Once beloved for how easy they are to earn, low award rates, and a solid network of partners, Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points have kind of gone from invaluable to meh over the last year … and the hits just keep coming.
Without a word of warning, the U.K.-based airline quietly raised fees on award tickets by approximately $50 to $250 each way across the pond, depending on the cabin … and which direction you're flying. Thanks to reader Nic A. for the tip!
- A one-way in economy from the U.S. to London increased from roughly $111 to $164 – a 50% increase
- Premium economy one-ways to the U.K. increased from $240 to $298 – a 25% hike
- Business class flights to London went from roughly $586 to $701 – a 20% bump
It gets even worse in the other direction, with business class flights departing the U.K. now getting hit with $970 in taxes and fees (nearly $1,000!) – up from the already steep $720 price point just a week or so ago.
Worst of all, this is Virgin's second fee hike in less than a year. After shifting to its current dynamic pricing model and slashing fees back in late 2024, Virgin more than doubled the cash surcharge on business class award tickets last June.
While this news no doubt stinks, it's hardly a shock. Fellow SkyTeam airline(s) Air France/KLM Flying Blue made a similar move just two weeks back, and Cathay Pacific has already made two fee hikes since the war in Iran began just over a month ago. Meanwhile, U.S. carriers are raising fares and baggage fees amid skyrocketing jet fuel prices.
So what does this increase look like in practice?
Take this one-way award from Miami (MIA) to London-Heathrow (LHR), for example. We highlighted this deal for our Thrifty Traveler Premium members at the end of March: Just 29,000 points and $575 in taxes and fees for a lie-flat seat across the pond.
While those fees were already quite high, the low award rate made it tolerable. Now, you'll be on the hook for $700 in taxes and fees for the exact same route – an overnight, unannounced increase of $125.
Never mind the increased point total in that screenshot above: Thankfully, those rock-bottom 29,000-point one-way business class fares are still out there … just not on this route at the moment.
But it gets even worse if you're planning to fly in the pointy end of the plane home from the U.K. Virgin's already-high taxes and fees went from approximately $720 up to a whopping $970 when departing Europe. Ouch!
The fees are milder in the back of the plane … but even those went up considerably with this hike. Take a look at this economy class award from Boston (BOS) to London as an example. Previously, you'd pay 6,000 miles and $111 in taxes and fees.
Now, you'll see those same 6,000-point awards getting hit with a $164 surcharge – an increase of more than $50. And just like business class, fees are even higher on the way back: a whopping $327.
Add it all up, and you're on the hook for north of $500 in taxes and fees, plus 12,000 points for a roundtrip to London and back. While the points rate is unbeatable, you can often buy cash fares outright for less than $500, making it a far less compelling deal.
But really, this is all just a sign of the times.
Given that jet fuel costs – one of airlines’ biggest expenses, second only to labor – have gone up 75% since the start of the war, it was only a matter of time before we saw increased fees on award tickets, too.
The most concerning thing here is that even if this eventually blows over and fuel costs decrease to their pre-war levels, there's no guarantee the airlines will respond accordingly … or at the very least, they'll be slow to reduce surcharges. Delta's CEO said so himself on a call to investors earlier this week:
“We do expect, hopefully, that fuel settles down. Now, it’ll settle down at a higher level. So fuel recapture is going to be important no matter what we do,” Bastian said. “It’s going to take more than the current quarter. We’re going to continue to see a much higher percentage as we move into summer.”
Translation? Higher fares (and fees) are here to stay – at least for now.
So what can (and should) you do about it? Travelers planning trips later this year may want to consider locking in flights sooner rather than later – especially for summer travel. Booking flights with flexible change policies can give you the best of both worlds: locking in today’s prices while keeping the option to adjust your plans later if cheaper fares appear.
Whether it's a cash fare or an award ticket, price drops are still in the cards, so wait for an alert from Thrifty Traveler Premium or set a Google Flights price alert and wait for a sign that prices have decreased.
Bottom Line
Virgin Atlantic has quietly raised fees on award tickets – its second increase in less than a year – increasing out-of-pocket costs by $50 to $250 (or so) each way and pushing the cash cost of one-way business class flights to nearly $1,000. The move reflects rising fuel prices and follows a broader trend of airlines hiking both cash fares and award costs.
Travelers should consider locking in flights now – ideally with flexible change policies – before prices climb even higher.
