Virgin Atlantic's London Heathrow to San Francisco route will be served twice-daily by B787-9 aircraft by the end of the year.
The carrier currently flies a B747-400 daily between the two cities as flights VS019/020. These will be operated by a B787-9 from October 24.
Outbound service VS019 departs Heathrow at 1125 and arrives in San Francisco at 1430, with return flight VS020 leaving SFO at 1710 and arriving in London at 1130 the next day.
This summer, Virgin is adding a second, five-times weekly service, operated by an A340-600, onto the route as flights VS041/042. On October 24, this will turn daily and it too will be operated by a Dreamliner "from the end of the year".
Outbound flight VS041 departs LHR at 1515 and arrives in San Francisco at 1815, while return flight VS042 takes-off from SFO at 2145 and lands in London at 1600 the following day.
Both services are part of Virgin's joint venture with Delta Air Lines, which offers up to 39 transatlantic flights a day at peak (see news, May 2014).
Joe Thompson, Virgin Atlantic's director of network and alliances, said: "We've been flying to San Francisco for 21 years... It's one of the most popular routes on our network and we're delighted to be able add a second daily service."
Virgin's B787-9 Dreamliner is configured in three classes with 198 seats in economy, 35 in premium economy, and 31 in Upper Class.
The airline said it plans to roll-out the aircraft on several more routes this year, including London Heathrow to Hong Kong, Delhi, Shanghai, Los Angeles and Johannesburg.
To read a review of a B787-9 flight in Upper Class, click here.
Graham Smith
