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Virgin’s new AI Concierge
Earlier this year, Virgin announced a whole raft of upcoming improvements, which you can find here. Now one of those improvements has been launched. Virgin Atlantic has unveiled the full rollout of its Virgin Atlantic Concierge across both the Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Atlantic Holidays websites, giving every guest access to an intelligent, always-on travel companion. If you are already using AI for your travel planning, you will enjoy this new addition. I saw it demonstrated at the press launch and found it impressive, even if you have not used AI before. I’m sure all of us have had frustrating experiences with AI where companies have bought a simple bot which is next to useless, but this is more on the level of Chat GPT if it just did Virgin travel!
Powered by OpenAI and built in partnership with Tomoro, Virgin Atlantic’s digital Concierge combines the personality of Virgin Atlantic with AI technology. The Concierge listens, understands, and curates tailored recommendations in real time, offering an easy way to plan, book through natural conversation. You can use it with tap, type or talk.
The Concierge learns traveller preferences and draws on details shared by guests to recommend the best options for flights, holidays, and more. It also supports Flying Club queries and general customer assistance and the launch coincides with the upcoming introduction of the airline’s new mobile app, available from 2026. The app is designed to integrate both airline and holiday journeys into one intuitive platform.
Siobhan Fitzpatrick, Chief Experience Officer, Virgin Atlantic commented:
“We’re excited to introduce our new Concierge service, now live for guests across Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Atlantic Holidays websites.
“Our new Concierge reimagines how we connect with our guests. It listens, understands, and responds helping to plan holidays and flights with the same intuitive care you’d expect from our teams.
“Our aim is to deliver brilliantly different experiences while continuing our evolution from challenger to leader in premium travel. The launch of our new Concierge brings that philosophy to life, making travel feel personal, blending the warmth of our people with the power of technology to make every journey effortless. It’s another step on our journey to become the most loved travel company, redefining what premium service means in the digital age.
Trying the Concierge
New Air France lounge for Heathrow
It’s been a long time since Air France had a dedicated lounge at Heathrow, sadly. I always really enjoyed the old Terminal 4 lounge with its wine library and Clarins spa. Sadly, the lounge shut during Covid, and until now, the airline has been using third-party lounges. It is great news that Air France has announced it will open a new lounge in spring 2026. The new exclusive space will be reserved for the airline’s La Première, Business, and Flying Blue Elite Plus customers, as well as eligible travellers flying with KLM and SkyTeam partner airlines.
Designed entirely by Air France teams together with the agency SGK Brandimage, the lounge will have a surface area of over 750 sq. m, and will offer approximately 150 seats. Travellers will have access to dining areas showcasing French fine dining and a bar featuring a selection of French wines and champagnes. Dedicated spa and relaxation areas and a space for working will also be available. I would assume the spa would be Clarins as it is elsewhere. I was very impressed by the airline’s new lounge in Los Angeles, and it looks like this will be similar. You can read the review here.
The airline is operating up to seven daily flights this winter between Heathrow Airport and Paris-Charles de Gaulle, from where customers can join all the destinations in its global network via its Paris hub. Starting 29 March 2026, Air France will also offer two daily flights between London Gatwick Airport and Paris-Charles de Gaulle.
New beautiful amenity kits from Qatar Airways
Although there has been no press release, Qatar Airways has revealed some lovely new amenity kits on its social media. While the Diptyque products in the current kits are generous, I’m not a fan of the current rather bland cases that they come in. I think we were all spoiled with the Brics-designed kits, which were lovely to collect and easy to reuse. Now Qatar has revealed some very high-class looking amenity cases that are very coverable, and I am sure that they will get reused a lot. I’m tempted to book a flight with Qatar just to get one!
The contents are similar to what they contain now, with products by Diptyque:
- Eau Rose Eau de Toilette — with damascena and centifolia roses
- 34 Boulevard Saint Germain Eau de Toilette -with amber, patchouli, cinnamon, and rose.
- nourishing face cream enriched with prickly pea
- body lotion infused with orange blossoms
- lip balm softened with violets and roses
- eyeshades and socks made from recycled RPET materials
The ladies’ kits come in an oval cylinder shape in peacock blue or burgundy with lovely embossing on the lid. There is also a rectangular shape vanity case with the same embossing in beige, and my favourite, the oval-shaped vanity case in beige. They are all made in vegan leather and would not look out of place in a high-end store.
For me,n there are rectangular washbags in royal or peacock blue with the same embossing. It also looks like the peacock blue one has the type of opening that allows you to open the bag completely into two halves, which makes it easy to see inside.
