Virgin adds Manchester to Orlando flights

[December 10th 2008]

Virgin Atlantic is adding new flights from Manchester airport to Orlando and Barbados plus extra flights from Gatwick airport to Montego Bay.

Flights from Manchester to Orlando will be boosted with a new departure on Sundays between April 26th and November 8th next year using a Boeing 747-400 aircraft. The extra Sunday flight will mean that Virgin will fly 10 times a week between Manchester and Orlando, the gateway to the Florida theme parks.

Travellers from Manchester airport will also be able to enjoy additional Saturday flights from Manchester to Barbados between May 2nd and November 7th next year. The new flights to Barbados using an Airbus A340-300 aircraft provide an alternative to Virgin’s existing Sunday flights to the Caribbean hotspot.

New flights to another Caribbean hotspot, Montego Bay in Jamaica, are to be introduced from Gatwick airport. Flights to Montego Bay will commence on Fridays between November 13th 2009 and March 19th 2010. Virgin already operates two flights a week from Gatwick to Monego Bay, which is proving a popular winter sun destination.

Virgin has also announced that its twice-weekly Heathrow airport to Mauritius flights will resume for the winter season on November 13th 2009 after stopping for the summer on April 25th next year.

Earlier this month Virgin launched a second daily flight between Heathrow and Hong Kong. The flight doubles the airline’s capacity to Hong Kong and will offer passengers more choice and flexibility when travelling to the Far East and Australia.

Virgin recently reported an 11% increase in business travellers from Heathrow over the past 12 months. The airline attributes the increase to the popularity of its Upper Class Wing, the award winning private check in and security channel at Heathrow Terminal 3. Upper Class passengers have a minimum check in time of just 40 minutes, offering them the fastest journey through an airport in the UK Virgin claims.

At last month’s British Travel Awards Virgin Atlantic was voted Best Airline Business Class, Best Airline Economy Class and Best Scheduled Airline Long Haul.

Written by: Nick Purdom

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