1. Fly with Virgin Atlantic
  2. Virgin Atlantic Partner Hub
  3. Knowledge Bank
  4. Advanced Seat Assignment

Your customers can design how they want to fly with our range of seating options. Whether they want to pre-assign their seats, purchase extra inches to stretch out in or purchase the seat next to them, they can tailor their flight as much or as little as they like.

Here, you can find out all you need to know about assigning your customers' seats in advance.

To find out more about our seating options, check out the FAQ's below.


Assigning VS Advanced Seat Assignments via delta.com

Travel agents may continue to assign complimentary or for purchase Virgin Atlantic (VS) advanced seat assignments for DL-coded, VS-operated flights by going to both virginatlantic.com  or delta.com.

What are the restrictions for customers choosing their seats?

Your customers can choose seats after booking their flight through My Booking. Seats can be chosen up to 24 hours before departure. 

  • If there are no seats showing as available, your customer’s seats will be assigned to them at the airport. However it's worth visiting My Booking at regular intervals because customers do cancel and seats become available again.
  • If your customers are travelling with infants, they won’t be able to request seats online.  They can, however, call one of our Customer Centres to request seats. Whether they choose seats before they get to the airport or not, we’ll always make sure that every child is sat next to at least one parent or adult guardian; children will not be seated alone.  We define a child as being less than 12 years.

If your customers have booked as part of a ‘recognised Group’, via our in house Groups department (where there’s a group leader and all the passengers are known to each other) as their booking agent, you can submit any seating requests to our Groups Sales Team who will action any seating requests they receive.

How does my customer choose their seat in advance?

Seats can be chosen through My Booking from time of booking, up to 331 days in advance. There’ll be a charge for choosing some seats in advance. Customers can also choose their seats when they check in online from 24 hours before their flight.

If your customers choose their seat in advance, check in needs to be completed no later than 2 hours before departure.

We’ll always do our best to meet all requirements, but please note that seat numbers are never guaranteed and are subject to operational changes.

Can I pre-assign seats for my customers?

You can assign seats at the time of booking for customers who are travelling in either Upper Class, Premium or in fully flexible Y and B booking classes in Economy.

All paid for advance seats must be chosen online through My Booking or your customers can choose their seat free of charge when online check in opens from 24 hours before their flight departs. They’ll need to ask you for their booking reference so they can access their booking online.

There are no seats to choose at check in?

There are a few reasons why seats may not be available during the 24 hours your customers can check in online:

  • The seats have already been chosen by passengers who haven’t checked in.
  • The seats have already been checked in to.
  • There are some seats including exit row and extra legroom seats that aren’t available through online check in.  These will show as unavailable but may be purchased at the airport (subject to availability, prices may vary). 

If your customers aren’t able to choose a seat at online check in, they can go to the airport where one of our team will help them.  We always try our best to meet requirements, but please note that seat numbers are never guaranteed and are subject to operational changes.

How does my customer choose their seats from a seat map?

If a seat map button is displayed on the 'booking confirmation' page, or within the My Booking section, then clicking this button will launch the seat map for that flight and show if seats are available to choose.

Your customer’s current seat request (if applicable) will be displayed in the box next to each passenger name, and shown with a person in the seat on the seat map itself.  Customers can change their seat by clicking on an available seat shown on the map, or by typing an available seat number into the box next to their name.  To proceed, they should click ‘Continue’ and they’ll be taken to enter their payment details (if applicable) and then a confirmation page.

Click here to view the configuration of all aircraft.

My customer's seating confirmation email shows additional seats to the ones they've chosen?

The confirmation emails display a log of all seats that have been allocated, therefore if your customer re-enters the seat map from My Booking and edits their seats, their previous seats choice will still be displayed on the confirmation email.

The cost to choose a seat in advance will vary depending on the route and seasonality.  Customers should log on to My Booking for more information. 

 

 

Preferred seats can be purchased online at virginatlantic.com up to 70mins prior to departure.

 

Premium Preferred seating, will be the first 2 rows within our Premium cabin (bulkhead excluded).  

 

The cost will start from £55.00.

 

If preferred seats are still available within the check in window (from 24 hours before the flight up to 70 minutes before departure) a 50% discount will apply.

Premium Preferred charge is non refundable on a voluntary change if there are no Premium Preferred seats left.

Premium Preferred charge is refundable for any involuntary changes or if the customer upgrades.

Bulkhead seats are not included in Premium Preferred seating. These can only be assigned following our normal processes.

 

 

How many seats are released to choose from before departure?

The number of seats available to choose varies by aircraft type.  Each seat map shows those seats common to the aircraft type scheduled to operate the flight.  Your customers can log into to My Booking or check in online from 24 hours before their flight. If there are flights available, they’ll have the option to view the seat map and choose their seats.

There are seats that don’t show on this seat map i.e. bulkhead positions. These seats are used to pre-assign seats for disabled passengers and infants.  Seating options available are standard seats, extra legroom and exit row seats.

Can my customer choose an Extra Legroom or Exit Row seat in advance?

Yes, but these seats will be Economy Delight seats. Your customers can choose and buy Economy Delight seats from our online seat map up to 331 days in advance, on all routes by visiting My Booking. Alternatively, they can purchase them at the airport (subject to availability, prices may vary).

How can my customer view the Extra Legroom or Exit Row seats they've booked?

Your customers can view their Economy Delight seats easily online through My Booking.

How does my customer make a group booking and make sure they sit together?

For information on how to make a booking for ten or more people, go to our Group Travel page.

If your customer has booked as part of a ‘recognised Group’, via our in house Groups department (where there is a group leader and all the passengers are known to each other) as the booking agent, you can submit any seating requests to us. (For other countries please see details on our website). Our Groups Sales Team will action any seating requests received. 

If your customer is travelling in a party of 9 or less in the same booking, and they want to choose their seats in advance of check in, they’ll need to assign them through My Booking.  Any charges will be indicated.  All seats except extra legroom and exit rows become free of charge at check in.

For further information on seating and bassinets when travelling with children, please click here

My customer has already chosen a seat in advance. Can they change it for another seat on the same flight?

Yes, they can change it to any seat of the same or lower value. If they want to change their seat to one of a higher value (e.g. an exit row or an extra leg room seat) then they’ll need to pay for the new seat and we’ll refund their original selection.  This can be done online. If they want to upgrade to a different cabin you may rebook in the GDS and collect the applicable fare difference. Your customer may request a refund of the seat assignment by completing the following form.

My customer has paid to choose their seat in advance and wants to change their flight?

Call Virgin Atlantic with your customer’s original booking reference and we’ll help.  Your customer can select a seat of the same value or lower value on their new flight free of charge, although we can’t guarantee that the exact same seat will be available. They won’t be able to get a refund if a similar seat isn’t available.

If you’ve changed your customer’s flight for them, keep the original booking reference and tell us what it was. 

The below table summarises refund eligibility when making changes

Economy

product 

Date/route change

– Preferred seat

not available 

Flight

cancellation 

 Cabin upgrade 
Economy Light 

Voluntary change

Non refundable 

 

Involuntary change

Refundable if pax not moved to a comparable seat* 

Voluntary cancellation

Non refundable  

 

Involuntary cancellation 

Refundable  

 Economy Light tickets cannot be upgraded so the ASA will remain non refundable  
Economy Classic 

Voluntary change

Non refundable 

 

Involuntary change

Refundable if pax not moved to a comparable seat* 

Voluntary cancellation

Non refundable  

 

Involuntary cancellation

Refundable  

 Refundable if upgrading to a higher cabin  
Economy Delight   N/A as ASA is free of charge  N/A as ASA is free of charge  N/A as ASA is free of charge 

*A comparable seat is a preferred seat which can be compared to the original request i.e. a window, aisle, or middle seat towards the front of the Economy.

My customer had selected a seat in advance but they’ve lost it. How do they get it back?

Call Virgin Atlantic with their booking reference and we’ll look into it for them.

If my customer has chosen their seat in advance and Virgin Atlantic changes it, will they be informed?

We won’t contact them directly but if they log into My Booking they’ll be alerted that we’ve changed their seat.  We’ll do our best to re-seat them in a similar seat. We’ll also look to seat their party together, and then if possible, in their choice of window seat, middle seat or aisle seat.

If your customer has paid for an exit row or extra legroom seat, we’ll look to seat them in another exit row or extra legroom seat.  We can’t however guarantee that they’ll be in the same part of the aircraft (e.g. at the front / back / middle). 

Unfortunately we’re not able to identify passengers in separate bookings who’ve selected to sit together, so if there’s been an aircraft change and we’ve had to re-seat all passengers, it is possible that we’ll have separated passengers from different bookings who chose to sit together.

My customer requires Special Assistance. How will they get the seat they need?

To find out more about our services offered visit our website here.

My customer is a Flying Club Gold member. Can they choose seats for their whole party free of charge?

Yes. They can choose seats for their party online through My Booking, as long as they’re in the same booking. Your customers will be able to choose extra legroom or exit row seats for themselves and standard seats for the rest of their party.

My customer is a Flying Club Silver member travelling in Economy.  How can they choose their seat?

If they’re a Flying Club Silver member, they can choose seats from 331 days prior to departure through My Booking free of charge no matter if they’re flying Economy Light, Economy Classic or Economy Delight. 

My customer is a Flying Club Red member travelling in Economy.  How can they choose their seat?

If they’re a Flying Club Red member, they can choose seats from 331 days prior to departure through My Booking. If they’re travelling Economy Light, they’ll need to pay £30 to choose their seat, but if they’re travelling Economy Classic or Economy Delight, they can choose their seat for free at any time. 

My customer is a Delta SkyMiles® member travelling in Economy. How can they choose their seat?

If they’re a Delta SkyMiles® Diamond or Platinum Medallion® member, they can choose seats for their party online through My Booking, as long they’re in the same booking. Your customers will be able to choose Economy Delight seats for themselves and Economy Light and Economy Classic seats for the rest of their party.

If they’re a Delta SkyMiles® Gold Medallion® member, they can choose standard seats from 331 days prior to departure through My Booking.

Can my customer choose their seat in advance if they’ve purchased their Virgin Atlantic flight through Delta?

Yes. Your customer can click on the link in “My Trips” on the Delta website, which will take them through to My Booking on the Virgin Atlantic website, and they can then choose their seat.

They won’t be able to choose their seats from our website directly.

 

Retreat to our most spacious suite yet. Introducing a beautiful new addition to Upper Class on the A330neo. The Retreat Suite is at the front of the cabin, with lots of extra space, huge storage, bigger screens, and the ability to enjoy complete privacy with closing screens on both sides. Alternatively, the ottomans work as extra seats to create a private social space for up to four people. With plenty of space for laptops (and charging ports), it’s perfect for a meeting, a brainstorm, or even to have some 
lunch together. It’s your space to travel the way you choose. 


• 27” touchscreen monitor with Bluetooth audio 
• 6ft 7” fully flat bed 
• Increased suite space 
• Ottoman ‘buddy seat’ 
• Dual or quad dining/socialising 
• Electronic privacy divider and fully closing aisle privacy door 
• Wireless charging 
• AC, USB-A and USB-C charging 
• Oversized, multiple stowage 
• Do not disturb light

What are the restrictions for customers choosing their seats?

Your customers can choose seats after booking their flight through My Booking. Seats can be chosen up to 24 hours before departure. 

  • If there are no seats showing as available, your customer’s seats will be assigned to them at the airport. However it's worth visiting My Booking at regular intervals because customers do cancel and seats become available again.
  • If your customers are travelling with infants, they won’t be able to request seats online.  They can, however, call one of our Customer Centres to request seats. Whether they choose seats before they get to the airport or not, we’ll always make sure that every child is sat next to at least one parent or adult guardian; children will not be seated alone.  We define a child as being less than 12 years.

If your customers have booked as part of a ‘recognised Group’, via our in house Groups department (where there’s a group leader and all the passengers are known to each other) as their booking agent, you can submit any seating requests to our Groups Sales Team who will action any seating requests they receive.

How does my customer choose their seat in advance?

Seats can be chosen through My Booking from time of booking, up to 331 days in advance. There’ll be a charge for choosing some seats in advance. Customers can also choose their seats when they check in online from 24 hours before their flight.

If your customers choose their seat in advance, check in needs to be completed no later than 2 hours before departure.

We’ll always do our best to meet all requirements, but please note that seat numbers are never guaranteed and are subject to operational changes.

Can I pre-assign seats for my customers?

You can assign seats at the time of booking for customers who are travelling in Upper Class or non-preferred Premium seating. For Premium preferred and Economy seating, please refer your passengers to check the seat map and purchase their advance seats online at www.virginatlantic.com

All paid for advance seats must be chosen online through My Booking or your customers can choose their seat free of charge when online check in opens from 24 hours before their flight departs. They’ll need to ask you for their booking reference so they can access their booking online.

There are no seats to choose at check in?

There are a few reasons why seats may not be available during the 24 hours your customers can check in online:

  • The seats have already been chosen by passengers who haven’t checked in.
  • The seats have already been checked in to.
  • There are some seats including exit row and extra legroom seats that aren’t available through online check in.  These will show as unavailable but may be purchased at the airport (subject to availability, prices may vary). 

If your customers aren’t able to choose a seat at online check in, they can go to the airport where one of our team will help them.  We always try our best to meet requirements, but please note that seat numbers are never guaranteed and are subject to operational changes.

How does my customer choose their seats from a seat map?

If a seat map button is displayed on the 'booking confirmation' page, or within the My Booking section, then clicking this button will launch the seat map for that flight and show if seats are available to choose.

Your customer’s current seat request (if applicable) will be displayed in the box next to each passenger name, and shown with a person in the seat on the seat map itself.  Customers can change their seat by clicking on an available seat shown on the map, or by typing an available seat number into the box next to their name.  To proceed, they should click ‘Continue’ and they’ll be taken to enter their payment details (if applicable) and then a confirmation page.

Click here to view the configuration of all aircraft.

My customer's seating confirmation email shows additional seats to the ones they've chosen?

The confirmation emails display a log of all seats that have been allocated, therefore if your customer re-enters the seat map from My Booking and edits their seats, their previous seats choice will still be displayed on the confirmation email.

The cost to choose a seat in advance will vary depending on the route and seasonality.  Customers should log on to My Booking for more information. 

 

 

Preferred seats can be purchased online at virginatlantic.com up to 70mins prior to departure.

 

Premium Preferred seating, will be the first 2 rows within our Premium cabin (bulkhead excluded).  

 

The cost will start from £55.00.

 

If preferred seats are still available within the check in window (from 24 hours before the flight up to 70 minutes before departure) a 50% discount will apply.

Premium Preferred charge is non refundable on a voluntary change if there are no Premium Preferred seats left.

Premium Preferred charge is refundable for any involuntary changes or if the customer upgrades.

Bulkhead seats are not included in Premium Preferred seating. These can only be assigned following our normal processes.

 

 

How many seats are released to choose from before departure?

The number of seats available to choose varies by aircraft type.  Each seat map shows those seats common to the aircraft type scheduled to operate the flight.  Your customers can log into to My Booking or check in online from 24 hours before their flight. If there are flights available, they’ll have the option to view the seat map and choose their seats.

There are seats that don’t show on this seat map i.e. bulkhead positions. These seats are used to pre-assign seats for disabled passengers and infants.  Seating options available are standard seats, extra legroom and exit row seats.

Can my customer choose an Extra Legroom or Exit Row seat in advance?

Yes, but these seats will be Economy Delight seats. Your customers can choose and buy Economy Delight seats from our online seat map up to 331 days in advance, on all routes by visiting My Booking. Alternatively, they can purchase them at the airport (subject to availability, prices may vary).

How can my customer view the Extra Legroom or Exit Row seats they've booked?

Your customers can view their Economy Delight seats easily online through My Booking.

How does my customer make a group booking and make sure they sit together?

For information on how to make a booking for ten or more people, go to our Group Travel page.

If your customer has booked as part of a ‘recognised Group’, via our in house Groups department (where there is a group leader and all the passengers are known to each other) as the booking agent, you can submit any seating requests to us. (For other countries please see details on our website). Our Groups Sales Team will action any seating requests received. 

If your customer is travelling in a party of 9 or less in the same booking, and they want to choose their seats in advance of check in, they’ll need to assign them through My Booking.  Any charges will be indicated.  All seats except extra legroom and exit rows become free of charge at check in.

For further information on seating and bassinets when travelling with children, please click here

My customer has already chosen a seat in advance. Can they change it for another seat on the same flight?

Yes, they can change it to any seat of the same or lower value. If they want to change their seat to one of a higher value (e.g. an exit row or an extra leg room seat) then they’ll need to pay for the new seat and we’ll refund their original selection.  This can be done online. If they want to upgrade to a different cabin you may rebook in the GDS and collect the applicable fare difference. Your customer may request a refund of the seat assignment by completing the following form.

My customer has paid to choose their seat in advance and wants to change their flight?

Call Virgin Atlantic with your customer’s original booking reference and we’ll help.  Your customer can select a seat of the same value or lower value on their new flight free of charge, although we can’t guarantee that the exact same seat will be available. They won’t be able to get a refund if a similar seat isn’t available.

If you’ve changed your customer’s flight for them, keep the original booking reference and tell us what it was. We will need the old and new booking references for this. 

The below table summarises refund eligibility when making changes

Economy

product 

Date/route change

– Preferred seat

not available 

Flight

cancellation 

 Cabin upgrade 
Economy Light 

Voluntary change

Non refundable 

 

Involuntary change

Refundable if pax not moved to a comparable seat* 

Voluntary cancellation

Non refundable  

 

Involuntary cancellation 

Refundable  

 If the Economy Light ticket can be upgraded to a higher Economy fare or to a higher cabin, a refund for the pre-paid seat can be given.
Economy Classic 

Voluntary change

Non refundable 

 

Involuntary change

Refundable if pax not moved to a comparable seat* 

Voluntary cancellation

Non refundable  

 

Involuntary cancellation

Refundable  

 Refundable if upgrading to a higher cabin  
Economy Delight  

Voluntary change

Non refundable 

 

Involuntary change

Refundable if pax not moved to a comparable seat* 

Voluntary cancellation

Non refundable  

 

Involuntary cancellation

Refundable  

 Refundable if upgrading to a higher cabin  

*A comparable seat is a preferred seat which can be compared to the original request i.e. a window, aisle, or middle seat towards the front of the Economy.

My customer had selected a seat in advance but they’ve lost it. How do they get it back?

Call Virgin Atlantic with their booking reference and we’ll look into it for them.

If my customer has chosen their seat in advance and Virgin Atlantic changes it, will they be informed?

We won’t contact them directly but if they log into My Booking they’ll be alerted that we’ve changed their seat.  We’ll do our best to re-seat them in a similar seat. We’ll also look to seat their party together, and then if possible, in their choice of window seat, middle seat or aisle seat.

If your customer has paid for an exit row or extra legroom seat, we’ll look to seat them in another exit row or extra legroom seat.  We can’t however guarantee that they’ll be in the same part of the aircraft (e.g. at the front / back / middle). 

Unfortunately we’re not able to identify passengers in separate bookings who’ve selected to sit together, so if there’s been an aircraft change and we’ve had to re-seat all passengers, it is possible that we’ll have separated passengers from different bookings who chose to sit together.

My customer requires Special Assistance. How will they get the seat they need?

To find out more about our services offered visit our website here.

My customer is a Flying Club Gold member. Can they choose seats for their whole party free of charge?

Yes. They can choose seats for their party online through My Booking, as long as they’re in the same booking. Your customers will be able to choose extra legroom or exit row seats for themselves and standard seats for the rest of their party.

My customer is a Flying Club Silver member travelling in Economy.  How can they choose their seat?

If they’re a Flying Club Silver member, they can choose seats from 7 days prior to departure through My Booking free of charge no matter if they’re flying Economy Light, Economy Classic or Economy Delight. 

My customer is a Flying Club Red member travelling in Economy.  How can they choose their seat?

If they’re a Flying Club Red member, they can choose seats from 24 hours prior to departure through My Booking. 

My customer is a Delta SkyMiles® member travelling in Economy. How can they choose their seat?

If they’re a Delta SkyMiles® Diamond or Platinum Medallion® member, they can choose seats for their party online through My Booking, as long they’re in the same booking. 

If they’re a Delta SkyMiles® Gold Medallion® member, they can choose standard seats from 24 hours prior to departure through My Booking.

Can my customer choose their seat in advance if they’ve purchased their Virgin Atlantic flight through Delta?

Yes. Your customer can click on the link in “My Trips” on the Delta website, which will take them through to My Booking on the Virgin Atlantic website, and they can then choose their seat.

They won’t be able to choose their seats from our website directly.

 

Retreat to our most spacious suite yet. Introducing a beautiful new addition to Upper Class on the A330neo. The Retreat Suite is at the front of the cabin, with lots of extra space, huge storage, bigger screens, and the ability to enjoy complete privacy with closing screens on both sides. Alternatively, the ottomans work as extra seats to create a private social space for up to four people. With plenty of space for laptops (and charging ports), it’s perfect for a meeting, a brainstorm, or even to have some lunch together. It’s your space to travel the way you choose. 


• 27” touchscreen monitor with Bluetooth audio 
• 6ft 7” fully flat bed 
• Increased suite space 
• Ottoman ‘buddy seat’ 
• Dual or quad dining/socialising 
• Electronic privacy divider and fully closing aisle privacy door 
• Wireless charging 
• AC, USB-A and USB-C charging 
• Oversized, multiple stowage 
• Do not disturb light

 

To book the Retreat Suite, you need to check the availability within 14 days of departure. The booking can be made on the seat map on www.virginatlantic.com or via the customer center.