Virgin Atlantic is resuming its link between London Heathrow and Dubai with a seasonal service as its boosts its roster of winter sun destinations. The carrier aims to take advantage of the increasing demand for premium travel and will launch the route this autumn.
UK carrier Virgin Atlantic will become the third airline after Emirates and British Airways to operate the link when it begins on October 28th. The service will run four times a week until March and was last operated by Virgin in March 2019.
Why Dubai?
The SkyTeam carrier hopes to leverage its new status in the alliance and long-standing partnership to funnel customers through its Southern hub at London Heathrow to Dubai. The route will use the airline’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, which seats 31 passengers in the Upper-Class cabin, 35 in Premium, and 192 in Economy.
The outbound flight (VS400) will depart London Heathrow at 17:35, arriving at Dubai International Airport at 04:40 the following morning. There is a three-hour time difference between the two cities. A return flight (VS401) will depart Dubai at 13:00 and arrive in the UK capital at 17:05 the same day. Rikke Christensen, Vice President of Network & Alliances at Virgin Atlantic, expressed their excitement at the announcement;
“I’m thrilled to be returning to Dubai – a destination we know our customers and people love. Its inviting climate during the cold UK winter, combined with its first-class collection of hotels and experiences make Dubai a must visit destination for sunshine hungry Brits.
We’ve long wanted to return to this incredible city when the time was right, and this year presents the perfect opportunity. Dubai will complement our growing collection of winter sun destinations, bolstered by The Maldives and Turks and Caicos later this year alongside our new services between Manchester and Las Vegas in Summer 2024 and the soon to commence inter-Caribbean flights. I’m looking forward to welcoming our customers back to this vibrant, exciting destination once more.”
Photo: Tomas Del Coro via Wikimedia Commons
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The route is also expected to have a significant cargo demand. Virgin Atlantic announced it would offer 20 tonnes of cargo capacity on each flight, targeting companies looking to export and import goods, including fresh produce and high-tech products, between the Middle East and destinations including the UK and the US.
The relaunch of the Dubai service is the latest winter sun destination for Virgin Atlantic. The carrier previously announced flights to the Maldives and Turks and Caicos will also begin this October.
Westward expansion
The airline will resume direct flights to Las Vegas from its Northern hub at Manchester Airport. The route will commence on June 2nd, 2024, and complement its existing westward links for passengers in the North West to destinations including New York, Atlanta, Orlando, and Barbados.
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The new Manchester to Las Vegas service will operate thrice weekly on one of Virgin Atlantic’s new Airbus A350-1000s. The widebody seats 16 passengers in Upper Class, 56 in Premium, and 325 in economy. The route has been historically popular and is expected to draw both leisure and business travelers. Chris Woodroofe, Managing Director of Manchester Airport, hopes the route resumption will lead to many new links from the North of England:
“It’s hugely exciting to see the return of Virgin Atlantic’s direct service to Las Vegas, which has always been one of our most popular long-haul routes.
“As the UK’s Global Gateway in the North, it’s great to work with airline partners like Virgin Atlantic to connect the region directly to as many destinations around the globe as possible.
“I am sure this service will be really popular with passengers and we look forward to continuing our work with Virgin Atlantic to further grow its route network from its Northern home in Manchester in the years to come.
Upon its launch, the route will be the only one from a UK airport outside London to the Westen United States.
Island hopping itineraries
Virgin Atlantic is also positioning itself as the only UK airline to allow passengers to hop from Barbados to Grenada or St Vincent and the Grenadines. The new inter-island routes will launch on June 14th, allowing passengers to make seamless connections and multi-stop vacations on the same ticket.
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The announcement comes as the airline seeks to meet increasing demand for premium seats to the Caribbean. In addition to the new services, Virgin will offer 150% more seats in its premium cabins compared to 2019 and increase frequencies to destinations in the region.
St Vincent and the Grenadines will now operate thrice weekly this winter, and passenger capacity to St Lucia is increasing by 33% since last year.
Source : Simple Flying