Virgin Atlantic announces a codeshare flight deal with WestJet
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Virgin Atlantic has launched a codeshare deal with Canadian airline WestJet.
From today, you can book WestJet flights from London Gatwick via the Virgin Atlantic website.
WestJet flies year-round from Gatwick to Calgary and Toronto. During the Summer it also flies to Halifax and Vancouver. The Virgin Atlantic codeshare also covers 28 connecting destinations such as Montreal, Quebec, Edmonton and Deer Lake.
The press release I was sent made absolutely no mention of frequent flyer benefits. I don’t know:
whether you earn Virgin Flying Club miles when flying WestJet under a Virgin Atlantic flight number
whether you earn Virgin Flying Club tier points when flying WestJet under a Virgin Atlantic flight number
whether it will be possible to redeem Virgin Flying Club miles for seats on WestJet
The latter would be a very welcome option, as WestJet is not in any major airline alliance. However, you can credit flights to Delta SkyMiles, Flying Blue (Air France / KLM) and Qantas, as well as WestJet Rewards. I have asked Flying Club for clarification and will let you know when they respond.
WestJet is surprisingly impressive to fly. Earlier this year it launched a new fully flat Business Class service on its London Gatwick to Calgary and Toronto routes. This uses new Boeing 787-9 aircraft which WestJet is currently receiving.
If the seat looks familiar, it is because it is the same one that Qatar Airways uses on its Boeing 787 and A380 fleets in Business Class. It certainly isn’t the sort of seat you’d expect a budget airline to be using. See the photos above.
The one thing that differentiates WestJet from a legacy airline is the size of the Business Class cabin. There will be just 16 seats on each aircraft.
British Airways has stopped flying to Calgary in the Winter so this new WestJet deal offers a good incentive to try them instead of Air Canada on your next trip.
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How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (April 2025)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Virgin Points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.
You can choose from two official Virgin Atlantic credit cards (apply here, the Reward+ card has a bonus of 18,000 Virgin Points and the free card has a bonus of 3,000 Virgin Points):
Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard
18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review
Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard
3,000 bonus points, no fee and 1 point for every £1 you spend Read our full review
You can also earn Virgin Points from various American Express cards – and these have sign-up bonuses too.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for a year and comes with 20,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 20,000 Virgin Points.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold
Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express comes with 50,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 50,000 Virgin Points.
SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.
The Platinum Card from American Express
80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Small business owners should consider the two American Express Business cards. Points convert at 1:1 into Virgin Points.
American Express Business Platinum
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Virgin Points.
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