Tom Otley looks back at yesterday's travel. This month it's the launch of Virgin Atlantic in 1984
How times flies. In June, Virgin Atlantic turned 30, and celebrated with the announcement of its inaugural Dreamliner services to Boston, New York JFK and Newark, and Washington DC (see news, June 22).
The airline’s first flight was on June 22, 1984 from Gatwick to Newark on a B747 – registration G-VIRG and called Maiden Voyager – and flew with celebrities such as cricketer Ian Botham and Christopher Biggins.
Five years ago, on the 25th anniversary, the flight to New York was (partially) recreated, with Botham and Biggins once again, and a wing walk from Sir Richard and model Kate Moss. Your correspondent was on board for that one, and the party that evening. Thankfully, photography was banned.
Today, Virgin is a different airline, with the backing of Delta, a fleet of more than 40 aircraft and a joint schedule across the Atlantic, as well as a domestic subsidiary, Little Red.
Reuben Arnold, director of brand and customer experience, says: “We’re always looking to make flying more enjoyable. And as our recent Google Glass experiment showed (see news, February 12), we are continuing to look for ways to keep the experience fresh.”
