Well, Virgin Atlantic is adding to its transatlantic network, with Austin joining the party.
Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9 on final approach to London Heathrow – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
This is the first new USA route for Virgin Atlantic since 2015. The four times a week service will launch on 25th May 2022.
Planned operations are as follows:
VS231 DEPART LHR 11:35 ARRIVE AUS 16:05 VS232 DEPART AUS 18:05 ARRIVE LHR 09:00+1 Commences 25th May 2022
Operates Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday Booked Equipment: Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9 (Three Class).
The route will utilise the airline’s 787-9 aircraft boasting 31 Upper Class, 35 Premium and 192 Economy Delight, Classic and Light seats.
For those who want to holiday too, Virgin Atlantic Holidays will be launching a holiday portfolio in Austin and throughout Texas including hotels and fly-drive holidays.
Passengers who need to connect can do so with Delta Air Lines (providing connectivity to Seattle, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Detroit, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Raleigh Durham, JFK). Those who need to get to Austin sooner than Virgin Atlantic’s launch date can utilise connections with KLM, who are launching a three-times-weekly service from Amsterdam to Austin on 28th March 2022
The airline will also offer cargo belly space too, with up to20 tonnes of cargo capacity on each flight.
In Quotes
Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic commented:
“We are incredibly excited to launch this new service to Austin, Texas. With an impressive food, arts and music scene, we know it’s a destination our customers will love to explore.
“The US has been our heartland for more than 37 years since our first flight to New York City in 1984. Since US borders opened to UK travellers on 8 November, it feels extra special to be launching new flying, especially to the fantastic city of Austin.
“There are so many synergies between Virgin Atlantic and the city of Austin. We love their philosophy and desire to celebrate local brands, businesses and communities and we cannot wait to welcome customers, both existing and new onboard, flying them safely to explore this fabulously quirky city.”
Jacqueline Yaft, CEO, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport commented:
“We are thrilled to welcome Virgin Atlantic to Austin and Central Texas. This exciting new partnership helps meet our goals of continued recovery from the impacts of the pandemic and furthers our commitment to being the Gateway of Central Texas for both leisure and business travelers alike.”
Fights on Sale… shortly
Flights on sale from 12th January, with lead-in return fares loaded:
- Return Economy fares start from £409 per person
- Premium from £711 per person
- Upper Class from £1,711 per person.
To help customers book with confidence, Virgin Atlantic has extended its policy of unlimited free date and flight changes for new bookings, giving further flexibility to customers to support future travel plans. The updated flexible booking policy enables Virgin Atlantic customers making a new holiday or flight-only booking for travel up to 31 December 2022, to make as many changes as necessary to their travel dates, origin or destination, with the change fees waived as well as one free name change.
In addition, the rebooking horizon, the date by which rescheduled travel can be completed by, has been extended by eight months for all new and existing bookings – all the way until 31 December 2023 – giving a broader window of time to reschedule plans if needed.
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