It sees the excitement for Summer 2024 is continuing, with Virgin Atlantic getting ready to put its new service to São Paulo, Brazil on sale.
Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9 on final approach to London Heathrow – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
Tickets will go on sale on the 6th of September 2023, with the first flight due to commence on the 13th of May 2024, marking the first time Virgin Atlantic has travelled the South American continent.
LATAM will also codeshare on this flight.
Flights will operate daily on this route – but you might want to travel in comfy clothes, with a booked flight time of 11 hours and 55 minutes. The planned operation is as follows:
VS193 DEPART LHR 12:45 ARRIVE GRU 20:20 VS194 DEPART GRU 22:10 ARRIVE LHR 13:25 Tickets go on sale: 6th September 2023 Commences: 13th May 2024 Operates Daily Booked Equipmnet: Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9
Virgin Atlantic will operate a three-class Boeing 787-9 on the route, with 31 Upper Class, 35 Premium, and 192 Economy seats.
The airline is offering lead-in fares with this route, with them publicizing the following fares:
| Cabin | Return fare per person |
| Economy | £ 686 |
| Premium | £1126 |
| Upper Class | £2744 |
As well as tourism and business travellers, Virgin Atlantic will also be offering the belly space of its aircraft for those who wish to ship cargo.
São Paulo is considered the gateway to South America and is a key hub in Brazil for Virgin Atlantic’s codeshare partner and South America’s largest airline, LATAM. The partnership provides customers with onward connections to over 50 destinations in South America, including Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Florianopolis as well as offering loyalty accruals and the recently launched redemption options for Flying Club members.
Virgin Atlantic’s SkyTeam alliance partner, Aerolineas Argentinas, provides seamless connections from Sao Paulo to Buenos Aires where our Flying Club passengers can also earn and redeem their points. Additionally, Virgin Atlantic customers will be able to travel throughout Brazil connecting onward with GOL and Azul.
Those who choose to connect at Heathrow Terminal 3 can connect further across the Virgin Atlantic network to destinations such as Tel Aviv, Delhi, Mumbai and Shanghai.
In Quotes
Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer, Virgin Atlantic, commented:
“The countdown has officially begun to our much-anticipated arrival in Sao Paulo. It’s fitting that our 40th year brings our entry to a brand new continent in South America, symbolising a continued period of network growth for Virgin Atlantic. Sao Paulo is the perfect fit for us, a buzzing metropolis of culture and adventure that suits the differing needs of our rich customer base.
“Our partnership with LATAM will also unlock further destinations in Brazil and beyond into South America with SkyTeam partner Aerolineas Argentinas, opening up a wealth of exciting opportunities for those who choose to fly with Virgin Atlantic.”
Going beyond the Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic network is continuing to grow – and beyond the traditional transatlantic routes, with the airline adding Bengaluru to provide a fourth daily service to India, a winter sun service to Dubai as well as establishing links to Shanghai, too.
With other routes coming too (which are more transatlantic based), the airline will be adding 250,000 total additional seats across its network, compared to 2019.
It’s good to see the airline expand and go beyond its traditional destination lists – after all, there are only so many international gateways in the USA…
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