Following the removal of South Africa from the UK’s Red List, Virgin Atlantic will expand their offer, including daily flights to Johannesburg from November 8th. The carrier will also restart service to Cape Town with three weekly flights from December 17, 2021.
On Thursday (October 14, 2021), Virgin Atlantic announced an expansion of their flight portfolio to South Africa, following the country’s removal from the UK Government’s ‘Red List.’ Starting November 8th, flights between London Heathrow and Johannesburg will be increased from three time weekly to daily service. Customers traveling in Upper Class and Gold Card members will also be able to take advantage of Virgin Atlantic’s award-winning Clubhouse at O.R. Tambo International Airport. Additionally, the carrier will advance the restart of service between Heathrow and Cape Town with three weekly flights from December 17, 2021.
In Thursday’s announcement, Virgin Atlantic’s Chief Commercial Officer, Juha Jarvinen, said,
“We know there’s pent up customer demand for travel to South Africa, which is reflected in our recent bookings surge, so I’m thrilled we can offer our customers more services to both Johannesburg and Cape Town. We’re expecting a high proportion of leisure travellers on these routes, taking advantage of the winter sun, the safaris and of course, the world-famous wine region. We can’t wait to fly our customers safely to their South African adventures once more.”
Virgin Atlantic’s South African services will both be operated with a state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, featuring 31 Upper Class, 35 Premium and 192 Economy Delight, Classic and light seats. Return flights are now available for booking to Johannesburg from £478 per person, and return Cape Town flights will be available from October 16th, starting at £578 per person. For added peace of mind when making travel plans, Virgin Atlantic offers unlimited free date and flight changes for new bookings. Additionally, the rebooking horizon has been extended to all customers until April 30, 2023.
Founded by entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson in 1984, Virgin Atlantic has brought innovation and the highest level of customer care to the airline industry. The carrier was voted Britain’s only Global Five Star Airline by APEX in 2020 for the fourth consecutive year. Headquartered in London, Virgin Atlantic employs 5,900 team members worldwide. The airline currently serves 27 destinations across four continents. Alongside shareholder and Joint Venture partner Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic operates a leading network between the US and UK, with onward connections to over 200 cities around the world. By 2022, Virgin Atlantic will operate an efficient and simplified fleet of 37 twin-engine aircraft, delivering a 10 percent savings compared to the aircraft they replace.
Source: Virgin Atlantic