Like all great crime dramas, every brand needs their own reviled enemy. When British Airways launched the “London Eye”, and the sphere wasn’t able to be erected in the appropriate time frame, Virgin Atlantic launched a blimp around London explaining that their competing airline “couldn’t get it up”. Last year I even became part of a Virgin Atlantic PR slam dunk. It’s with no surprise that the airline has just outdone themselves, going 100% savage in an attack on British Airways. They’ve even launched the hashtag #VAnotBA… yikes.

a plane flying in the sky

Virgin Atlantic Is Giving You 50 Reasons To Cancel Your Recent British Airways Booking…

Virgin Atlantic and British Airways bookings made within 24 hours have a “cooling off” period, whereby anyone can cancel their reservation and be fully refunded, no questions asked. Virgin Atlantic wants you to do that if you just recently made a British Airways booking. They’ll give you £50 off your matching booking with Virgin Atlantic, if you specifically cancel.

a beach with palm trees and umbrellas

That’s Right, They’ll Give You £50 Off Your Virgin Booking If You Cancel Your British Airways Booking…

Oh my goodness. We’ve seen fare wars, where airlines match each other with low fares, but after checking extensively through the top secret travel blog records, there is no indication that an airline has ever paid passengers to cancel a booking made with their direct competitor. That warrants the use of the word savage. Well played, Virgin Atlantic. If you made a booking with British Airways in the last 24 hours, you can call Virgin Atlantic, get a quote, and if you cancel your booking with British Airways, they’ll give you £50 off per person, for bookings made by midnight on June 15th.

rows of seats in an airplane

Man Your Battleships, This Is A Direct Attack…

You’ve gotta love the gusto from Virgin Atlantic. Convincing disgruntled passengers, fed up after recent British Airways snafu’s to cancel, to receive the same price and get an additional £50 off is very compelling. This leads to one question: what will British Airways do in return? You can’t just sit there and take this? Will there be a reply? If you’re legitimately considering this, there’s a dedicated landing page on the Virgin Atlantic site, with all the terms, conditions and info necessary to cancel your British Airways booking and experience Virgin Atlantic. Your flight must be departing from the UK, FYI. We love em’ both. Fight it out!

a red sign with white text

Our Advice, If You’re Thinking About A Switch…

Do not, under any circumstances cancel your British Airways booking before receiving an official quote from Virgin Atlantic. You 100% want to confirm with Virgin Atlantic that they are offering the same price British Airways offered you, and that they’ll give you £50 off. You also want to ensure that you’re within 24 hours of your booking with British Airways, otherwise you’re not eligible to cancel and receive a full refund. There’s no reason not to see if Virgin Atlantic has something attractive to offer, but be sure to do the math, assure that your destinations and dates are covered before changing anything. British Airways is back to normal, and hopefully actually improving too.

HT: The ever knowledgable JetsettingBen…

Gilbert Ott

Gilbert Ott is an ever curious traveler and one of the world's leading travel experts. His adventures take him all over the globe, often spanning over 200,000 miles a year and his travel exploits are regularly...

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