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• 17 Mar 25

  NEWS
  Joby and Virgin Atlantic announce air taxi partnership

  Virgin Atlantic has inked a partnership with California based electric air taxi company Joby Aviation, ...Read more
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  Joby and Virgin Atlantic announce air taxi partnership - News & announcements

  Virgin Atlantic has inked a partnership with California based electric air taxi company Joby Aviation, Inc. The company is developing electric air taxis for commercial passenger service. It will eventually bring the air taxi service to the UK. It follows a similar partnership partner airline Delta Air Lines – which owns a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic. The partnership aims to offer zero-emission, short-range journeys across the UK, starting with regional and city connections from Virgin Atlantic’s hubs at Heathrow and Manchester Airport. Virgin Atlantic will also support Joby’s go-to-market efforts in the UK through marketing the service to their customers and engaging with regulators alongside Joby. The airline will also help to build support for the development of landing infrastructure at key airports. Joby’s electric air taxi is designed to carry a pilot and up to four passengers at speeds of up to 200 mph. Virgin Atlantic customers will be able to reserve a seat on Joby’s aircraft through Virgin Atlantic’s app, website and other channels. Shai Weiss, CEO of Virgin Atlantic, said: “Our strategic partnership combines Joby’s expertise in design, engineering and technology with the power of Virgin Atlantic’s brand and customer experience.” “We look forward to working together to bring Joby’s service to the UK and to deliver greater connectivity for our customers.” JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, added: “We couldn’t imagine a better partner to work with in the UK. Together, we are committed to delivering faster options for mobility across the country, including for Virgin Atlantic and Delta customers.” The Joby electric air taxi uses six tilting propellers that allow it to take off and land vertically with a fraction of the noise produced by helicopters. The aircraft is optimised for rapid, back-to-back flights and is expected to be deployed on routes of up to 100 miles. Joby has completed thousands of test flights, including exhibition flights in New York City, Japan and Korea. Journeys in the UK could include a 15-minute flight from Manchester Airport to Leeds, or an 8-minute journey from Heathrow Airport to Canary Wharf. Over time, Joby expects to build out a network of landing locations that offer convenient travel around cities throughout the UK. Joby expects to offer prices that are comparable with existing premium ground ridesharing options at launch. In 2022, Joby and Delta Air Lines announced a multi-city, commercial and operational partnership. This included an upfront equity investment of $60 million in Joby, with the opportunity to expand the total investment up to $200 million. While the partnership is mutually exclusive across the US and UK for at least five years following commercial launch, the partnership has been extended to include Virgin Atlantic in the UK. Joby exhibited its aircraft for the first time in the UK at the 2024 Farnborough International Airshow, and in July 2022 announced that it formally applied to have its aircraft validated for use by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.

• 03 Apr 24

  NEWS
  Virgin Atlantic to double Mumbai flights

  Virgin Atlantic is set to add a second daily Mumbai flight. The new flight is ...Read more
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  Virgin Atlantic to double Mumbai flights - News & announcements

  Virgin Atlantic is set to add a second daily Mumbai flight. The new flight is the airline's fifth daily service to India, complementing its double daily services to Delhi and recently launched flights to Bengaluru. From 2025, Virgin Atlantic will offer over one million seats to the country, representing 350% capacity growth since 2019. Starting 27 October 2024, and on sale from Wednesday 10 April 2024, the additional Mumbai flights will operate on Airbus A350-1000. It offers Upper Class, Premium and Economy Delight, Classic and Light along with Virgin’s signature Upper Class social space. Virgin Atlantic is also quadrupling the number of India based cabin crew this summer through GSA partner InterGlobe Air Transport. The the airline will now average four Indian cabin crew on each flight for a more personalised service to Indian fliers. Juha Jarvinen, Virgin Chief Commercial Officer, said: "Next year marks 25 years of operations and the first time that we'll offer more than one million seats from London Heathrow." As well as offering three destinations in India from London Heathrow, Virgin Atlantic has a strategic partnership with India’s largest carrier IndiGo. Customers can book through tickets via Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru to cities such as Ahmedabad, Goa and Hyderabad. In total the partnership offers 36 additional destinations.

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• 19 Mar 24

  NEWS
  Virgin Atlantic, Kenya Airways announce airline codeshare pact

  Virgin Atlantic and Kenya Airways have inked a new airline codeshare partnership agreement, providing greater ...Read more
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  Virgin Atlantic, Kenya Airways announce airline codeshare pact - News & announcements

  Virgin Atlantic and Kenya Airways have inked a new airline codeshare partnership agreement, providing greater access to Nairobi and beyond into East Africa. The first phase of the agreement has now launched, which allows Virgin Atlantic customers to book flights on Kenya Airways' Heathrow to Nairobi service. In turn, Kenya Airways customers will soon have the opportunity to connect via London Heathrow onto Virgin Atlantic's Caribbean flights, including Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines. Kenya Airways is a fellow member of the SkyTeam alliance. Virgin Atlantic's Gold and Silver Flying Club members, along with Kenya Airways Asante Rewards Platinum and Gold members can take advantage of SkyPriority services at London Heathrow and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. This provides priority check in, baggage handling and expedited boarding. Flying Club members can earn Virgin Points by booking luxury safari holidays through both Virgin Atlantic Holidays and Virgin Limited Edition. Juha Jarvinen, CCO at Virgin Atlantic, said: "We're delighted to launch our airline codeshare with Kenya Airways. As a fellow member of the SkyTeam alliance, we know our customers will enjoy a seamless travel experience.” "As the only UK airline to codeshare on the Nairobi route, we'll be providing more choice and flexibility for customers booking with Virgin Atlantic." Access to Kenya from the UK is now more seamless than ever before. From January this year, visitors from outside of Africa, including the UK, only require an online authorisation to travel to Kenya, instead of a full visa.

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• 21 Dec 23

  NEWS
  Virgin Atlantic ramps up winter sunshine flights

  Virgin Atlantic is boosting winter flight capacity for sun seekers. The airline’s recently launched seasonal ...Read more
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  Virgin Atlantic ramps up winter sunshine flights - News & announcements

  Virgin Atlantic is boosting winter flight capacity for sun seekers. The airline’s recently launched seasonal routes to Dubai and the Maldives will both increase to a daily service for the 2024-25 winter season. Barbados continues as the most popular Caribbean flight destination and will see a record number of flights for 2024. Double daily services will operate from London Heathrow throughout winter 2024, in addition to its four times a week service from Manchester. The new winter fights will go on sale from this weekend. Barbados will operate double daily from 27 October, with daily Dubai services resuming on the 26 October 2024 and daily Maldives flights on 27 October 2024. Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer, said; " Our recent route launches to Dubai and the Maldives have already proved exceptionally popular.” “We're pleased to offer more opportunities to reach these luxurious destinations in 2024 and 2025.” Virgin will have a record number of Caribbean flights in 2024 with direct services to Antigua, The Bahamas, Barbados, Grenada, Jamaica, St Lucia, St Vincent and The Grenadines, and Turks & Caicos. "The introduction of twice daily Barbados flights, alongside our four times a week service from Manchester, cement the island's position as our most popular destination." Virgin Atlantic Holidays has inclusive winter sun package deals to Dubai, Maldives and Barbados. Last week, Virgin Atlantic announced further expansion to its US network. Next summer, it will offer a record number of flights between London and New York, with a seventh daily flight to JFK. With its Joint Venture partner Delta, Virgin will offer ten daily services to the Big Apple, an increase of 11% compared to summer 2023. In a further boost to its East Coast flying, Virgin Atlantic will also operate a second daily flight to Boston.

• 24 Aug 23

  NEWS
  Virgin Atlantic Holidays reopens St Albans retail store

  Virgin Atlantic Holidays has reopened its St Albans retail concept store. The store opened once ...Read more
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  Virgin Atlantic Holidays reopens St Albans retail store - News & announcements

  Virgin Atlantic Holidays has reopened its St Albans retail concept store. The store opened once again on 7 August, for the first time since the pandemic. The store aims to make the shopping experience interactive and memorable. Customers will be welcomed through to the sunset bar offering refreshments from coffee to champagne, along with snacks representing each destination. The Virgin Atlantic Holidays store has a dedicated kids’ area to keep youngsters engaged with activity books, and Disney shows and films on the TV screen. The store is located in The Maltings shopping centre. Staff are on hand to offer specialist travel advice and booking assistance. Liz Mathews, Vice President Virgin Atlantic Holidays, said: “A holiday should start right from the moment of booking. Our immersive retail stores do just that.” With new flight routes, the Virgin Atlantic Holidays programme has expanded with several new destinations such as Dubai, the Maldives and Turks and Caicos. “We’re confident that there’s plenty of places for our customers to explore," Mathews added.

• 06 Jun 23

  NEWS
  Virgin Atlantic launching new India flights

  Virgin Atlantic is adding more India flights with its third route. Bengaluru becomes Virgin’s third ...Read more
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  Virgin Atlantic launching new India flights - News & announcements

  Virgin Atlantic is adding more India flights with its third route. Bengaluru becomes Virgin’s third destination and the fourth daily service. Since 2019, Virgin Atlantic has increased capacity to India by 250%. It is currently the airline’s top growth market outside the US. Launching in summer 2024, the new route means the airline will offer a total of 500,000 seats each year between the UK and India. Via its growing codeshare with IndiGo, Virgin customers can connect to 34 destinations across India. Bengaluru is India’s ‘Silcom Valley’ tech hub as well as a top leisure destination. India flights to Bengaluru will operate on Virgin Atlantic's Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft from 31 March 2024. The airline recently announced a return to Dubai and is now venturing to South America for the first time. It will offer a new daily flight from London Heathrow to São Paulo, Brazil. São Paulo is a key hub in Brazil for codeshare partner LATAM. The current LATAM partnership enables Virgin customer to connect to a dozen Brazilian destinations including Rio, Salvador and Florianopolis.  

• 31 Mar 23

  NEWS
  Virgin Atlantic expands IndiGo airline codeshare

  Virgin Atlantic has expanded its airline codeshare pact with India’s largest carrier IndiGo. It unlocks ...Read more
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  Virgin Atlantic expands IndiGo airline codeshare - News & announcements

  Virgin Atlantic has expanded its airline codeshare pact with India’s largest carrier IndiGo. It unlocks a host of new destinations across India for Virgin customers. It includes Varanasi, Srinagar, Goa Mopa and Lucknow via Delhi and Mumbai. The airline codeshare partnership spans 34 India destinations. It allows Virgin Atlantic Flying Club members to earn Virgin Points and Tier Points on airline codeshare flights operated by IndiGo. Virgin Atlantic operates three daily flights between India and the UK.  

• 26 Mar 23

  NEWS
  Virgin Atlantic launches Korea airline codeshare

  Virgin Atlantic announced a new codeshare agreement with Korean Air. It offers customers more options ...Read more
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  Virgin Atlantic launches Korea airline codeshare - News & announcements

  Virgin Atlantic announced a new codeshare agreement with Korean Air. It offers customers more options to South Korea and beyond. The first phase now allows customers booking through Virgin Atlantic to travel directly to Incheon Airport. By June, customers can connect from Seoul to destinations throughout Japan, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand. The codeshare with Korean Air is a first step before Virgin Atlantic's entry to Seoul. From May, services to Shanghai, China resume, alongside an expanded codeshare with IndiGo throughout India. With Virgin Atlantic's recent enrolment in the SkyTeam alliance, customers can earn and redeem Virgin Points and SkyPriority benefits. Korean Air is one of the founding members of the SkyTeam alliance. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club members enjoy SkyPriority services at Seoul Incheon, including priority check in, baggage handling and boarding. Juha Jarvinen Virgin Atlantic CCO said: "We're pleased to launch a codeshare with Korean Air, as we know such agreements bring an array of benefits to our customers.” “Customers benefit from its extensive route network, with more choice throughout Asia and Australasia.”

• 15 Feb 23

  NEWS
  Virgin Atlantic dropping Pakistan flights

  Virgin Atlantic will halt Pakistan flights in the coming months. The airline says it is ...Read more
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  Virgin Atlantic dropping Pakistan flights - News & announcements

  Virgin Atlantic will halt Pakistan flights in the coming months. The airline says it is suspending services following a review of its entire network. Pakistan flights to Lahore will end in May and to Islamabad in July. "We will communicate to any customers due to fly after these dates,” Virgin said. Virgin Atlantic started flying to Pakistan at the height of the pandemic in late 2020. It comes amid a critical fuel shortage in Pakistan. It has forced the suspension of routes for local airlines.

• 17 Nov 22

  NEWS
  Virgin Atlantic launching new services to the Maldives, Turks & Caicos

  Virgin Atlantic announced new routes to island tourist hotspots the Maldives and Turks & Caicos.  ...Read more
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  Virgin Atlantic launching new services to the Maldives, Turks & Caicos - News & announcements

  Virgin Atlantic announced new routes to island tourist hotspots the Maldives and Turks & Caicos.  Virgin launches a winter seasonal three-time weekly service to the Maldives from Heathrow on 22 October 2023. Seats go on sale on 30 November 2022. The Maldives redefines paradise with over 1,000 islands where luxury private island resorts nestle. Virgin Atlantic Holidays packages to the Maldives go on sale from 18 November 2022. “We couldn’t be more thrilled to add these routes.” “Nothing sets our hearts soaring like a new destination to explore,” said Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic. The airline will also launch a year-round twice weekly service to the Turks & Caicos. It begins on 15 November 2023 from London Heathrow. Both routes are operated on Boeing 787-9 aircraft with 31 Upper Class,35 Premium and 192 Economy seats. It is the latest addition to the Caribbean after the Bahamas, St Vincent and a return to St Lucia.

• 03 Oct 22

  NEWS
  Virgin Atlantic joins Delta for SAF corporate initiative

  Virgin Atlantic is joining its expanded joint venture partners, Delta, Air France and KLM by ...Read more
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  Virgin Atlantic joins Delta for SAF corporate initiative - News & announcements

  Virgin Atlantic is joining its expanded joint venture partners, Delta, Air France and KLM by offering a sustainable aviation fuel program (SAF) for its corporate customers. The program will assist them in managing their emissions footprint. The move represents a first for any airline joint venture business. The scheme has been specifically designed for the airline's corporate customers and allows them to improve their insight into their emissions through a CO2 methodology, helping them understand the true impact of their flying. The programme is available to corporate customers or any size of location, across all four partner airlines. Virgin Atlantic's partners have already established corporate SAF programmes, with Delta, Air France and KLM already securing significant SAF funding from supportive customers throughout the US and Europe. Virgin Atlantic's enrolment in the wider scheme will provide the airline with the ability to offer SAF within the UK from its Heathrow hub. In February, Virgin Atlantic announced its first UK SAF supply, with the arrival of 2.5 million litres of Neste Oyi neat SAF into London Heathrow. The supply is an important step towards the airline's target of 10% SAF by 2030. Tom Maynard, Head of UK and Europe Sales at Virgin Atlantic, said: “We know we are not the only industry with ambitious targets and that's why our scheme has been designed with our corporate customers at its core.” "SAF represents the greatest opportunity for Virgin Atlantic to decarbonise in the short to medium term, but we still require cross industry and Government action to support commercialisation of SAF at scale, particularly in the UK."

• 30 Jun 22

  NEWS
  Virgin Atlantic adds member award seat guarantee

  Virgin Atlantic is increasing the availability of reward seats with two new initiatives.  The changes ...Read more
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  Virgin Atlantic adds member award seat guarantee - News & announcements

  Virgin Atlantic is increasing the availability of reward seats with two new initiatives.  The changes are set to unlock more opportunities to spend Virgin points across the airline’s global network. The airline is launching its Guaranteed Availability initiative, which ensures reward seats are available for every Flying Club member, on every flight. Gold members also have a new benefit of Gold Reward Seats, which gives the option to turn any seat into a reward seat by using double Virgin Points. Guaranteed Availability will see a minimum of 12 reward seats offered on every flight across Virgin Atlantic’s global network. This includes two seats in Upper Class, two in Premium and eight in Economy, pffering increased availably for all members. Reward seats arre available to book as soon as the flight goes on sale. It includes peak times such as Christmas and school summer holidays. Gold Reward Seats offer options even when no reward seat is available Customers will be able to convert any seat on the plane, simply by using double Virgin Points. The new initiative is exclusive to Gold Card members and seats can be booked up to 60 days prior to departure. If a member cannot find a reward seat available online on their desired dates, and they have a sufficient points balance, they can call the dedicated Gold Card booking line to secure their seat. Siobhan Fitzpatrick, Chief Digital and Marketing Officer at Virgin Atlantic, said:  “We knew our customers wanted more opportunities to spend their hard-earned points and we are ensurng they have more ways to do so.”  

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