Playing our part

• 18 May 2020
• News
• Virgin Atlantic

Firstly, we truly hope that you, your family and all your loved ones are keeping safe and well. We know these are difficult times for everyone, so wanted to take a moment to share some positive news with you. It’s so important to shine a light on all the good happening in the world right now, and to be grateful for the people who are keeping us all going.

Our NHS have been incredible on the frontline of the fight against Covid-19, and we are deeply proud we’ve been able to play a small part in supporting them. The efforts of our people have amazed us, every single day. So we’ve been sharing the love, and the gratitude, in our big red thank you video.

Supporting our NHS

More than 250 of our cabin crew are volunteering at the NHS Nightingale Hospitals, while others have stepped in as emergency call handlers. We’re also involved in the brilliant Project Wingman, creating a first class experience for NHS workers in hospital rest areas.

Transporting essential medical supplies

Working in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care and the NHS, in April we flew more than 150 tonnes of crucial medical supplies from Shanghai back to the UK to help protect our NHS heroes. Find out more

Implementing flexible booking changes

With thousands of our customers affected by travel restrictions and cancellations, we’ve been working tirelessly to support everyone, as quickly as we can. So far we’ve helped more than 30,000 customers change their trips. We wanted to help people in this uncertain time by being as flexible as possible, so we have a range of options that you can see here.

Helping local communities

Our amazing people from across the company have been using their time to contribute to the community and fill essential roles. There are hundreds of examples, from working at supermarkets, driving for delivery companies, volunteering with the Red Cross and so many more.

Bringing UK citizens home

Working closely with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, we’ve brought home 3,171 UK citizens on repatriation flights so far. You can find out more about the latest advice on how to book onto an FCO repatriation flight here

The demand is in the data

Recently Lee Haslett, vice-president of sales for UK and Europe at Virgin Atlantic, shared his thoughts on how analysis will be key to post-pandemic recovery. Read more here to find out what trends we're looking at and why we're sure that consumer confidence will return.

Finally, and most importantly, we want to thank you, our valued trade partners. So many of you have sent us messages of support. Truly, these have lifted our spirits and provided much-needed comfort in a challenging time for our industry. When this crisis passes, we will look forward to welcoming you and your customers back onboard, and repaying your kindness with the unique Virgin experience you know and love.