Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, won a host of awards at the British Travel Awards last night, proving their innovative products continue to be the benchmark for the rest of the travel industry. Virgin Atlantic was named Best Airline Business Class, Best Airline Economy Class and Best Scheduled Airline Long Haul.

Steve Ridgway, Chief Executive of Virgin Atlantic, said:

"This is an amazing achievement. The travellers that voted clearly love flying with us whether they are in Upper Class or Economy which is a tribute to our people, our innovative products and high standards in customer service. Thank you to everyone who voted. "

Virgin Atlantic recently announced an increase in its services to the Far East with the launch of a second daily service between London Heathrow and Hong Kong. The new flights, which will be daily from 4 December this year, will double the airline’s capacity to the destination, offering passengers more choice and flexibility when travelling to the Far East and Australia.

The airline has also reported an 11% increase in business travellers from Heathrow in the last 12 months, almost certainly due to the success of the airline’s Upper Class Wing - the award winning private check in and security channel at T3. The speed at which passengers are getting through security has enabled Virgin Atlantic to introduce a 40-minute minimum check in time for its Upper Class passengers offering them the fastest journey through an airport in the UK � quicker than T5.

The airline has undoubtedly cushioned itself well for any downturn in the coming months. In the first six months of its financial year (March � August 2008), Virgin Atlantic, and its tour operator arm Virgin Holidays, saw revenues increase by 15% from £1.19billion to £1.37billion. Pretax profits rose from £43million to £72million. Cash in the bank increased to £688m at the end of the first half of the year (2008/09), compared with £599m at the end of the last financial year (2007/08).

Virgin Atlantic currently flies to 30 destinations worldwide from its award-winning new Terminal 3 at Heathrow Airport, and from the South Terminal at London’s Gatwick Airport. Destinations include Shanghai, Nairobi, Dubai, Mumbai, Delhi, Lagos, Tokyo, New York JFK and Newark, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, San Francisco, Miami, Sydney, Washington, Boston, Chicago, Barbados, Antigua, Havana and Kingston.

For further information please contact the Virgin Atlantic Press Office on 01293 747373 or visitwww.virginatlantic.com