The airline is also reducing its number of flights by 7% compared to last winter. The cut backs are a result of a drop in sales.

Steve Ridgway, Virgin Atlantic chief executive, says: “The outlook for the industry is as bleak as ever and all airlines are having to shrink their businesses. The fittest will survive and be in a stronger position when the economy grows.”

British Airways has been similarly battered by the economic downturn and has brought in the arbitration service Acas to mediate in its pay and job cuts dispute with unions.

Meanwhile, speaking at the Marketing Week Live event in London yesterday (July 1), Virgin Atlantic sales and marketing director, Paul Dickinson, pointed out that marketers need to strictly measure the return on investment from campaigns or face having their marketing budgets cut

In May, Virgin Atlantic, which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, posted a near-doubling in full year pre-tax profits to £68.4m, in contrast to the recently posted results for rival British Airways