Virgin Atlantic has been named the Official Airline Partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with Virgin Atlantic Holidays also appointed Official Holiday Partner.
With two years to go until the Games, the airline has officially begun its journey to LA28, with Virgin Atlantic founder Sir Richard Branson joining Olympic gymnast Jake Jarman, Paralympic sprinter and cyclist Kadeena Cox and Virgin Atlantic cabin crew at London Heathrow to mark the occasion.
The partnership will see Virgin Atlantic provide extensive travel support for Team GB and ParalympicsGB athletes, coaches and support teams travelling to Los Angeles on the airline’s three daily services between London and Los Angeles.
Support will include tailored airport and check-in assistance, additional baggage allowances and specialist handling for the sporting and accessibility equipment required by elite athletes.
Virgin Atlantic Holidays will meanwhile offer official curated itineraries for fans travelling to California, helping supporters make the most of their time in Los Angeles during the Games.
The airline also plans to bring customers and colleagues closer to the action in the run-up to LA28, working with athletes on customer and colleague events and co-hosting team announcement moments.
Virgin Atlantic crew will also take part in programmes on the ground during the Games, including the Team GB and ParalympicsGB Flagbearer programmes, while the airline will work with both teams on special Welcome Home events for athletes returning through Heathrow after the competition.
The partnership is also being used by Virgin Atlantic as an opportunity to explore how lessons from elite sport can improve the passenger experience.
The airline says it will work with athletes and customer experience specialists to develop new ways of helping customers arrive at their destinations feeling rested, energised and ready.
One of the first initiatives will launch in November at Virgin Atlantic’s Heathrow Revivals Lounge, where a new post-flight recovery experience is being introduced in partnership with 3 Peaks Health.
At the centre of the programme will be the Lumati Recharge Portal, which is being introduced at an airport for the first time. The 15-minute treatment combines light therapy, vagus nerve stimulation and molecular hydrogen and is designed to support recovery following long-haul travel, including issues such as disrupted body clocks, stiffness and fatigue.
Compression boots will also be available as part of the recovery programme.
The experience has been developed with 3 Peaks Health co-founder Dr Mark Mikhail, an Imperial-trained doctor specialising in longevity and performance medicine who has experience working in elite sport.
Virgin Atlantic is also planning to use the partnership with ParalympicsGB to examine how air travel can be made more accessible and inclusive.
An accessible travel programme will draw on the experiences of ParalympicsGB athletes, disability inclusion specialists and people with lived experience of disability. The work will cover areas including colleague training, accessibility guidance and the wider passenger journey.
The airline says the aim is to help passengers feel confident, understood and empowered when travelling.
A further initiative will see Virgin Atlantic and Virgin StartUp launch a nationwide innovation challenge in early 2027, looking for entrepreneurial ideas that could improve the customer journey.
The challenge will focus on areas including accessibility, wellness and performance, with Virgin Atlantic looking to harness ideas from entrepreneurs to address challenges faced by its customers.
Virgin Atlantic founder and Virgin Group president Sir Richard Branson said the airline was “thrilled” to be part of the athletes’ journey to Los Angeles.
“We’ll be backing them all the way – from check-in and take-off to what I hope will be a very special journey home,” he said.
Dame Katherine Grainger, chair of Team GB, said getting the British team to an Olympic Games was “a huge team effort long before competition begins”.
“Having Virgin Atlantic with us on the journey to Los Angeles is incredibly exciting,” she added, highlighting the airline’s role in supporting the team while also bringing fans closer to the Games.
David Clarke, CEO of ParalympicsGB, said the organisation was delighted to welcome Virgin Atlantic as an Official Airline Partner and Gold Partner.
“Not only will we work together to take our team to and from the Games, but crucially, the partnership will see our teams working closely together to help make air travel more accessible and inclusive for everyone,” he said.
With the Los Angeles Games not taking place until 2028, Virgin Atlantic’s partnership is already looking beyond simply transporting athletes across the Atlantic. From specialist sporting equipment and accessibility support to post-flight recovery and new approaches to the passenger experience, the airline is positioning the journey to LA28 as an opportunity to rethink how passengers arrive at their destination.
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