Airport operations and customer service
As Britain’s busiest airport, Heathrow is a hub of activity filled with fascinating people going on fantastic journeys. Our home turf at Terminal 3 is instantly identifiable as Virgin Atlantic. It’s the place where the buzz of the operation meets our signature flair, bursting with our bright red spirit.
Adventure’s calling. Don’t let it go to voicemail
A crew like no other
Our home at Terminal 3 is a special place, from the colourful, open area that welcomes our customers to Zone A right the way through to the departure gate. It’s the beginning of adventures and memories that last a lifetime, and when you add our people to this environment, we take something ordinary and make it extraordinary. Our partner Delta also operates alongside us in Terminal 3, working together to create experiences that redefine transatlantic travel.
Customer service agent
Working in the heart of one of the busiest airports in the world, our customer service agents are at the centre of the action. They take the stress and anxiety out of travelling, getting everyone’s journey off to a flying start.
No two days are ever the same when you’re a customer service agent. But whatever the day holds, you’ll always have the customer and their experience in mind. From creating amazing relationships that contribute to our success to using your passion for problem solving, going above and beyond, providing industry-leading service.
Regardless of where our customers are heading or how they arrive at Heathrow, you’ll be the face of Virgin Atlantic, offering little touches that make all the difference as you guide them through their journey with us.
Ticket and support representative
With an unrivalled understanding of regulatory procedures and in-depth knowledge of our systems, our ticket and support representatives make sure that customer and operational needs are met across every touch point.
Being a key player in our customer experience, you’ll be part of a dynamic team working in the agile airport environment, investigating and resolving emotive and complex customer issues, and helping to improve their experience in the moment.
You understand that one size doesn’t fit all, and when things go differently to how you planned, you’re empowered to make the right decisions for our customer—wowing them with your individuality, innovative thinking flair. So that they’ll want to fly with us time after time.
Turnaround officer
Our turnaround officers are part of a resourceful and cohesive team and play a vital role in our airport operations. Working their magic behind the scenes, they keep things running smoothly for our customers and colleagues while the aircraft is on the ground.
As one of our hidden heroes, you’ll get stuck in and turn your hand to various critical safety-related tasks. From ‘overwing’, looking after everything that happens up top, like the catering, cleaning, passenger boarding and the actual departure, to ‘below wing’, where you’ll supervise the loading of baggage, cargo and all activity on the ramp.
So, if you’re resilient and passionate about delivering safe, customer-focused service and enjoy indoor and outdoor shift work, you’ll thrive here.
Leadership opportunities
Although every day may be different, there’s one thing you can count on to remain the same. Our manager’s dedication to teamwork and gift for leadership, that inspires those around them to take on the world.
Our Heathrow customer service supervisors lead by example. No challenge is too big for them to handle. They go the extra mile to deliver outstanding customer experiences, while motivating and engaging their team and keeping them on top form throughout the day.
Our Heathrow people managers combine inspiring leadership with a passion for people and customer service to bring our experience to life. Promoting a ‘one team’ culture to achieve KPIs, while also being able to manage performance, deliver feedback and drive positive change.
A career with us could be a couple of clicks away
Fuelling your future
There’s nothing like the buzz of the airport. And it doesn’t matter where you’re starting from, there are many ways to develop and progress. Here at Virgin Atlantic, we want to help you take control of your career and achieve your ambitions. Working in this ever-changing environment, the skills you’ll gain here will translate across a wide range of industries, setting you up for future success.
Life on the front line
Heathrow Airport is a non-stop hub of activity. Open 24 hours, 365 days a year, there’s early starts, late finishes, weekend work and everything in between. Typically our Heathrow Airport customer service team work shifts between the hours of 4am and 11.30pm. Although it could be later if the flight’s delayed.
Working in an ever-changing environment each day will bring fresh faces and new challenges. Not forgetting plenty of steps so we can guarantee you’ll reach your 10,000. But if you come alive in this buzzing environment and love nothing more than creating amazing experiences, then fuel your future with our Heathrow Airport teams.
Getting started
Whether it’s your first ever job or you’re a customer service connoisseur, everyone’s welcome onboard. Our airports training course is a four-week program that’ll give you the inside intel to get your career with Virgin Atlantic off to a flying start.
You’ll experience a blended learning journey of virtual and trainer-led classroom sessions, getting hands-on with all our products and systems as you shadow the team.
It’s quite intense. There’s lots to learn, and being an airline, so things are forever evolving. But if you have a passion for people and an insatiable appetite for knowledge, the world’s your oyster.
Investing in you
From day one, in 1984, it’s always been the people who make Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Atlantic. So, it’s only right that we provide the tools and development opportunities you need to grow and flourish, professionally and personally.
You’ll also have access to our award-winning Learning Locker, where you can build your skills and knowledge on pretty much anything you can think of.
We offer personalised development programmes and learning structures, which are designed to promote career progression. Whether you want to move laterally or have your eye on leadership, our high-performance culture will help you to unlock your full potential.
Find out about Airport operations and customer service jobs
Our brilliant benefits
As a member of our airports team, you’re rewarded for making friends, being amazing, and thinking red.
We offer a competitive basic salary, with the addition of a shift allowance. You’ll also be recognised in our company-wide colleague recognition bonus scheme*. And of course, we’re renowned for our brilliant staff travel benefits, which are up there with the best in the industry.
We encourage everyone to take on the world, and you’re no exception. After six months, you’ll receive up to seven flights a year to any of our global destinations. Did someone say Vegas?
- Paid annual leave starting at 28 days per year (including bank holidays)
- A roster request system allowing you greater flexibility to manage your work/life balance*
- A rolling allocation of confirmed days off which can be requested in advance
- Ongoing training and development through a dedicated on-demand digital learning platform
- Access to the best travel concessions in the industry, across our own network, partners and other airlines*
- Contributory company pension and flexible benefits
- Onboard retail therapy discounts
- Discounts at selected car hire, hotels and attraction
* after qualifying period of six months
We may alter or withdraw non-contractual benefits at our discretion from time to time.
Benefits shown are the the full-time equivalent and will be pro-rated for part-time opportunities.
Find out more about our live jobs at Heathrow Airport
What to expect from your recruitment journey
If you think you’ve got what it takes to join our airports team, we want to hear from you.
Our recruitment process is designed to show us your potential; it’s not about you being the finished article. For us, it’s all about the amazing qualities you can bring to the table. Here’s how it works.
Before clicking the apply button, read as much as you can about our business . You’ll find lots of information on our careers site
If the role still ticks all your boxes, before you hit submit we’ll ask you to share some personal details and upload your CV.
You may also be asked some initial application questions to find out more about your skills and experience.
We’ll send you an invitation to complete a short online assessment, where you’ll answer questions on scenarios based on your preferences, and how you’re most likely to behave, think and act. It tells us a bit about your general preferred styles and approach to working life.
This is called Situational Judgement Testing (SJT). We’ll give you a situation you could find yourself in and some answers to choose from. You simply choose the one that most closely matches how you’d react in real life. If you’ve never done anything like this before it’s ok – we’ll guide you through it.
Next, we’ll invite you to come to an assessment day along with other potential colleagues, which is the perfect chance to discover as much as we can about each other. You’ll get hands-on with all kinds of tasks and exercises (not press ups or lunges) that will show off your skills, behaviours, mindset and values.
This might sound a bit daunting, but there’s no need to worry. These are fun, informative and relaxed sessions, and we’ll send you everything you need to know in advance. We’ll also confirm your right to work in the UK at this point.
Congratulations!
If you progress this far and secure your role with Virgin Atlantic working at Heathrow airport, we’ll send you your offer, contract of employment and get started on pre-employment checks.
As you’ll be working at London Heathrow’s Terminal 3, you must be able to obtain a Heathrow Airside Pass to fulfil your role. To get this, we’ll need to complete the following checks:
- A criminal record check
- An international criminal check (only if you’ve worked overseas)
- Full work history covering the previous 5 years. Including education, jobs and any gaps or holidays of more than 28 days.
While these checks may seem quite complex and time-consuming, we all have a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of our people and customers. We’ll also be here every step of your journey to support and guide you through the process.
Once those are all successfully completed, we’ll be all set to welcome you onboard and officially join the Virgin Atlantic family.