The chief executive of Virgin Atlantic has reported “no negative pushback” from the trade after launching its new three-tier economy class.
From spring 2018 customers will be able to choose from three different ticket categories within economy – Economy Delight, Economy Classic or Economy Light.
Economy Delight will feature 34-inch legroom, priority check-in and boarding, as well as advanced seat assignment. The airline is retrofitting its fleet to provide up to 36 such seats on every flight. Economy Classic will now include free seat assignment, while Economy Light “will always offer Virgin Atlantic’s lowest fare”, but hold luggage will not be included.
Asked by TTG how the new fares had been received by the trade – at an Airlines UK lecture last week – the airline’s chief executive Craig Kreeger said: “We briefed our key partners prior to the announcement to make sure we were designing the process to ensure it was as good as we could do.
“I have not had any negative pushback, but I haven’t spoken to any TMCs. To my knowledge there has been no pushback.”
Kreeger confirmed that all fares will be available through the GDS.