Free The Children and The Travel Foundation named as the airline’s long-term partner charities.

South Norwalk, CT (Jan. 11, 2010) - Virgin Atlantic Airways announced that it will be working in close cooperation with two charities over the course of the next three years - the first time the airline has established long-term charity partnerships. The airline, through its �Change for Children’ onboard collection of foreign currency and staff fundraising efforts, hope to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to support communities in Kenya, China, India and the Caribbean.

Julie Southern, Chief Commercial and Financial Officer for Virgin Atlantic, commented;

"For the first time Virgin Atlantic has chosen two three-year partnerships in order to make a real tangible and sustainable difference to a number of communities around the world. The work will go beyond donations and will enable our staff and our passengers to see how some of the big global challenges are impacting people in our destinations, and to get involved in volunteering projects to support a more sustainable future for these communities.

"Over the years Virgin Atlantic has been able to make a difference to children around the world through the generosity of its passengers and the varied and determined fundraising efforts of our staff. We have no doubt that these new charities will capture the hearts and minds of our passengers and staff alike."

In partnership with Free The Children, Virgin Atlantic will adopt three villages in Kenya, China and India, with the aim that all community needs are met equally. Focuses include education, healthcare, alternative income and water and sanitation. The Adopt-a-Village model works to change the cycle of poverty by breaking down barriers to education. Virgin Atlantic will also work with Free The Children to run a program of school tours in the UK to empower young people to get involved and become social entrepreneurs, making them feel more connected to some of the big issues our world is facing today and empowering them to make a difference.

Founder of Free The Children, Craig Kielburger, commented;

"Free The Children is thrilled to have the support of the entire Virgin Atlantic family in helping to break the cycle of poverty for thousands of families around the world. It is through the commitment and dedication of patrons and staff alike that we can develop communities overseas and empower the next generation of young leaders."

Julie Southern added;

"In order to help children break free from poverty, it is necessary to empower their mothers, improve their schools and health clinics and build their water facilities. The Adopt-a-Village initiatives give us the opportunity to make change sustainable so that children can realize their full potential."

Virgin Atlantic’s second long-term partner is The Travel Foundation, an independent UK charity that helps the travel industry understand, manage and take effective action on sustainable tourism. The money donated through staff fundraising and passenger contributions will be spent on a variety of initiatives across the Caribbean to help locals benefit from tourism and to protect the environment. They will include honey production in Jamaica, fish farming in Tobago and St. Lucia and waste management projects in Barbados. These programs will provide an income for around 600 young people living on the islands over three years.

Commenting on partnership with The Travel Foundation, Julie Southern said;

"As a long-haul airline flying around 800,000 passengers to the Caribbean each year we feel we have a responsibility to support sustainable tourism and provide opportunities for local people through these initiatives. Sustainability is about reducing the environmental impacts of our business as well as supporting the communities in which we operate. Through this partnership we can help young people really change their lives as well as helping to shape a sustainable future for the islands we are so proud to serve."

Sue Hurdle, chief executive of The Travel Foundation, said;

"Tourism is vitally important to people in the Caribbean. Many depend on it for their livelihoods and for the future of their communities. So we’re delighted that Virgin Atlantic has committed to a three-year program with the Travel Foundation, which will help local people to benefit from the opportunities that tourism can bring.

"Together, we will help young people to learn new livelihood and business skills, we’ll encourage local entrepreneurs from disadvantaged communities to flourish and we’ll help protect the environment, keeping these wonderful places special for future generations of locals and visitors alike. This program will not only change the lives of hundreds of local people for the better, it will also enhance the experience for holiday-makers."

All flights will be collecting money on behalf of Free The Children and The Travel Foundation from January onwards. Passengers can donate any loose change or foreign currency, and place it in the �Change for Children’ envelopes.


For further information on Virgin Atlantic please contact the U.S. press office at 203-750-2570 or logo onto www.VirginAtlantic.com

For further information on the Travel Foundation please contact
Georgina Davies, PR Manager at Georgina.davies@thetravelfoundation.org.uk

For further information on Free the Children please contact Lindsey Coulter
T: 647-259-3469 x248 or log onto www.freethechildren.com


NOTES TO EDITORS

About Virgin Atlantic Airways
Virgin Atlantic Airways, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, was founded in 1984, and currently has 38 aircraft in its fleet. Virgin Atlantic offers service from 10 U.S. cities to London and onto a range of long-haul destinations worldwide. From its main base in London Heathrow and Gatwick, Virgin Atlantic services destinations as far apart as Las Vegas, Tokyo, Delhi, Boston and Shanghai. Sir Richard Branson is the President of Virgin Atlantic; Steve Ridgway is the Chief Executive. Even with Virgin Atlantic’s continued growth, the service still remains customer driven with an emphasis on value for money, quality, fun and innovation, ensuring flying Virgin Atlantic is always an event.

About Free The Children
Free The Children is the world’s largest network of children helping children through education, with more than one million youth involved in innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded in 1995 by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has a proven track record of success. Through the energy and passion of youth, Free The Children has built more than 500 schools around the world and it provides education for 50 000 children everyday. The organization has received the World’s Children’s Prize for the rights of the Child (also known as the Children’s Nobel Prize), the Human Right’s Award from the World association of Non-governmental Organizations, and has formed successful partnership with leading school boards and Oprah’s Angel Network. For more information please visit www.freethechildren.com.

About The Travel Foundation
Founded in 2003, The Travel Foundation is the leading resource for the UK outbound travel industry on sustainable tourism, providing training and guidelines to help travel companies understand, manage and take effective, practical action. An independent UK charity, the Travel Foundation currently funds and manages over 30 projects in 16 destinations around the world, which showcase best practice in efforts to improve the well-being of destination communities, protect the environment, and enrich the tourism experience, now and into the future.