Virgin adds JFK route
2012-05-11 14:04
Virgin Atlantic Airways, one of
the world’s leading long-haul airlines, today announced a fourth daily service
between London Heathrow and New York’s John F Kennedy airports.
The new service will commence on
28th October and will complement the airline’s existing flight
schedule between the two cities, allowing Virgin Atlantic to build upon its
strong performance on this key route.
“New York has always been
important to Virgin Atlantic – it’s where it all started with our first flight
from London to Newark in 1984, and last year we carried more than half a
million passengers between Heathrow and JFK .” said Steve Ridgway, Chief
Executive of Virgin Atlantic.
The extra service comes during a
period of investment in product developments for Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class
passengers. In the last six months the airline has unveiled a new Upper
Class Suite – operating initially on its morning service to New York – a
multi-million pound Clubhouse at JFK airport, an enhanced fine dining meal
service, and a Grey Goose Loft at its Heathrow Clubhouse.
“We have managed to grow our
customer numbers across the Atlantic in the face of increased capacity and
bigger airline alliances.” Ridgway said. “We are confident that this
additional service, combined with our recent product enhancements, will enable
us to continue to increase our market share into New York as we offer our award
winning product and service to even more customers.”
The new route,
serviced by an Airbus and operating with flight numbers VS025 and VS026, means
there will be a combination of morning and evening flights from both major New
York airports, giving passengers a convenient and flexible proposition for
travel to the city and providing greater connection choices than ever before.
The westbound service will depart
daily from London Heathrow Terminal 3 at 7pm arriving into New York at shortly
after 10pm local time. The return service will complement the airline’s
existing overnight flights into Heathrow, leaving New York JFK Terminal 4 at
8am and arriving back into London at 8pm local time.
The schedule of the
new service will give connecting passengers greater flexibility, with timings
to give a seamless connection onto other Virgin Atlantic routes including
Delhi, Dubai, and many of its African destinations.
