Virgin Atlantic reports it will launch domestic United Kingdom service starting in the Spring of 2013. The airline will be adding 24 domestic flights a day to its existing long-haul network. This investment in short-haul routes will create more than 150 new jobs, and see onward connections for travelers flying from the U.S. to Scotland.
Sir Richard Branson’s airline has confirmed it will take up nine of the 12 daily pairs of Heathrow slots which British Airways was forced to give up to ensure consumers have an alternative on key routes previously flown by bmi, a competitor.
Virgin Atlantic said it will focus its operations on flights to and from Scotland with six round-trip flights a day between Heathrow and Edinburgh, and three daily round-trip flights between Heathrow and Aberdeen. The airline said it will also use three of its existing Heathrow slots to complement the new Scottish routes with three daily round-trip services between Heathrow and Manchester from March 31, 2013.
Virgin Atlantic's Chief Executive, Steve Ridgway commented: “Throughout our history, Virgin Atlantic has successfully fought British Airways all over the world and has offered passengers a compelling alternative through our renowned product and service. We will look to replicate that in our short-haul program and challenge the current BA monopoly on these routes, which is causing serious consumer harm."
The schedule of new flights is timed to maximize connections for passengers traveling onwards from London across Virgin Atlantic’s global network, the airline said.
The new service will see the airline increase capacity on the routes previously operated by bmi, flying almost one million passengers per year domestically on four Airbus 320 aircraft. Through this direct competition to BA – which currently has a monopoly on all three routes – consumers will benefit from added choice and Virgin Atlantic’s strong track record of driving down fares on routes on which it competes with BA. the carrier said.
Virgin Atlantic’s domestic operation will begin with its summer schedule from March 31, 2013, and will operate from London Heathrow Terminal 1. Tickets for the Scottish routes will go on sale from Wednesday, December 19, 2012, with round-trip fares starting from £99 ($159).
Visit www.virgin-atlantic.com