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Without any major announcements, Virgin Atlantic has changed the access rules to its flagship lounge, the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in London Heathrow (LHR). The new rules are more restrictive than before. Here's what travelers should know about visiting this lounge.
New Virgin Clubhouse Access Rules at LHR
The new access rules allow passengers in certain cabin classes access, as well as those with status with other airline programs. The new rules are as follows.
Passengers traveling in the following cabins can access the Virgin Clubhouse:
- Virgin Atlantic Upper-Class travelers with a guest traveling with Virgin Atlantic or Delta.
- When traveling in Delta One on Delta.
- Aeromexico Clase Premier travelers.
Holders of the following elite statuses also can access the Virgin Clubhouse:
- Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold Card members, plus a guest traveling on Virgin Atlantic, Delta, or Aeromexico.
- Delta SkyMiles Diamond and Platinum Medallions, plus a guest traveling in premium economy on Virgin Atlantic or Delta.
- Flying Blue Platinum members, plus a guest traveling in premium economy on Virgin Atlantic or Delta.
So who lost access here? The changes in rules for the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at LHR affected the following:
- No more access for those connecting La Première on Air France (who also could bring a guest).
- Guests of those flying Upper Class previously had no operating airline requirements.
- Guests of Delta and Flying Blue elites previously had no class of travel requirements.
- Removed from the list entirely:
- Virgin Australia Velocity Club Gold, Platinum, and The Club cardholders who are traveling on Virgin Atlantic.
- Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Gold, Solitaire PPS Club, and PPS Club members who are traveling on Virgin Atlantic.
- Air New Zealand Gold or Elite members who are traveling on Virgin Atlantic to San Francisco (SFO).
Sky Team Elite Plus access
If you are a Sky Team Elite Plus member and are wondering where you stand, the Sky Team lounge finder page says you're still good to go. Per the page:
“Lounge access for international First or Business Class ticket holders or SkyTeam Elite Plus Frequent Flyers traveling on an international flight operated by the following airlines: Virgin Atlantic, Aeromexico, or Delta.”
Other Virgin Club House Lounge Access Rules
Fortunately, Virgin has different access rules for its various Clubhouses. If you have The Platinum Card® from American Express or The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, you can access any of the following Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses:
- Boston (BOS)
- Johannesburg (JNB)
- New York (JFK)
- San Francisco (SFO)
- Washington, D.C. (IAD)
Our Take
The move is not surprising, especially in the wake of Virgin Atlantic joining SkyTeam in March 2023. In fact, anecdotally, several travelers have reported that the lounge is much busier than before. Therefore, it is no surprise that Virgin Atlantic has taken steps to restrict some access to its flagship Clubhouse at LHR. Also, Virgin is clearly rationalizing some of its access policies to take into account its new status as a Sky Team member.
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Not allowing AF La Premiere access is simply a dumb move. Why? AF is part of SkyTeam.
The Virgin Clubhouse at LHR is one of the best lounges anywhere outside the Middle East airlines’ offerings. It has been far more crowded in the past few months but is one of the few places worth taking a longer transit time to be able to spend time in. It beats the Turkish lounge in Istanbul, but not the LH First Class lounge in Frankfurt.