Virgin Atlantic will grow the number of flights by 20 per cent it operates from Manchester Airport in 2019 with up to six daily departures.
A new route to Los Angeles, coupled with an increase in services to both Boston and Las Vegas, means the airline will be offering customers up to 14,000 seats a week directly from Manchester to the USA and Caribbean.
A number of routes, including both New York and Atlanta, will be flown on the Boeing 747, the largest in Virgin Atlantic’s fleet.
Virgin Atlantic’s new route to Los Angeles will operate three times weekly and commences 22 May 2019, while services to Las Vegas are doubling, growing from twice a week to four times a week from 31 March 2019.
The carrier’s Boston service increases to three per week from 25 May 2019 and the daily New York and Atlanta services operate principally on a 747, with seat capacity of 455 per flight.
Virgin Atlantic chief commercial officer, Shai Weiss said: “We’ve always said that Manchester is an important base for Virgin Atlantic and this latest expansion really cements that. We’re delighted to be able to provide the best possible service to the USA by welcoming a new route to Los Angeles and doubling the amount of flights to Las Vegas.
“By putting our aircraft on our New York, Atlanta, Boston and now Los Angeles flights, we can really maximise connectivity through our partner Delta, allowing even more customers to take advantage of over 200 US connections.”
Manchester Airport aviation director, Julian Carr said: “The airline’s commitment and growth clearly demonstrates the role we play at connecting the North to key global destinations and the demand to fly direct from Manchester.
“I am sure the extra services and new route will prove incredibly popular with the 22m passengers in our vast catchment area.”
Virgin Atlantic flies to destinations across the USA and the Caribbean from Manchester, including Orlando, New York and Barbados and flies Airbus A330-200 along with the Boeing 747.
