Virgin Atlantic further expands its Manchester hub

Virgin Atlantic continues its expansion at Manchester Airport, with plans to offer 43,000 more seats out of the airport for Summer 2020.

Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400 arriving into Manchester with a Ryanair Boeing 737 in the foreground – Image, Economy Class and Beyond 

This time, it’s the turn of summer leisure destinations to get service uplift.

Barbados will move from two flights a week to three. Meanwhile, those who love the bright lights of Vegas will gain an extra two flights a week during the peak season.

For those flying to Orlando can look forward up to 14 flights a week from Manchester during the main summer peak.

Finally, London Gatwick gets extra capacity too, with Virgin Atlantic is also announcing two extra flights a week from London Gatwick to Orlando, offering up to 18 flights a week in the peak summer season.

These flights go on sale from 9th November 2019, with lead-in fares starting from £410.

In Quotes

Juha Jarvinen, EVP Commercial at Virgin Atlantic, commented:

“Today’s announcement outlines the latest phase in our growth strategy at Manchester, our home in the North. In September we committed to 30,000 additional seats from Manchester for Winter 2019 and today, we are expanding on that with an extra 43,000 seats to key leisure destinations for Summer 2020, which is a clear sign of our ambition to offer increased choice to our customers travelling from the North West. 

“With a greater number of flights to some of our most popular destinations, alongside a brand new iconic Clubhouse scheduled to open next Spring, we’re confident our customers will be delighted by the Virgin Atlantic experience in Manchester.”

Filling in a Thomas Cook shaped hole

With the unfortunate demise of Thomas Cook, these destinations slip in nicely into the Virgin Atlantic long-haul portfolio. In addition, the focus on a regional hub in the north will appeal to those who want to avoid the joy of Heathrow or Gatwick Airport.

In addition to today’s announcement, Virgin Atlantic are opening more travel shops to attract custom to their services – evolving their high street sales channel.

And holiday traffic has been an important part of the make-up of traffic at Manchester Airport for some years.

Combine this with Virgin Connect Airways and the partnership they have with Delta Air Lines, there’s a lot of possibilities for the traveller who wants to head to the USA and beyond.