News /Big season for Virgin Atlantic

VIRGIN Atlantic has announced its biggest ever season of flying from Manchester Airport.

The airline will have almost 40,000 more seats available to book in 2018, with flights on sale now from £399.

Flights to both New York JFK and Atlanta have been upgraded and will now be operated by both the A330 and the largest aircraft in Virgin Atlantic’s fleet, the Boeing 747, which boasts 455 seats per aircraft.

In total the airline will now offer over 350,000 direct seats between Manchester and US airports – all of which include complimentary food and drink on board, and access to Wi-Fi.

Virgin Atlantic now flies to seven US and Caribbean destinations direct from Manchester, including the trio of new routes launched this year to San Francisco, Boston and New York.

There are also one-stop connections to more than 200 destinations including Los Angeles, Miami, Tampa and Cancun thanks to the airline’s partnership with Delta Air Lines via Atlanta and New York JFK.

Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic’s chief commercial officer, said: “2017 was a landmark year for Virgin Atlantic in Manchester, as we launched our hat-trick of new routes and coined the phrase ‘ManFran’ when we introduced the city’s first flight to San Francisco.

“We’re delighted to see that customers in the North West are enjoying our unique flying experience, and 2018 is set to be even better with the introduction of an improved schedule which provides more seats on the most popular services, and will see more of our iconic 747s aircraft and a fully Wi-Fi connected fleet.”

Stephen Turner, commercial director at Manchester Airport, said: “To see Virgin Atlantic increase capacity on two of its most popular routes is incredibly pleasing and something which our passengers will welcome I am sure.

“The airline has an excellent selection of routes across America from the UK’s global gateway in the north, which as well as offering great holiday destinations, has also unlocked a wealth of economic opportunities.”