British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are planning a series of events to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III this coming weekend, with the latter saying it will give away free surprise upgrades on select routes on Wednesday and Thursday.
The self-styled British flag carrier (so named because, unlike its bitter rival British Airways, the Union flag is painted on the side of every Virgin Atlantic plane) says it hopes to give lucky customers “the experience of a lifetime” with free upgrades into its Premium and Upper Class cabins.
The Richard Branson-linked airline is also hoping to get customers in the mood for Coronation festivities with special treats in all cabins. On the day of the Coronation on Saturday, Upper Class passengers will be welcomed with a mini bottle of Lanson Black Label champagne, while everyone will be treated to specially created Coronation popcorn.
Bizarrely, British Airways will also be giving away a complimentary bag of popcorn to all of its customers on the day of the Coronation. Passengers will be able to munch on the Eton Mess-flavoured popcorn while live-streaming the Coronation via BA’s inflight WiFi platform free of charge.
The last time that British Airways made its flight WiFi streaming service free of charge was to allow passengers to tune in to watch the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II last September.
Of course, the Coronation will be a far more celebratory affair, and both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are planning to decorate check-in desks and airport lounges with royal-themed bunting.
Heathrow Airport also plans to get into the Coronation mood with decorations being strung around the terminals and giveaways planned across the weekend. The airport also says the Coronation will be shown live on screens across all of its terminals.
Sadly, a plan by the airport to celebrate King Charles by renaming Terminal 5 in his honour was allegedly rebuffed by the environmentally conscious monarch who feared the endorsement would send out the wrong message.
