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Virgin Atlantic Ancillary Upgrades

Terms & Conditions

General

Upgrades between the seat classes (“Upgrades”) set out below may be available on selected flights operated by Virgin Atlantic:

  • Economy Classic / Economy Classic Flex to Economy Delight
  • Economy Classic / Economy Classic Flex to Premium
  • Economy Classic / Economy Classic Flex to Upper Class
  • Economy Delight / Economy Delight Flex to Premium
  • Economy Delight / Economy Delight Flex to Upper Class
  • Premium / Premium Flex to Upper Class

Applicability and Availability

1. Promotional fares on Qualifying Flights are strictly subject to limited availability and are offered on a first come, first served basis. The number of FLEX seats available on each flight detailed above is restricted and it is possible that the seats allocated on a particular flight may be fully booked, even though seats are still available in other booking classes. Some flights may have no availability on certain dates and popular dates (i.e. weekends, school and public holidays) will fill quickly.

2. A “Qualifying Flight” is a one-way flight flown on services operated by Virgin Atlantic only. Trips including sectors on airlines other than Virgin Atlantic including codeshares are not permitted.

3. If there are multiple passengers travelling on the same booking, all passengers in the booking must Upgrade.

4. Subject to availability, passengers may Upgrade on individual sectors and multi-sector journeys.

 

Upgrade Fee & Transferability

5. The fee is calculated on a per passenger, per sector basis and is inclusive of all applicable taxes, fees, charges & carrier imposed surcharges (the “Upgrade Fee”).

6. All fare rules associated with the original ticket purchase still apply (including fare refunds).

7. Upgrades are not transferable to another passenger and no cash or credit alternatives will be offered.

 

Refunds of Upgrade Fee

8. Once a Flex Upgrade has been confirmed, the following conditions apply and no refunds will be made even where the ticket itself might be refundable:

a) Cancellations and changes for the Upgrade are not permitted;
b) No compensation and/or refund will be made available; and
c) Route, date or name changes are not permitted.

The only exceptions are:

a) When as a result of operational, safety, security or other circumstances we are unable to provide seating in the upgraded product;
b) When a flight is cancelled or diverted due to operational irregularities and passengers are re-protected on alternative flights where seating in a similar product cannot be offered and/or is unavailable. This includes flights on other airlines. Where a passenger is re-booked on Virgin Atlantic, we will attempt to accommodate a passenger in the product for which an Upgrade Fee has been paid subject to availability. If seats in Economy Delight/Premium /Upper Class are not available, the Upgrade Fee will be refunded and the passenger will be seated in the product as purchased on their original ticket.
c) Passengers who are denied boarding due to flight oversales may be able to use their Upgrade on their alternative travel date if the new flight is operated by Virgin Atlantic and there is availability. If there is no availability on the alternative Virgin Atlantic flight or passengers are re-protected on another airline, a full refund including any taxes paid will be given;
d) If a passenger is unable to sit in the specific seat they have selected because of an injury (e.g. they have broken a leg, a full refund including any taxes paid will be given).

9. If you are refused carriage in accordance with our Conditions of Carriage, entitlement to a refund of the Upgrade Fee will be at our absolute discretion.

10. All refunds will be processed by Virgin Atlantic’s central accounts department in the UK and credited back to the original method of payment

Baggage Policy & Related Services


11. When an Upgrade is purchased, passengers will be entitled to the baggage allowance of the upgraded product. Any additional baggage allowance (if applicable) as a result of the Upgrade purchased will be applied at check in.

12. Subject to clause 13 below, information regarding cabin specific services and products can be found here for Economy Delight, here for Premium and here for Upper Class.

13. Where passengers purchase an Upgrade into Upper Class, the chauffeur driven car service will not be available where an Upgrade purchase is made within 24 hours of flight departure. Further information can be found on our website at https://flywith.virginatlantic.com/gb/en/prepare-to-fly/extras-and-upgrades/chauffeur-service.html.

 

Miscellaneous


14. Flying Club Members will receive Virgin Points and tier points depending on the type of upgrade, as follows:

a)    When you purchased a revenue ticket (not using any Virgin Points), and you upgrade to a higher cabin using Virgin Points, you will earn Points and tier points according to the original fare, before the upgrade.

b)    If you upgrade your flight with a promotional rate (online or through the website) or via Your Bid, you will earn Points and tier points according to the original fare, before the upgrade.

c)    If you purchased a full reward ticket with Virgin Points and you upgrade to a higher cabin using more Points, you will earn tier points for the upgraded cabin.

d)    Members who have purchased cash upgrades within 24 hours of departure, on any type of ticket, will receive the original Virgin Points and tier points according to the original fare, before the upgrade.

15. Virgin Atlantic accepts no liability for damages arising from lack of availability of or other intervening issue that prevents the provision of an Upgrade for whatever reason. Our liability in relation to the non-delivery of travel in the Upgraded product where an Upgrade Fee has been paid will not exceed the individual amount paid by the passenger (on a per passenger basis) including any taxes.

16. The purchase of an Upgrade is not confirmed until an e-mail detailing payment and authorisation has been issued by Virgin Atlantic. This may take up to 48 hours.

17. All passengers are carried by Virgin Atlantic in accordance with its Conditions of Carriage for Passengers and Baggage and its Conditions of Contract (as may be amended from time to time). Virgin Atlantic’s published Conditions of Carriage apply and are available at http://www.virginatlantic.com/gb/en/help-centre/conditions-of-carriage.html.

18. In the event there is a conflict between these terms and conditions and the Conditions of Carriage, the Conditions of Carriage will prevail.

19. Virgin Atlantic reserves the right to (i) withdraw the promotion (ii) cancel or change the promotion, (iii) amend these terms and conditions at any time if circumstances make this necessary and without further notice.

20. These terms and conditions are governed by English law and are subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English Courts.

Date of Publication: 12 September 2023