Virgin Atlantic will launch their first new U.S. route since 2015 with service between London Heathrow and Austin, Texas starting May 25, 2022. The route will be serviced with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner featuring 31 Upper Class, 35 Premium and 192 Economy seats.
On Monday (January 10, 2022), Virgin Atlantic announced the launch of new service between London Heathrow and Austin, Texas starting May 25, 2022, the carrier’s first new U.S. route since 2015. The route will be operated four times weekly with a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner featuring 31 Upper Class, 35 Premium and 192 economy Delight, Classic and Light seats. In addition to traveling customers, the route will also offer 20 tonnes of cargo capacity per flight. Austin is a growing tech hub with the nickname ‘Silicon Hills’ and hosts some of the world’s leading tech businesses such as Apple, Tesla, Facebook, IBM and Oracle. The growing region is a focus for Virgin Atlantic and their extended joint venture partners, with Delta Air Lines offering connections from Austin to 10 U.S. cities including Seattle, Los Angeles, Salt lake City, Detroit, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Raleigh Durham and JFK. KLM will also launch three weekly flights between Amsterdam and Austin from March 28, 2022.
In Monday’s announcement, Virgin Atlantic’s Chief Commercial Officer, Juha Jarvinen, said,
“The US has been our heartland for more than 37 years since our first flight to New York City in 1984. Since US borders opened to UK travellers on 8 November, it feels extra special to be launching new flying, especially to the fantastic city of Austin. There are so many synergies between Virgin Atlantic and the city of Austin. We love their philosophy and desire to celebrate local brands, businesses and communities and we cannot wait to welcome customers, both existing and new onboard, flying them safely to explore this fabulously quirky city.”
Flights on the new LHR-AUS are on sale from today (January 10, 2022), with return economy fares from £409, Premium from £711 and Upper Class from £1,711 per person. The route will operate four times weekly from May 25, 2022 on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Flight VS231 departs London at 11:35, arriving in Austin at 16:05, while the return flight, VS232, departs Austin at 18:05 and arrives in London at 09:00 the next morning (all times local).
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. 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