Advanced Seat Assignment

What are the restrictions for customers choosing their seats?

Your customers can choose seats after booking their flight through My Booking. Prices start from £15 for Economy Light on selected routes and seats can be chosen up to 24 hours before departure. To choose seats before check in opens, your customers can go to My Booking.

• 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 online at regular intervals because customers do cancel and seats become available again.
• Seat assignments for Seat Plus customers are made and confirmed during check in at the airport, which means online seat assignments and online check in are not available.
• 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 us. Our Groups Sales Team 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 336 days in advance. In Economy Light there’ll be a charge from £15* for choosing a seat in advance using My Booking.  Economy Light seats become free of charge when your customers 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.

*This applies to selected routes.

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.

If my customer has made their booking through me, can they choose their seat online?

Yes. If they’re having trouble they can contact you to check that they’re eligible to choose their seat in advance.  If they’re not eligible to choose a seat in advance, we’ll assign them a seat before check in opens.

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.

When can my customer choose their seat?

Seats are available to choose from 336 days before travel at time of booking.  Seats can be assigned through Manage your Flights which is available up to 24 hours before departure. 

Economy Light customers are able to pay to choose seats up to 336 days in advance. Economy Classic and Economy Delight customers can choose their seat for free. 

How much will advanced seat assignment cost?

The cost to choose a seat in advance starts from £15 per person per flight (£30 return flight) on selected Virgin Atlantic flights. This is for Economy Light customers only. 

Will my customer need to pay to choose their seats in advance?

Advance seat allocation is free of charge if they’re a Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold member, an Upper Class or Premium customer or flying Economy Classic or Economy Delight.

The cost to choose a seat will be £15 per person per flight if they’re an Economy Light customer.

We are trialling reducing the standard ASA price on a select set of routes. The current ASA price is £30 and we the price has been decreased for the following routes (bi-directional):

Premium Preferred Seating

Preferred seats can be purchased online at va.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.

How does my customer book a bulkhead seat?

If your customers are eligible, they can request one by calling us on 0344 209 7310. These seats are reserved for disabled passengers and infants.  They are allocated 30 hours before the flight, firstly to disabled passengers who need them, then on a first come first served basis to infants and one guardian.

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 336 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.

Do you offer an Unaccompanied Minor service?

Yes we do.  This is available for children aged between 5 and 15 who are travelling alone. Read our Children Travelling Alone page for more information.

Just make sure that your customer tells us, or you, when they make the booking, so that we can pre-assign the right seat. The seat number will be issued at check in.

My customer is travelling with children. Can they be sure their family will sit together?

If your customer is the only adult travelling with their child(ren) we’ll seat them together when they make their booking (and give them the seat numbers).  If there are two or more adults in their party we’ll always make sure that each child is seated together with at least one parent or guardian, and they’ll get their seat numbers when they check in.  We define a child as being less than 12 years.  Children will not be seated alone.  However, we can’t guarantee that the whole family will be seated together.

If there are two or more adults in your customer’s party and they want to be sure they’re all together, they can pay to choose their seats in advance;

• They’ll need to purchase seats for all their party, including their child(ren). This is because we don’t allocate free of charge seats for child(ren) and 1 accompanying parent/guardian until 30 hours before the flight, so we can’t tell your customers where their seats will be.

My customer is travelling with children who are over 12 years old.  Can they be sure their family will sit together?

24 hours before their flight departs, we’ll make sure that every child (which means anyone under 12 years old) is sat next to a parent or an adult guardian. Children over 12 are treated as an adult (just like with all other airlines) because they pay an adult fare and we can’t recognise them as children in a booking to make sure they’re sitting with the rest of their party.

My customer has already chosen a seat in advance. How can they choose seats for the rest of their party?

If your customer has booked their flight before the 12 November 2014 they can choose their seat 60 days before departure, free of charge. If they’re choosing seats before March 2015 for travel within 60 days, they’ll need to speak to our contact centres who will manually waive the fee. Alternatively, they can purchase seats in advance through My Booking, or choose standard seats free of charge at check in.

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 they should call the contact centre on 03448 747 747.

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

Call Virgin Atlantic on 0344 209 7310 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. 

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

Call Virgin Atlantic on 0344 209 7310 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 is a disabled passenger. How will they get the seat they need?

They need to call Virgin Atlantic on 0344 412 4455 and let us know their requirements (Monday to Friday, 9am - 6pm and bank holidays). They can also contact us via Relay UK .

My customer has several flights booked with Virgin Atlantic. How can they choose their seats?

• If they’ve booked more than 5 flights they’ll need to call Virgin Atlantic on 0344 209 7310. 
• If they’ve booked 5 flights or less and all are with Virgin Atlantic, they can choose their seats through My Booking. 

All seats except extra legroom and exit row seats become free of charge when check in opens.

My customer has several flights booked with Virgin Atlantic and Delta. How can they choose their seats?

Your customer can choose their Virgin Atlantic seats when they check in online 24 hours before their flight, or in advance through My Booking. 

There will also be a link to Delta in their booking confirmation which they can follow to choose their seats on their Delta flight(s).

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 336 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 336 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 336 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.