Virgin Atlantic and Delta increase capacity on London flights

Joint venture partners Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic are tweaking their networks in order to add capacity on flights to London. With effect from March 26, 2017, Virgin Atlantic will begin operating flights between London Heathrow and Seattle, replacing the service currently operated by Delta. The American carrier currently deploys the B767-300ER on the route, but this will be replaced by the newer B787-9 when Virgin Atlantic takes over the service. Along with the standard passenger comforts offered by the Dreamliner, the aircraft will also offer a premium economy cabin as well as the airline’s signature bar service. Capacity is also set to increase, with Virgin’s B787-9 offering a total of 264 seats – 53 more than the Delta’s B767. Split across a three-class layout, the Dreamliner has 31 seats in Upper Class, 35 in premium economy and 198 in economy. Flight VS105 will depart London at 1100 and arrive in Seattle at 1320. The return flight, VS106 will then take off from Seattle at 1910, before touching back down in Heathrow at 1300 the next day. “We are looking forward to broadening our presence on the West Coast of America by introducing the Virgin Atlantic experience to customers in Seattle," said Erik Varwijk, Virgin Atlantic's executive vice president of commercial. "It is because of our joint venture with Delta that we have been able to optimise our routes and touch down in Seattle next summer using our newest, most fuel efficient B787-9 aircraft with additional capacity.” Along with the swap in Seattle, Delta will launch a seasonal service from Portland to London – the only carrier to link both destinations. The flights will operate four-times weekly, from May 26 to October 29, 2017, and be operated by the B767-300ER. While flight days have yet-to-be confirmed, the airline has revealed the service times. Flight DL36 will depart Portland at 1700 and arrive in London at 1105. The return flight, DL37 will take off from London at 1230 before arriving back in Portland at 1515. For more information, visit delta.com and virgin-atlantic.com Clement Huang