time when most airlines are packing seats onto planes, Virgin Atlantic is investing in extra leg room (for Economy Delight). The airline is retrofitting its fleet to provide up to 36 Economy Delight seats on every flight, offering an even comfortable journey with spacious 34-inch legroom.

“We’re setting the bar for others by unveiling a multi-million pound investment to make Virgin Atlantic’s Economy cabin the best of any UK airline”

“We’re bringing about the biggest change to our Economy cabin along with a host of innovations on the ground and in the air as part of a wider £300 million investment in our customers. We know that one size doesn’t fit all, and from spring our customers can afford to pick and choose, and still travel in the UK’s leading Economy cabin. We always want flying with Virgin Atlantic to be more special than other airlines, and we’ll never compromise on excellent service, industry leading food and drink and cutting-edge inflight entertainment – regardless of which economy ticket our customers are travelling on,” says Craig Kreeger, Chief Executive, Virgin Atlantic.

“We know that one size doesn’t fit all, and from spring our customers can afford to choose, and still travel in UK’s leading Economy cabin”

Further discussing this change, Kreeger adds, “From next year, the Economy customers can pre-order their meals choosing from three entrées. The way people fly Economy is changing; customers want more value and more choices. The millennials in particular tell us that they want a cheap entry point product. In short, they want everything you expect on a great flight but at a price that you wouldn’t. We want to set a new higher standard for how customers fly Economy.”

The word Economy will be dropped from the Premium Economy cabin and is only going to be called Premium. Virgin Atlantic will also have 12 new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft join the fleet from spring 2019. At present, Virgin Atlantic operates a fleet of 39 aircraft serving 26 destinations across four continents.