Opening of the Heathrow Clubhouse

In February 1993, we opened our first Clubhouse at London Heathrow Airport, introducing a new approach to the airport lounge experience for our premium passengers. The opening followed the start of Virgin Atlantic's Heathrow operations in July 1991 and built on our experience of operating an airport lounge at London Gatwick since 1990. The Heathrow Clubhouse established a distinctive identity for our premium ground services, with an emphasis on hospitality, comfort and personalised attention before departure. The Clubhouse was designed to offer an alternative to the conventional airport waiting lounge, creating a more relaxed and welcoming environment. Its opening was attended by Virgin Atlantic founder Richard Branson and the UK Secretary of State for Transport, John MacGregor. Contemporary reporting highlighted the lounge's unconventional approach, including massage services intended to help passengers relax before their flights. The Heathrow opening also introduced the Clubhouse name, which became part of our premium customer experience. Later in 1993, we extended our airport lounge offering internationally with the opening of our first overseas lounge in Boston. Together, these developments reflected our approach to making the experience on the ground an important part of travelling with Virgin Atlantic.