Virgin Atlantic as of Friday will require a $40 fee for advance seat reservations on all long-haul flights besides Tokyo routes,

though many corporate bookings will be exempt from the fee, the carrier announced this week. Among those exempt from the seat-selection fee are corporate travelers using negotiated corporate fares, premium and premium-economy passengers, tickets in the B and Y economy-fare codes and Delta SkyMiles or Virgin Flying Club members with at least gold status. The carrier also noted that travel agents will be able to assign seats in global distribution systems for travelers in the premium and premium-economy cabins and Y and B classes, but that all other exempt categories would have to request specific seats through the Virgin Atlantic website. All travelers still will be able to pick their seats without charge when checking in within 24 hours of their flight.