In the airline industry, Virgin Atlantic has set the standard for excellent customer care. It has introduced a number of unique and innovative products to the business, which have become not only the hallmark of Virgin’s service values, but of the airline industry as a whole. For example, Virgin Atlantic was the first airline to offer just two flight classes, Economy (a choice of Premium Economy and Economy) and Upper Class, a first class service at a business class fare, abandoning the former three class structure.
Virgin Atlantic has become the preferred carrier of many frequent flyers, because of its overall consideration of passenger needs, whether in-flight or in the airline’s airport facilities. Furthermore, Virgin’s own in-flight surveys have revealed that 91% of passengers in Upper Class would fly with Virgin Atlantic again and recommend the service to others.
In 1996, Virgin Atlantic carried more than 2.3 million passengers. The company has been recognised for its achievements through consistent success in winning prestigious awards. It has been voted ‘Airline of the Year’ four times by the readers of Executive Travel and ‘Best Transatlantic Airline’ by Travel Weekly for eight years running, to name but a few.