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Dave

Virgin Atlantic announces new routes across three continents

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Virgin Atlantic is expanding its global network by launching new routes to São Paulo, Brazil and Bengaluru, India, while also reintroducing flights to Dubai, Las Vegas, the Maldives, and Turks & Caicos, showcasing their commitment to serving UK-based business travellers with enhanced connectivity and state-of-the-art aircraft.

Virgin Atlantic has announced a series of exciting developments that are set to enhance the travel experiences of UK-based business travellers.

With the launch of new routes across three continents and the introduction of state-of-the-art aircraft, Virgin Atlantic is capitalising on growing demand for business travel. This expansion will offer customers more than 250,000 additional seats across the airline’s network, compared to 2019.

One of the most significant highlights is Virgin Atlantic’s foray into South America with the introduction of a brand-new daily flight from London Heathrow to São Paulo, Brazil.

São Paulo: bustling metropolis and foodie capital

São Paulo, a bustling metropolis known as the foodie capital of Brazil, offers a vibrant cultural scene and serves as a major hub for multinational businesses.

This move not only caters to corporate customers and business travellers but also provides a gateway for leisure travellers seeking enriching experiences.

Additionally, São Paulo’s position as South America’s leading import and export hub will make it a popular cargo route, facilitating trade between the UK and Brazil.

The airline’s expansion in India continues with the introduction of a new route to Bengaluru.

As Virgin Atlantic’s third destination and fourth daily service to India, Bengaluru strengthens the airline’s commitment to serving one of its fastest-growing markets.

The city, renowned for its technological advancements and thriving corporate sector, offers both business opportunities and cultural attractions for adventurous travellers.

New routes will provide seamless connectivity for customers traveling via London Heathrow to various North American destinations, courtesy of Virgin Atlantic’s joint venture partner, Delta Air Lines.

For those seeking premium winter sun destinations, Virgin Atlantic has exciting news as well. The airline will be reintroducing flights from Manchester to Las Vegas, enhancing its offering for leisure travellers in the North of England.

Furthermore, Virgin Atlantic’s return to Dubai, operating seasonally from October through March, will cater to the increasing demand for luxury getaways in sunny destinations. These routes not only accommodate passengers but also provide significant cargo capacity, facilitating trade between the Middle East and key markets in the UK and the US.

Shai Weiss: our plan is working

Demonstrating its commitment to the Caribbean region, Virgin Atlantic will introduce new inter-island flying, allowing both locals and holidaymakers to experience the joy of island hopping.

The airline’s dedication to this beautiful part of the world underlines its support for the region’s tourism industry and its commitment to providing diverse travel options for customers.

Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic CEO said,

We’re excited to announce a range of new routes across three continents, giving our customers the opportunity to fly in style with Virgin Atlantic. From our entrance into South America, to our expansion in India and the growth of our premium sun portfolio, there is something for all of our customers to experience.

By leveraging the power of our strategic partners, and welcoming our state of the art, brand new A350 and A339 aircraft, customers can rely on Virgin Atlantic to connect them to where they need to be, enjoying a premium customer experience, delivered by our amazing crew.

Our plan is working, positioning us to return to profitability in 2024.

A350: Virgin Atlantic has invested in one of the youngest fleets of aircraft

To support its network expansion, Virgin Atlantic is welcoming the arrival of new state-of-the-art aircraft, including the Airbus A350 and A330neo.

These aircraft not only contribute to a younger and more fuel-efficient fleet but also offer enhanced passenger experiences, with features like the reimagined Upper Class cabin and game-changing wireless charging.

By the end of 2024, the airline will have received its full order of 12 Airbus A350s and four A330neos.

The recruitment of an additional 350 cabin crew members will further strengthen the airline’s renowned customer service.

Virgin Atlantic’s dedication to sustainability is also commendable. With a commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, the airline operates one of the youngest and most fuel-efficient fleets in the industry.

Over the past decade, Virgin Atlantic has reduced its absolute carbon emissions by 35%. The airline’s efforts to lead in sustainability are exemplified by its participation in an industry consortium aiming to deliver the first 100% Sustainable Aviation Fuel flight across the Atlantic.

This initiative demonstrates the potential for SAF to be safely used as a drop-in fuel within existing infrastructure, engines, and airframes, supporting the industry’s goals of reducing environmental impact.

Virgin Atlantic’s recent announcements reflect the airline’s dedication to meeting the evolving needs of UK-based business travellers. With new routes, enhanced connectivity, state-of-the-art aircraft, and a strong commitment to sustainability, Virgin Atlantic is poised to provide an exceptional travel experience while supporting economic growth and trade opportunities between the UK and destinations across the globe.

Dave

Virgin Atlantic to join SkyTeam

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SkyTeam, the global airline alliance, and Virgin Atlantic have announced that the UK airline will join as SkyTeam’s newest member in early 2023.

Virgin Atlantic will become SkyTeam’s first and only UK member airline, enhancing the alliance’s transatlantic network and services to and from Heathrow and Manchester Airport.

The alliance claimed that Virgin Atlantic customers ‘will benefit from a consistent, seamless customer experience, across 1,000+ global destinations. They’ll also have more opportunities to earn and redeem points across member airlines and access to a network of 750+ airport lounges, spanning six continents’.

Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club members will enjoy significant benefits from the day of joining, with a global expansion of its loyalty offering. Virgin Atlantic Silver Card holders will be recognised as SkyTeam Elite Members, whilst the airline’s Gold Card members will become Elite Plus. This recognition provides a raft of benefits, including priority check in, baggage handling and boarding. Flying Club members will be able to take advantage of the benefits as soon as Virgin Atlantic officially enrols in SkyTeam, which is expected early in 2023.

Virgin Atlantic’s entry into the alliance builds upon the success of its transatlantic joint venture partnership with Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM, each already long established SkyTeam members. The four partners are co-located at London Heathrow’s Terminal Three, alongside existing SkyTeam members Aeromexico and China Eastern, providing customers with smooth airside transits and the most convenient connections times possible.

Walter Cho, SkyTeam Chairman said

Walter Cho

Virgin Atlantic is synonymous with innovation…

…and excellent service.

An iconic British airline with a global outlook that puts customers at the heart of its operations

– like SkyTeam and its members –

and we are delighted to welcome them into our alliance.

Kristin Colvile, SkyTeam CEO, said,

Kristin Colvile

As a member of SkyTeam, Virgin Atlantic will benefit from increased opportunities to expand its global network through partnerships and synergies: customers will have more ways to earn and burn miles while enjoying the service for which Virgin Atlantic is renowned. Virgin Atlantic shares SkyTeam’s values, caring for our customers, our employees, and the world in which they live, and we are excited to have them as part of the SkyTeam family.

Shai Weiss, CEO Virgin Atlantic, commented,

Shai Weiss: “2022 marks the year Virgin Atlantic gets back to its best for our customers and people and joining SkyTeam is an important milestone”.

At Virgin Atlantic we strive to create thoughtful experiences that feel different for our customers and SkyTeam shares that customer first ethos.

Our membership will allow us to enhance established relationships with our valued partners at Delta and Air France-KLM, as well as opening up opportunities to collaborate with new airlines.

It will enable a seamless customer experience, with an expanded network and maximised loyalty benefits.

Codeshare agreements are already in place with Aeromexico and Middle East Airlines with options for more codeshares to follow.

Interline agreements with all SkyTeam members are already in place, providing one touch point for all customers, creating a seamless journey on one ticket.

Virgin Atlantic flies to 12 destinations throughout the USA in partnership with Delta and Air France-KLM including New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and San Francisco.  In May the airline launched a brand-new service to Austin, Texas and will start daily flights to Tampa, Florida from November. Virgin Atlantic also operates an extensive Caribbean portfolio including Antigua, Barbados, Jamaica, and The Bahamas.  Virgin Atlantic also operates services to Greater China, India, Israel, Nigeria, Pakistan, and South Africa.

SkyTeam members, Delta, Air France and KLM are already collocated at Virgin Atlantic’s home base at London Heathrow Terminal 3. Virgin Atlantic operates long-haul services from UK regional airports including Edinburgh and Manchester. The airline offers a comprehensive network to North America and the Caribbean in partnership with Delta Air Lines, Air France and KLM, and also operates services to Greater China, Israel, Nigeria, Pakistan and South Africa.

Dave

Behind the scenes with Virgin Atlantic’s new advertising campaign

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Virgin Atlantic has launched a new brand and advertising campaign – the first in more than two years since the Covid-19 pandemic hit.

The campaign has been created with newly appointed advertising agency Lucky Generals and introduces the end line “See the world differently”, a line that draws on the airline’s heritage of challenging the status quo – as well as recognising that the travel industry is entering an exciting new era, after the disruption brought on by the pandemic.

You can see a behind-the-scenes view of the filming of the commercial which took place over five days, in three locations and starred Virgin Atlantic pilots, crew and front line team, below:

Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic CEO explained what is at the heart of the campaign: 

At the core of our business is the understanding that every one of our people can be themselves at work and that they belong. They truly are the thing that sets us apart and the reason customers choose to fly with us.

We know that the touchpoints that matter most and the experiences that differentiate Virgin Atlantic, are driven by our people and that’s why it was so important they’re at the heart of this campaign.

Annabelle Cordelli, Vice President, Brand & Marketing at Virgin Atlantic said,

It’s more important than ever that we reimagine the world and lead the way with fresh ideas. Virgin Atlantic is uniquely placed to do this because of the rich individuality of our people and our customers: the unique people who march to their own drumbeat, fly their own path, see things from a different angle.

So it makes sense to start by championing them – and then apply this spirit to everything we do. After two challenging years when life has been on pause, it’s time to see the world differently.

Virgin Atlantic was founded by Sir Richard Branson in 1984, with innovation and amazing customer service at its core. In 2021, Virgin Atlantic was voted Britain’s only Global Five Star Airline by APEX for the fifth year running in the Official Airline Ratings. Headquartered in London, it employs 6,500 people worldwide, flying customers to 27 destinations across four continents.       

Dave

Transatlantic take-off, synchronised

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British Airways and Virgin Atlantic made history today, when their first flights of the day took part in a fully-synchronised joint take-off from London’s Heathrow Airport.

British Airways Flight BA001 – a flight number previously reserved for Concorde – left Heathrow at 08:30 this morning, 8 November, in a first-ever synchronised take-off with Virgin Atlantic flight VS3.

The spectacular double take-off were the airlines’ first flights to the United States since the restrictions on UK and EU passengers were first imposed in March 2020.

British Airways flight BA001 and Virgin Atlantic VS3 performed a synchronised joint take-off from London’s Heathrow Airport this morning

The first British Airways flight to the United States since the lifting on that country’s restrictions used sustainable aviation fuel.

The British Airways A350 flight was directly powered by a 35% blend of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) provided by bp and made from used cooking oil. The airline claims it is believed to be the first commercial transatlantic flight ever to be operated with such a significant level of the fuel blended with traditional jet fuel.

In September, British Airways announced a collaboration with bp to source sustainable aviation fuel in
respect of all flights between London, Glasgow and Edinburgh during the UK COP26 conference.
British Airways’ parent company International Airlines Group recently committed to operating 10% of
its flights using SAF by 2030.

Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic Chief Executive thanked the UK government and the Biden administration for their work to remove the barriers to transatlantic travel

The lifting of US restrictions after more than 600 days means that fully vaccinated Britons are now able to travel freely between the two countries – something that has not happened since 16 March 2020.

The changes have enabled British Airways to re-start direct services to 17 US destinations. The airline is set to extend its services to 23 US airports this winter, with up to 246 flights a week. Flights to New York will increase from five to eight per day in December. There will also be double-daily services to Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington, Dallas, Miami and Toronto, as well as daily services to Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, Atlanta, Denver, Houston and Vancouver.

UK Ambassador to the United States, Dame Karen Pierce DCMG, said:

Today is an incredibly exciting and meaningful day for the UK-US relationship. We can all once again travel to each other’s countries to visit families, take holidays, and conduct transatlantic business. I am absolutely thrilled that safe and sustainable travel can fully resume between the UK and the United States.

Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic Chief Executive said:

Today is a time for celebration, not rivalry.  Together with British Airways we are delighted to mark today’s important milestone, which finally allows consumers and businesses to book travel with confidence.  The US has been our heartland for more than 37 years and we are simply not Virgin without the Atlantic.  We’ve been steadily ramping up flying to destinations including Boston, New York, Orlando, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and we can’t wait to fly our customers safely to their favourite US cities to reconnect with loved ones and colleagues.

As the UK forges its recovery from the pandemic, the reopening of the transatlantic corridor and the lifting of Presidential Order 212F acknowledges the great progress both nations have made in rolling out successful vaccine programmes. The UK will now be able to strengthen ties with our most important economic partner, the US, through boosting trade and tourism. We are thankful to Prime Minister Johnson and the UK Government, the Biden administration and our industry partners for their support in removing these barriers and allowing free travel between our countries to resume.

Secretary of State, Grant Shapps said

Thanks to the work of industry and the US-UK Experts Working Group, these vitally important flight routes will help boost the economy, protect and create British jobs and through the work of the Jet Zero Council help to build back greener.

Dave

UK eVOTL network plans announced

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Virgin Atlantic has announced a partnership with Vertical Aerospace to launch ‘sustainable, zero emissions’ air travel in the UK.

The partnership includes an option for Virgin Atlantic to purchase up to 150 eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft and exploration of a UK Joint Venture with Vertical Aerospace, to deliver a Virgin Atlantic branded short haul eVTOL network.

Vertical Aerospace unveiled the VA-X4 in 2020

The  fully-electric VA-X4 is a zero emissions, near silent aircraft with a range of over 100 miles. It will carry four passengers in addition to a pilot. The VA-X4 has four tilting advanced rotors at the front and stowable rotors at the rear, capable of speeds over 200mph, and is set to revolutionise urban mobility and electrify air travel, with certification to the same safety standards as commercial airliners.

IVirgin Atlantic  and Vertical Aerospace will be working together to explore a Joint Venture to deliver next generation eVTOL passenger operations in the UK, combining the world-class knowledge and expertise of both partners.  Vertical Aerospace and Virgin Atlantic will seek to establish short haul, electric aircraft connectivity between UK cities and airport hubs starting with London Heathrow, Manchester and London Gatwick.

The airline’s goal is to enable sustainable, price competitive, regional connectivity across the first and last 100 miles of the customer journey.

For example, reducing the 56-mile journey from Cambridge to London Heathrow to just 22 minutes, in comparison to a 1 hour 30 drive by road.

With 37 towns and cities with populations over 100,000 within 100 miles of London Heathrow Airport, the VA-X4 offers huge potential to support zero emissions short haul transfers for 7.7 million customers outside of London, for flights to and from the UK’s main hub airport.

A full-scale prototype of the VA-X4 is currently in production and the first test flight is planned for later this year.

Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic said:

With innovation and sustainability leadership firmly in our DNA, we are excited to be partnering with Vertical Aerospace to pioneer sustainable and zero emissions air travel in the UK. We pride ourselves on building enduring strategic partnerships and are thrilled to be working alongside Vertical in its mission to bring eVTOL travel to the UK.

Our partnership includes an option for Virgin Atlantic to acquire up to 150 eVTOL VA-X4 aircraft, combining the design, engineering and manufacturing expertise of Vertical with the award-winning customer experience and operational excellence of Virgin Atlantic.

Stephen Fitzpatrick, Vertical CEO and Founder, said:

This is the most exciting time in aviation for almost a century; electrification will transform flying in the 21st century in the same way the jet engine did 70 years ago. By bringing together two entrepreneurial organisations who share the same passion for innovation and best in class partnerships, we can revolutionise urban mobility in the UK and electrify air travel.

We look forward to working closely with Virgin Atlantic and completely changing how people think about flying through the skies.

Commercial operations of the VA-X4 are planned for 2024 following European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) certification.

As launch partner in the UK, Virgin Atlantic has the option to order between 50 and 150 aircraft.  This is not yet a committed order and with aircraft development still under way, the final order value is yet to be confirmed.

Dave

Recapitalisation of Virgin Atlantic

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Virgin Atlantic has taken a big step forward in securing its future, by launching a court-backed process as part of a solvent recapitalisation of the airline and holiday business, with a “Restructuring Plan” that once approved and implemented, will keep Virgin Atlantic flying.

The Restructuring Plan is based on a five-year business plan, and with the support of shareholders Virgin Group and Delta, new private investors and existing creditors, it paves the way for the airline to rebuild its balance sheet and return to profitability from 2022.

The airline claims the recapitalisation will deliver a refinancing package worth c.£1.2bn over the next 18 months in addition to the self-help measures already taken, including cost savings of c.£280m per year and c.£880m re-phasing and financing of aircraft deliveries over the next five years.

Global aviation was one of the first industries impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and will be one of the last to recover fully.

Virgin Atlantic took a number of actions to mitigate losses:

Virgin Atlantic’s shareholders, investors and creditors have worked together to deliver the company’s “Restructuring Plan”
  • In March, the Leadership Team took voluntary pay cuts
  • Since April, more than 80% of the workforce has benefitted from the Government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, supporting efforts to preserve cash and minimise costs. In Q2, flying fell by 98% and in the second half of 2020, capacity is expected to reduce by at least 60% compared to 2019, with pre-crisis levels of flying unlikely to return until 2023. With the suspension of passenger flying in April, the airline delivered an unparalleled network of cargo-only flying, operating more than 1400 cargo flights in April, May and June.
  • In May the decision was taken to close operations at London Gatwick and cut global staff numbers by c.400.

Having closed its London Gatwick base, while retaining a slot portfolio at the airport to protect opportunities for future growth, leisure flying is now consolidated at London Heathrow and Manchester.

By 2022, Virgin Atlantic will fly the same number of sectors as 2019 despite its smaller scale, demonstrating productivity and efficiency improvements.

The airline will operate a streamlined fleet of 37 twin engine aircraft following the retirement of seven 747s and four A332s by Q1 2022, with rescheduled delivery of outstanding A350s and A339s.

Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic commented:

Few could have predicted the scale of the Covid-19 crisis we have witnessed and undoubtedly, the last six months have been the toughest we have faced in our 36-year history. We have taken painful measures, but we have accomplished what many thought impossible. The solvent recapitalisation of Virgin Atlantic will ensure that we can continue to provide vital connectivity and competition to consumers and businesses in Britain and beyond. We greatly appreciate the support of our shareholders, creditors and new private investors and together, we will ensure that Virgin Atlantic can emerge a sustainably profitable airline, with a healthy balance sheet.


Paul Baker, Sales Director of Global Travel Management said:

The recapitalisation of Virgin Atlantic is very good news. Virgin Atlantic’s routes offer great options for business travellers, with a network that includes the United States and South Africa. Restrictions are in place for these destinations, but, as soon as they are lifted and business travel can re-commence, it will be great to have Virgin Atlantic as a trusted, viable alternative.

If you’re planning business travel to any destination on Virgin Atlantic’s route network, contact your GTM Account Manager.