South African flying programme following red list removal
SOUTH AFRICA IS BACK! VIRGIN ATLANTIC ENHANCES ITS SOUTH AFRICAN FLYING PROGRAMME FOLLOWING RED LIST REMOVAL
- Daily flights to Johannesburg will resume from 8 November
- Customer favourite Cape Town will restart on 17 December
- Return flights start from as little as £478 per person
Virgin Atlantic is expanding its portfolio of flights to South Africa, following the country’s removal from the Red List. Last week, bookings to the region soared by 150% in 24 hours as a result of the Government’s updated travel advice.
From 8 November, flights from London Heathrow to Johannesburg will increase from three times a week to a daily service. As South Africa’s capital city, not only does Johannesburg offer a gateway to some of the best safaris in the world, but its warm climate provides the perfect escape for Brits seeking some winter sun. Customers travelling in the airline’s Upper Class cabin, as well as Gold Card members, will also be able to take advantage of Virgin Atlantic’s award-winning Clubhouse at O.R Tambo international airport, which offers a relaxing space with tasty food and tempting cocktails.
The relaunch of the airline’s Heathrow to Cape Town service is also being brought forward, following a huge surge in customer demand. From 17 December, Virgin Atlantic will fly three times weekly to the destination famed for its breath-taking scenery and its world-famous wine region.
Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic, commented;
“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 operate on the airline’s state of the art Boeing 787-9, with 31 Upper Class, 35 Premium and 192 Economy Delight, Classic and Light seats. Flights are available to book now from £478 per person return to Johannesburg and Cape Town services go on sale from 16th October from £578 per person return.
Virgin Atlantic offers unlimited free date and flight changes for new bookings as part of a series of enhancements to give further flexibility to customers and support their future travel plans. Alongside the improved changes policy, the rebooking horizon has been extended for all customers all the way until 30 April 2023, giving a broader window of time to reschedule plans if needed.
For further information or to book please visit www.virginatlantic.com
For further press information, please contact the Virgin Atlantic press office on press.office@fly.virgin.com or call 01293 747373.
About Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic was founded by entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson in 1984, with innovation and amazing customer service at its core. In 2020, Virgin Atlantic was voted Britain’s only Global Five Star Airline by APEX for the fourth year running in the Official Airline Ratings. Headquartered in London, it employs 5,900 people worldwide, flying customers to 27 destinations across four continents. Alongside shareholder and Joint Venture partner Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic operates a leading transatlantic network, with onward connections to over 200 cities around the world. On 3 February 2020, Air France-KLM, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic launched an expanded Joint Venture, offering a comprehensive route network, convenient flight schedules, competitive fares and reciprocal frequent flyer benefits, including the ability to earn and redeem miles across all carriers.
Sustainability remains central to the airline and since September 2019, Virgin Atlantic has welcomed seven brand new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, helping to transform the fleet into one of the youngest, quietest and most fuel efficient in the sky. By 2022, the airline will operate a streamlined fleet of 37 twin engine aircraft following the retirement of its B747-400s and A340-600s, making its simplified fleet 10% more efficient than before the Covid-19 crisis impacted.
For more information visit www.virginatlantic.com, www.virginholidays.co.uk or via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @virginatlantic @virginholidays
For the latest information on the measures we are taking to ensure our customers fly safe and well with Virgin Atlantic, please visit: https://flywith.virginatlantic.com/gb/en/youre-in-safe-hands.html.