Company Details

A wonderful experience which I’ll remember forever. Chris and the team were so professional and good fun. I was very nervous and Chris and the team had a way about them that made me forget my nerves and I felt so safe. This is a “must do” experience and cannot recommend it highly enough. We thank you for a memorable day and have stunning photos to look back on.

From the moment we arrived we were made to feel welcome and encouraged to enjoy our experience . The crew and other ballooners were great and created a positive atmosphere. All the team were knowledgeable and experienced . We had s great flight and felt completely safe . The views were amazing and the autumnal colours were like a painting . We landed in a field with the sun shining on us . It was very wet and muddy but didn’t dampen our spirits .would definitely recommend . Thank you .

It was a brilliant day. Lovely sunny weather and the crew were great. Chris was a great source of knowledge about the area. Such an excellent a hot air balloon experience. Thank you

My enquiry was dealt with efficiently with clear communications

Liz, is a great credit to your company and made things sooo easy to sort my issue out. thank you so much Liz and would i recommend her in a heart beat

Twelve cancelled flights in two years. Still haven't flown and now the season is done until next March. I couldn't recommend this to anyone in good faith.

Natalie was super helpful - changing vouchers for me due to some changes. She was super pleasant to chat to and helped me sort things out really quickly. Thank you

Really helpful customer service from Liz

The customer service was appalling, we booked a Balloon flight 3 times. The first booking which we were excited about as the weather was beautiful we were called the day before and essentially kicked off the flight as they wanted someone else to fly that day not us. We then had a flight cancelled again the weather was glorious that day. The day we finally got to fly the location was moved which we understood due to wind direction but the weather was clear. The flight was great but short. Once we landed the real issues started there was a 30mins delay for the recovery team to even get in the field. Once in they got the van stuck which was another 30mins getting it unstuck. After having to walk essentially undirected across a field to find the van to take us back. 10 minutes into the journey back the van broke down leaving us stranded next to an extremely busy main road. We were then told they didn't know how long a replacement would take. We were forced to take a taxi back to our car due to prior commitments which had things run smoothly would have been easily made. After complaining about the experience and only seeking some compensation for the taxi fair. I was met with very unhelpful and dismissive customer service. Would avoid using this company in favour of others at all cost.

Just spoken with Lynn Mackleston in your customer service team. I was embarassed having let a pair of vouchers gifted to me expire - entirely my fault. She not only helped out but was superb in putting me at ease etc., and is a credit to your company. Many thanks indeed!

Second time flying with Virgin Balloons, 8th time lucky with the booking. Ben Raven was our pilot and an excellent one at that! He is a very skilled individual and me and my son had an excellent flight. The ground crew Pete and Paul were also faultless.

A superb day. Very well organised, the ground crew were excellent as was the information from Chris the pilot during the flight. We will book it again.

After 2 years of patiently waiting, calling the phone line and the weather making us wait again yesterday made all the waiting worthwhile! Our day was absolutely brilliant. Dave and his crew were extremely professional with all of the briefings, we felt totally involved as we helped set up and pack up the ballon. The safety talks were clear and well put over to all taking part. I now fully understand why we had to wait, the weather is critical to a safe and enjoyable experience. We had a truly memorable experience with a fun group, the views over York and the surrounding countryside were incredible. Dave our pilot was extremely knowledgeable and put us all at ease during the flight, explaining where we were, what would be happening as he made changes to the balloon. His skill during the selection of landing site and the actual landing were fantastic. I would recommend the Virgin ballon experience to everyone and just say be patient the wait for the right weather and safe flying conditions will be well worth it.

From start to finish the experience was great, the pilot (Peter Philpott) and all of the team (Steve and Keith) really made for the experience being informative and engaging. Thankyou for a great day.

Chris, Ed and Paul really made the experience! They were so much fun! Explained everything well and made us feel safe throughout.

Organisation on the day could not have been better. The pilot knowledge and interaction was brilliant and set at a very good level so we could enjoy the flight fully. Russ was friendly, informative, approachable and an excellent host.

Lynn was very helpful and answered my questions very quickly

We had an amazing experience over York on Sunday 13th October with Dave and his team. We were well informed regarding the weather conditions via the recorded message on Saturday night informing us that it was looking hopeful and the confirmation message on Sunday morning. From our arrival at York Racecourse, we were made to feel part of the team and were involved in setting up (and packing away the balloon at the end). The flight was lovely with York Minsters bells ringing and Dave pointing out lots of points of interest while we were in the air. At one point I felt a little shaky but I was reassured and felt better due to Dave’s sense of humour and comments. The landing was really interesting. Every time Dave found a potential landing spot, the wind and balloon had other ideas. Eventually we landed gently with a couple of light bumps in a field where we chatted about our experience over a cup of fizz. We had several cancellations prior to the actual balloon ride but can say that it was well worth the wait. Conditions really do need to be perfect and luckily for us, a change of venue and time of day helped. Thanks again Dave and your team!

Always helpful with any questions

This was a gift for a special birthday last year. I didn't get round to booking until this year, it took me 5 attempts of bookings and cancellations until we managed to take off yesterday! It was more than i could have expected. The pilot, Chris Aindow, was informative and calm, his support team, Ed and Paul, were on it all afternoon. The flight itself was so peaceful, we were up for about an hour, could see for miles and the landing was smooth. After helping put the balloon away, we were treated to a glass of bubbly. I would thoroughly recommend this to anyone who doesn't mind heights. It can take a while to get the perfect weather, but it is so worth it.