Virgin Atlantic tightens up its Heathrow Clubhouse access rules

Back in March, Virgin Atlantic officially became a member of the SkyTeam alliance, joining partners such as Delta, Air France and KLM.

One of the main concerns we had when Virgin Atlantic announced its plans was whether the airline would let SkyTeam business class and elite status members use its Clubhouse lounges.

This is particularly pertinent for the Heathrow Clubhouse, which often runs at or close to capacity. Even if Virgin Atlantic wanted to, it would simply not be possible to cater to all SkyTeam elites.

Back in March Virgin Atlantic published a revised list of access rules for the flagship Clubhouse at Heathrow Terminal 3.

These rules do not appear to have been effective at curbing demand, because the airline has quietly revised the list to exclude more people.

The current rules are on this page of the Virgin Atlantic website.

Who can get into the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounge at Heathrow?

Heathrow Clubhouse access via your ticket type:

Anyone flying in the following cabins will automatically get access to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse:

• Upper Class passengers on Virgin Atlantic (including one guest who must be travelling on Virgin Atlantic or Delta, on any flight in any cabin)
• Delta One passengers on Delta (no guest)
• Clase Premier passengers on Aeroméxico (no guest)

Other SkyTeam business class passengers do NOT get access.

Heathrow Clubhouse access via your SkyTeam status:

Only the following elite status passengers can enter the Clubhouse if they are not flying in Upper Class / Delta One / Clase Premier:

• Virgin Flying Club Gold, flying on a Virgin Atlantic, Delta or Aeroméxico flight in any class (including one guest)
• Delta SkyMiles Diamond or Platinum Medallion, flying on a Virgin Atlantic or Delta flight in premium economy (including one guest)
• Air France / KLM Flying Blue Platinum, flying on a Virgin Atlantic or Delta flight in premium economy (including one guest)

Who has lost access to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse?

Comparing the access guidance above to what was published back in March, the following people now have to head elsewhere:

• Delta SkyMiles Diamond or Platinum Medallion, flying on a Virgin Atlantic or Delta flight in economy
• Air France / KLM Flying Blue Platinum, flying on a Virgin Atlantic or Delta flight in economy
• All other SkyTeam Elite Plus members flying on Virgin Atlantic, Delta or Aeroméxico flights in economy or premium economy

The following non-SkyTeam elites appear to have also lost access unless flying in business class:

• Virgin Australia Velocity Club Gold, Platinum and The Club members flying Virgin Atlantic
• Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Gold, Solitaire PPS Club and PPS Club members flying Virgin Atlantic
• Air New Zealand Gold or Elite members flying on Virgin Atlantic to San Francisco

The following people lost access due to the shift of Air France and KLM flights back to Terminal 4:

• Passengers connecting to La Première on Air France

Conclusion

To be honest, we hadn’t been hearing any horror stories of Clubhouse overcrowding. When I was last there over Easter it was definitely busy but certainly not unmanageable.

Virgin Atlantic seems to believe that the situation would be improved by restricting access further. Cutting access to Delta and Flying Blue top tier members who are flying in Economy is likely to have the biggest impact whilst also making Virgin Atlantic Gold status more attractive than that of other SkyTeam carriers.

Our guide to the Virgin Clubhouses is here and you can also read our review of the Heathrow Clubhouse here.

The official Heathrow Clubhouse rules are on the Virgin Atlantic site here.

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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 15,000 Virgin Points):

SPECIAL OFFER: The sign-up bonus on the Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard is doubled to 30,000 Virgin Points if you apply by 2nd October. You receive 15,000 Virgin Points with your first purchase and a further 15,000 points if you spend £3,000 within 90 days. Apply here.

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.

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with 30,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 30,000 Virgin Points.

Small business owners should consider the two American Express Business cards. Points convert at 1:1 into Virgin Points.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Virgin Points. 

(Want to earn more Virgin Points?  Click here to see our recent articles on Virgin Atlantic and Flying Club and click here for our home page with the latest news on earning and spending other airline and hotel points.)