Comparison

Heathrow Express vs Virgin Atlantic

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Heathrow Express

Plan and book your journey quickly and easily with live train times and instant ticket access. Manage your account details, payment options, and preferences for a personalized travel experience.

Highlights
  • Personalized travel information
  • Quick ticket booking
  • Live train times
  • Mobile ticket wallet integration
  • Account management
Features
Read full description

The new improved Heathrow Express app has some great features and benefits to help make planning and booking your trip quick and easy. Personalized experience – Create an account and login to activate all the features of the app. Including presenting your travel day information with your tickets along with live train times on your home screen. Quick booking – Need a ticket in a hurry? Book a ticket in seconds. Once you are logged in you will have the option to activate this new feature, allowing you to book at ticket on the day of travel in just a few clicks. Live train times – In addition to the scheduled times and service information, you will now be able to see live train times on the day you travel, making your trip planning even easier. Accessing tickets – Your tickets can easily be accessed and managed in one place on the app, allowing you to view upcoming tickets for travel and manage past tickets. Plus, you can still add your Heathrow Express tickets to your mobile wallet. Manage your account – With all your details in one place, including payment options, personal details, language and currency settings it’s easy to create and manage your experience how you want it.

About

Virgin Atlantic

Manage all aspects of your travel with this app. View upcoming trips, check in, select seats and meals, and receive live updates. Track your loyalty program progress and access personalized support.

Highlights
  • View upcoming journeys
  • Manage trip details (seats, meals)
  • Mobile check-in with boarding pass
  • Live journey notifications
  • Track Flying Club points and tier
  • Personalized travel support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

Plans, places, and possibilities. Everything you need to travel with Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Atlantic Holidays, with smart updates and personal support built in. Meet the Virgin Atlantic app. Keep every trip and holiday together, see your Flying Club tier progress at a glance, and get the details (and help) you need, exactly when you need them. Every trip, right here: See upcoming journeys at a glance Choose seats and meals, request assistance, and manage the finishing touches Treat yourself to an upgrade when the moment’s right View your Virgin Atlantic Holidays itinerary alongside your flights, so every detail is right where you need it. Check in, sorted: Check in on your phone and keep your boarding pass close Scan passports to add each guest’s details quickly Updates, as they happen: Live journey notifications Less refreshing. More knowing. Flying Club at your fingertips: Track points and tier progress wherever you are See how close you are to your next reward Virgin Atlantic Concierge: Personal support throughout your journey Help with trip info, your account, and the things you’d rather not have to figure out mid-travel Designed for every kind of traveller. Simple to use, built with accessibility in mind, and focused on keeping your details secure. Whether you’re flying with us for the first time or you know your way around the Clubhouse, this is travel made smoother - from this trip to the next.

Screenshots

Heathrow Express4 screens
Virgin Atlantic4 screens

Verdict

The call

Heathrow Express and Virgin Atlantic both sit at 4.8 stars, but that hides the real split: 72% of Virgin Atlantic's written reviews are positive against 30% of Heathrow Express's. Virgin Atlantic also leads on update cadence (every 9 days vs every 3 weeks) and chart position (#101 vs unranked). On price, rating, ratings volume and ads there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.8 for Heathrow Express against 4.7 for Virgin Atlantic. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 7.3K and 3.1K respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 30% of Heathrow Express's written reviews are positive against 72% of Virgin Atlantic's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Heathrow Express ships an update every 3 weeks, Virgin Atlantic every 9 days. The most recent releases landed on October 26, 2026 and October 27, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard3 real differences · 8 level
Heathrow Express versus Virgin Atlantic: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterHeathrow ExpressVirgin Atlantic
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.8 (7.3K ratings) — better4.7 (3.1K ratings)
Positive reviews30.3% of reviews72.1% of reviews — better
Number of ratings7.3K — better3.1K
Update frequencyEvery 3 weeksEvery 9 days — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationFreeFree
Best chart rank—#101 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPad — betteriPhone
Requires iOS17.017.0
Further details — not scored
Size63 MB356 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperHeathrow ExpressVirgin Atlantic Airways Limited

Customer experience

Heathrow Express

All ratings6,837 ratings
Positive96.4%
Neutral1.1%
Negative2.5%
Written reviews413 reviews
Positive30.3%
Neutral7.7%
Negative62.0%

Virgin Atlantic

All ratings2,915 ratings
Positive94.4%
Neutral1.0%
Negative4.6%
Written reviews725 reviews
Positive72.1%
Neutral2.5%
Negative25.4%

Bugs and requests

Heathrow Express

Reported bugs

5 issues
  • App crashing on ticket viewing
  • Incorrect ticket dates/directions
  • Payment processing failures
  • Account creation issues
  • Ticket information not syncing properly

Requested features

5 requests
  • Ability to add/manage tickets in app
  • Improved ticket downloading/syncing
  • More payment options
  • Better account management features
  • Live service updates and notifications

Virgin Atlantic

Not enough reviews yet to summarise bugs or requests.

In-app purchases

None

Heathrow Express

No in-app purchases

None

Virgin Atlantic

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Heathrow Express free?
Heathrow Express is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Virgin Atlantic free?
Virgin Atlantic is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Heathrow Express or Virgin Atlantic?
Heathrow Express is rated higher. Heathrow Express averages 4.8 out of 5 from 7.3K ratings, while Virgin Atlantic averages 4.7 from 3.1K ratings.
Do Heathrow Express or Virgin Atlantic have ads?
Neither Heathrow Express nor Virgin Atlantic shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Heathrow Express or Virgin Atlantic?
Heathrow Express ships an update every 3 weeks, and Virgin Atlantic every 9 days. Most recently, Heathrow Express was updated on October 26, 2026 and Virgin Atlantic on October 27, 2026.

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