Virgin Galactic selling tickets to space for an out-of-this-world price - $450,000
The price for the once-in-a-lifetime experience of flying to the edge of space keeps going up, up, up.
Virgin Galactic, billionaire Richard Branson's spaceflight venture, has reopened ticket sales for seats on its suborbital rocket plane for the first time in nearly 10 years. But if you want to take in that incredible view Branson saw when he took a flight on the Unity craft on July 11, be prepared to cough up a small fortune.
How steep is the price? Try $450,000 per ticket.
Virgin Galactic is offering several types of opportunities for deep-pocketed thrill-seekers. The first is the single-seat reservation that costs $450,000, a substantial bump from the initial prices years ago, when they were sold for between $200,000 and $250,000. The second tier is the chance for a family or group of friends to buy multiple seats, and the third is the option to reserve all six seats on a given flight, which according to CEO Michael Colglazier will cost a "modest premium." The fact the company didn't put a number on the "modest premium" leads us to believe it will be anything but a modest increase.
Related: Could you redeem miles for a space flight?
There will also be seats made available for "microgravity research and professional astronaut training," which will be priced at $600,000 apiece. Tickets will be first offered to the people who joined Virgin Galactic's Spacefarer Community in recent months and put down a $1,000 deposit. A company spokesperson says about a thousand people have put deposits down, signaling a strong interest in the brief journey more than 50 miles above the earth.
Related: Richard Branson goes to space
Wall Street appears to be optimistic about commercial passenger space travel. Shares of the company jumped 5% when tickets were announced last week. Maybe one reason they're bullish on Virgin Galactic's prospects is that it already has 600 people with purchased tickets waiting for their chance to visit space.
Virgin Galactic received approval from the U.S. aviation safety regulator to fly people to space in June. As TPG noted before, passengers who fly on Virgin Galactic trips to space will earn astronaut wings.
Related: Virgin Galactic is getting closer to taking passengers into space
TPG featured card
at Capital One's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 2X miles | Earn 2X miles per $1 on every purchase, everywhere |
| 5X miles | Earn 5X miles per dollar on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Pros
- Simple earning structure
- Bonus categories
- Annual credits
- No foreign transaction fees
- Flexible redemption options, including transfer partners
Cons
- Has an annual fee
- Fewer bonus categories than some competitors
- Lacks premium perks
- Limited-time offer: Earn up to 150,000 bonus miles—75,000 miles once you spend $7,500 in the first 3 months, and an additional 75,000 miles once you spend $30,000 in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles per dollar on every purchase, everywhere, no limits or category restrictions, and miles won't expire for the life of the account
- Receive up to $220 in credits: Receive an annual $50 travel credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel, up to an annual $50 statement credit for purchases at qualifying advertising or software merchants, plus up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck® every four years. Terms and conditions apply
- Unlimited 5X miles on hotels, vacation rentals and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel
- Transfer your miles to 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Redeem your miles instantly for any travel-related purchases, from flights and hotels to ride-sharing services
- $95 annual fee
- Free employee cards which also earn unlimited 2X miles from their purchases
- Top rated mobile app