To celebrate its 40th birthday in style, Virgin Atlantic is introducing tasty treats and exciting surprises throughout June
Forty years ago on June 22, 1984, Virgin Atlantic carried its first customers from London to New York. The airline will showcase some incredible initiatives for its customers to enjoy in June. A unique 40th birthday logo will appear across new products in June, inspired by the bold stripe on Virgin Atlantic’s first aircraft, Maiden Voyager, bringing a flash of red to the grey world of air travel.
It all starts with Virgin Atlantic’s award-winning flagship London Heathrow Clubhouse, which first opened its doors in 2006. Upper Class customers will be able to sit back and relax in the Clubhouse with a special 40th birthday beer, available only at the London Heathrow Clubhouse, from June 1 and beyond.
Across all Clubhouses, a new, carefully curated cocktail will be available from June 1, named Maiden Voyager, the same name given to Virgin Atlantic’s first plane that flew between London Gatwick and Newark in 1984. It also wouldn’t be a birthday without some cake and music to get the party going, so a signature 40th birthday cake will be served across Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses.
Virgin Atlantic is also diving deep into its heritage and marking its Ruby anniversary with a magnificent display of its cabin crew uniforms from the last four decades. The display will take pride of place in the London Heathrow Clubhouse, showcasing archived uniforms designed by the likes of Arabella Pollen, Elizabeth and David Emmanuel and John Rocha, as well as the current iconic design, honouring the late Vivienne Westwood, which debuted in 2014.
Virgin Atlantic’s Mile High Afternoon Tea is also getting a ruby makeover. In Upper Class, alongside a selection of savoury finger sandwiches will be an elderflower & blueberry scone, a lemon and blackcurrant slice of birthday cake with a white chocolate disc and edible flowers, and a raspberry macaron with the airline’s 40th birthday logo topper. Both Upper Class and Premium Mile High Teas will be served alongside a Virgin Redhead. The raspberry macaroon will also be served in Premium, with a lemon and bergamot polenta mini cake. Economy customers will enjoy a refreshing glass of English sparkling wine.
The airline has partnered with Bottega to release a limited number of special edition prosecco bottles available in 75cl and 20cl, with a bespoke 40th birthday design.
Siobhan Fitzpatrick, Chief Experience Officer at Virgin Atlantic commented,“As we gear up to our Ruby anniversary, we are delighted to celebrate this milestone with our loyal customers, in our Clubhouses and onboard. In our 40th year, our spirit is stronger than ever and the things that set us apart will keep us ahead. We look forward to the next 40 years as we continue flying to some of the greatest cities on earth, finding new ways to delight our customers with brilliantly different experiences, delivered by our amazing people.”
