Virgin Atlantic has announced plans to resume transatlantic flights in the coming weeks, following the forthcoming easing of US travel restrictions.
The carrier’s Heathrow-San Francisco route will be the first to restart tomorrow (October 2), followed by flights from the London hub to Orlando and Las Vegas in November.
Virgin will also resume flights from Manchester to Orlando and New York from next month. The airline said that bookings to the US had risen by over 600 per cent last week.
As previously reported, Virgin’s Heathrow-Orlando route will be the first to feature the carrier’s newly configured A350 aircraft, which features a smaller Upper Class cabin, more economy seats, and a new premium social space called ‘The Booth’.
Virgin Atlantic unveils reconfigured A350 for leisure markets
Virgin will also launch its new route to St Vincent on October 13, a service which had originally been planned to commence in June.
And the carrier’s Heathrow-Bahamas route will launch on November 20 as planned.
Virgin also said that it would offer flights between London and St Lucia from December 18 – the carrier dropped service to the Caribbean island nation in 2019, prompting a raft of comments from our readers.
Finally Virgin will launch its first international flights from Edinburgh on December 5, with a twice-weekly service to Barbados. As previously reported, the carrier is moving its Scottish operations from Glasgow to Edinburgh.
Commenting on the news Juha Jarvinen, chief commercial officer at Virgin Atlantic, said:
“As global travel restrictions ease and connecting passengers with loved ones and colleagues becomes a reality, we’re looking forward to welcoming customers back on board and transporting them to a wider range of our destinations.
“From the thrills and spills of Orlando, the stunning scenery of San Francisco and the inviting beaches of the Caribbean, to reconnecting friends and relatives between London and Manchester and Pakistan, I’m delighted our customers can take advantage of our expanded route network, as we fly our customers safely once again.”
