Virgin Atlantic’s new Economy seating policy could cost families an extra £250 round trip
As previously reported, Virgin Atlantic has recently implemented a policy of charging Economy passengers for advanced seat reservations. Upon conducting a recent search for flights, it was discovered that a dummy booking for travel in August of next year resulted in seats being offered at a price of £32 per person, one way.
For families seeking to reserve their seats, the cost would amount to just over £250 for advanced seat reservations. Customers looking to secure preferred seats towards the front of Economy class were be charged £39 per person, one way with Emergency exit seats costing £79pp, one way.
Economy Delight passengers will also need to pay £32pp, one way to secure there seats in advance of check-in.
It is worth noting that Virgin Atlantic has joined other airlines such as British Airways, TUI, and Norse Airways in charging passengers for seat selection prior to check-in. At present, Aer Lingus is the only airline offering complimentary seat selection for direct flights to Florida.
When opting for Economy Delight, passengers are also required to pay an additional fee of £32 per passenger, per one-way journey, in order to choose their seats. This stands in contrast to the previous policy, in which Economy Classic and higher class passengers could book their seats free of charge up to 331 days before their scheduled flight, and were also entitled to one complimentary checked bag.
Virgin Atlantic said the following in it's vBulletin update:
We want all our customers to love their experience when they fly with us and recognise that many feel reassured by pre-assigning their favourite seat at the time of booking. To allow our customers to personalise their journeys the way they choose, we’re updating the ways in which we offer advanced seat selection in the economy cabin. This allows customers to secure extra legroom, their preferred window or aisle seat or simply provide the peace of mind that their travelling party will be sat together.
Our Flying Club Gold members will be able to select their seat free of charge at the time of booking, whilst Silver members can pre-select their seats from seven days before they fly. For our other customers, they will have the option to pay to pre-select their seat on www.virginatlantic.com, or choose to select free of charge once check-in opens, 24 hours before departure.
