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Virgin soothes flight plight

Fed up with paying a premium for flights only to find yourself at the mercy of check-in woes?

Virgin Atlantic addresses this flight plight with what it calls "the world’s fastest airport check-in" via the launch of its new Upper Class Wing at Heathrow’s Terminal 3.

The new Wing opened on 2 November and speeds Virgin's  business passengers  from limo to lounge in under 10 minutes.
A dedicated security channel, for Virgin Atlantic customers only, makes its debut and the unique fast-track system transits passengers near to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse. Upper Class passengers not opting for Virgin's limo transfer can check-in at Terminal 3's Upper Class Check-In, before taking a priority lift straight to the dedicated security channel.

Passengers arriving at the airport by limo will already have supplied check-in details to their driver and are chauffeured up a curved ramp onto a 22-metre wide arrival area where a Virgin Atlantic host meets, greets and completes check-in formalities. Passengers then walk through a new hotel-style lobby area and into the dedicated security channel moments away from the sanctuary of the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, recently voted the world’s best business class lounge.                                     
                                                                                          
As Steve Ridgway, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, puts it: "Our new Upper Class Wing will enable our business passengers to fly through check-in, whizz through security and lounge in the Clubhouse. At last, they can speed through Terminal 3 within minutes which will save precious time at the airport. It will be very quick and refreshing for our travellers, compared with other airlines.”

The new development has been designed by architects Foster + Partners in conjunction with Virgin Atlantic's in-house design team. "The Virgin Upper Class Wing will allow business passengers to rediscover the lost glamour and thrill of air travel as well as setting a new standard for the industry," said Antoinette Nassopoulous, partner at Foster + Partners.

The airline has also launched new routes  to Kingston, Jamaica (30 October) and to Mauritius (28 October).

A twice weekly service flies non-stop between London Heathrow and Mauritius. The services will be operated by an Airbus A340-300 with 240 seats onboard - 34 Upper Class, 35 Premium Economy and 171 economy.

The London Gatwick-Kingston route is also twice-weekly and is Virgin Atlantic's first direct service between Gatwick and Kingston, making it Virgin's
eighth destination to the Caribbean and 30th destination
worldwide. The twice-weekly flights will be operated by Virgin’s 451-seat
Boeing 747-400 aircraft.

RK