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#961662 by G-VDOG
30 May 2023, 16:57
‘New’ route alerts pending from Manchester watch this space.
Last edited by mitchja on 01 Jun 2023, 14:33, edited 1 time in total. Reason: thread title updated now routes confirmed
#961666 by candy
31 May 2023, 08:41
that mentions Thailand but that would be from Heathrow surely
hoping for Vegas to return from Manchester
#961670 by VS075
31 May 2023, 16:42
Well, for what it’s worth, Manchester-Bangkok is/was one of the world’s busiest unserved city pairings and all that traffic right now is taking one-stop options via various places and VH sell packages to Thailand. BKK also offers options for connectivity to other parts of SE Asia, though I note that Thai are part of Star Alliance and can’t see any obvious alternatives.

Pretty sure TUI serve Phuket from MAN already, but could be a seasonal route.

As with the discontinued ISB route, I fully expect any new routes from MAN to be somewhere that’s also/already served from LHR. Don’t forget the “stillborn” routes to MBJ, DEL and BOM that were announced from MAN but never started.
#961671 by nicsbx
01 Jun 2023, 13:22
I have asked around and have been told the route for MAN is to Vegas (MAN-LAS).

Makes sense and nice to see a return of that destination.
#961674 by VS075
01 Jun 2023, 13:40
ColOrd wrote:MAX-LAS
LHR-DXB! Winter Seasonal 4 x a week!


I guess this is for the Virgin Holidays market given the infrequent, seasonal nature of the return. Outside of that and for the rest of the year, they are up against up to 11 flights per day with Emirates (6x LHR, 3x LGW and 2x STN) plus BA’s offerings.
#961675 by flyingfox
01 Jun 2023, 13:56
More details from VS Trade;

Big news. If your customers are planning a trip to Las Vegas, they’ll soon be able to double down on their flight options, because we’re bringing back our popular ex Manchester route.

Whether they’re making it or spending it, money makes the world go round in Vegas. This neon - lit playground makes it easy to impress even the most discerning clients, with its cutting-edge conference venues, fine dining, dazzling entertainment and unforgettable views of the Strip.

Our summer seasonal A350 flights from Manchester join our daily Heathrow service from 3rd June 2024, departing three times a week.


Hold on to your bottomless brunch, because we’re headed to the Middle Eastern city of souks, sand, sun, and really really tall skyscrapers, Dubai.

Your customers can relax in the lap of luxury, enjoying the magnificent hotels, perfectly pristine beaches, and finest dining in the world… or adventure into the desert for a spot of high-octane dune bashing.

Our brand new direct 787 service from London Heathrow will operate four times a week from 28 October 2023.

Either way, they’ll be going big – before they go home. Flights from Manchester to Las Vegas and London to Dubai are available to book from 3rd June.

#961676 by ColOrd
01 Jun 2023, 14:47
You can also start to book the individual sectors between Islands in the Caribbean too

We’ve got some news to make your customers travelling between Barbados, Grenada and St Vincent jump for joy, as they can now hop it in style with Virgin Atlantic. They’ll enjoy the same warm, welcoming service and brilliant inflight entertainment as they would on our international flights - just travel sized!

Our new inter-island flights operate twice a week from June 2023 and are available to book from 3rd June. We can’t wait to welcome them onboard.
#961677 by mitchja
01 Jun 2023, 14:59
According to HfP - the DXB arrival flight time is a bit grim:

It is an overnight flight to Dubai, leaving Heathrow Terminal 3 at 17.35 and landing in Dubai at the unsocial hour of 04.40.

The return is much better, leaving Dubai at 13.00 and arriving into Heathrow at 17.05.
#961678 by CommanderB
01 Jun 2023, 15:10
mitchja wrote:According to HfP - the DXB arrival flight time is a bit grim:

It is an overnight flight to Dubai, leaving Heathrow Terminal 3 at 17.35 and landing in Dubai at the unsocial hour of 04.40.

The return is much better, leaving Dubai at 13.00 and arriving into Heathrow at 17.05.


The old DXB slots weren’t particularly brilliant for timings either though. I’m surprised this is making a return given the high competition plus low load factors that killed the route originally.

MAN-LAS is a welcome return though.
#961679 by G-VROY
01 Jun 2023, 16:01
That outbound Dubai flight time (if correct) is terrible.

I can't see many holiday makers going for that?

The 17:35 departure time means you're using minimum half a day annual leave, but more likely a full day and then you're either hanging around for 10 hours waiting for check-in, or paying for an extra night accommodation and not checking in until 6:30am.

I think before it departed around 22:00-22:30, so max a half day off, but sometimes
you could get away with no annual leave and landed around 07:00/07:30. Not ideal, but a lot better than what they are planning.

I don't see the timings working well for business travelers either.

Admittedly, the return works much better than the previous 09:30/10:00 departure.

It wouldn't appear to be a very good use of the frame if it's on the ground in DXB for eight hours.

It doesn't give the route much of a chance imho. Time will tell I guess..
#961680 by mitchja
01 Jun 2023, 17:11
Those times are confirmed in the official VS press release.

(There are a couple of crazy VS slot departure & arrivals at the minute - the VS21 to IAD is ludicrous with an arrival time into IAD after the departure time leaving IAD. VS 21 LHR>IAD 19:05 - 22:30. VS22 IAD>LHR 18:15 - 06:45!)
#961681 by VS075
01 Jun 2023, 17:45
ColOrd wrote:You can also start to book the individual sectors between Islands in the Caribbean too

We’ve got some news to make your customers travelling between Barbados, Grenada and St Vincent jump for joy, as they can now hop it in style with Virgin Atlantic. They’ll enjoy the same warm, welcoming service and brilliant inflight entertainment as they would on our international flights - just travel sized!

Our new inter-island flights operate twice a week from June 2023 and are available to book from 3rd June. We can’t wait to welcome them onboard.


The fifth freedom options sound like an untapped opportunity. When I stepped off at BGI last June, the flight was going inwards to St Vincent and I reckon there were about 60-90 people continuing on. It also opens up options for Virgin Holidays to offer multi-island holiday packages without needing to book passengers onto Caribbean Airlines.

I don’t expect it to be a big money-spinner, but if the flight’s already operating then it’s worthwhile using fifth freedom rights to open it up for passengers travelling between the islands.

Going back to MAN-LAS, the opportunity to return has been there since Thomas Cook went bust as they were the sole operator on that route after VS initially pulled the route.
#961682 by ColOrd
01 Jun 2023, 18:18
So I am on the VS188 from BGI back to LHR on the 29th August.

Looking at timings I can do VS187 to Grenada, get there for 1730 and depart there at 20:15. I am really tempted to do that as a back to back just for a bit of AvGeeking and any potential Tier Points that I might get out of it. Anyone got an experience of doing a back to back at Grenada?
#961684 by VS075
01 Jun 2023, 18:25
ColOrd wrote:So I am on the VS188 from BGI back to LHR on the 29th August.

Looking at timings I can do VS187 to Grenada, get there for 1730 and depart there at 20:15. I am really tempted to do that as a back to back just for a bit of AvGeeking and any potential Tier Points that I might get out of it. Anyone got an experience of doing a back to back at Grenada?


You may get some WTF looks from the crew when you re-board at GND. :-D
#961685 by Dohabear
02 Jun 2023, 04:51
Good news about MAN-LAS, a step in the right direction for MAN. Las Vegas is not somewhere that particularly interests me so I am more interested in what that A350 will be doing on the the rest of the week as LAS is only 3 times a week in the summer only. Need to get the clubhouse done at MAN now to bring the experience more in line with what passengers get to experience at LHR.
#961687 by ColOrd
02 Jun 2023, 08:36
I wouldn’t get too excited, my guess would be that the aircraft will do the second daily MCO on the non LAS days.

I am shocked that they are sending a leisure config 350
to Vegas from Manchester, I don’t remember the 747 operating that flight (happy to be corrected) and with such a big Y cabin, it feels like a lot of capacity to fill.
#961688 by VS075
02 Jun 2023, 11:03
ColOrd wrote:I wouldn’t get too excited, my guess would be that the aircraft will do the second daily MCO on the non LAS days.

I am shocked that they are sending a leisure config 350
to Vegas from Manchester, I don’t remember the 747 operating that flight (happy to be corrected) and with such a big Y cabin, it feels like a lot of capacity to fill.


The 747 used to operate MAN-LAS back in the day. I think the A330 featured at times when it used to be a year-round route, but I only ever remember 747s on it mainly. Whenever they were not deployed on the second MAN-MCO flights, they usually positioned to/from LGW, so I suspect something similar will happen here, albeit replacing LGW with LHR of course!

It’s also a useful reminder at this point that the higher density A350s were initially specced as such to replace 747s, so it’s not a surprise to me that they’re being deployed on former 747 routes. That said, I’m still waiting to see them on certain Caribbean routes that are primarily A330s these days with a 787 here and there, but I’ll take that back if it’s already happened.
#961690 by ColOrd
02 Jun 2023, 12:29
VS075 wrote:The 747 used to operate MAN-LAS back in the day. I think the A330 featured at times when it used to be a year-round route, but I only ever remember 747s on it mainly.


Thanks, I had completely forgot about them oping the MAN/LAS to be be honest. I do remember an odd season (2017 or 18 maybe) when the MAN/LAS was a 346! Not sure if they ever filled the Upper cabin on it mind with 45J seats.

VS075 wrote:It’s also a useful reminder at this point that the higher density A350s were initially specced as such to replace 747s, so it’s not a surprise to me that they’re being deployed on former 747 routes. That said, I’m still waiting to see them on certain Caribbean routes that are primarily A330s these days with a 787 here and there, but I’ll take that back if it’s already happened.


Yeah, I am a little shocked to not see the leisure config 350's deployed on at least BGI, but the demand for "premium" leisure is soaring, so maybe they are making more money off the higher premium config 330s with 31 seats in Upper as opposed to only going down to 16?
#961691 by Kraken
02 Jun 2023, 13:33
I can't think what the route planners at VS have been smoking to even consider restarting the LHR-DXB route. Emirates & BA will offer far superior frequency from the London area (before you consider the EK flights from regional airports too). I can only guess VS may be doing this route as a LHR slot-filler so as not to fall foul of the "use it or lose it" rule.

MAN-LAS on the other hand, does make sense as the route has not been served since the demise of Thomas Cook. I bet the VS crew can't wait [not] for this route to re-start. I don't think it helped that the MAN-LAS route only used to be twice weekly - wasn't it a Thursday & Monday? This was just perfect timing for Stag / Hen weekends in Sin City. That said, a friend did LHR-LAS and the aircraft had to pull into a remote stand at LHR after push-back for the Police to attend and remove some unruly passengers - who all had checked luggage which added to the delay as the bags were offloaded.

I would not be at all surprised if VS start to deploy more J/W heavy aircraft on leisure routes. Back in the days of the 747 on the MCO flights, I have been on flights where there were about 150 passengers in total onboard (early February, not school hols, iffy weather in Florida then too). The 14 Upper Class seats were always full. On a BGI flight there were some loud-ish passengers in Upper who were clearly not driving on arrival in BGI so were indulging in the bar service. Suffice it to say they wanted it to be known where they were staying - Sandy Lane - and if you can afford to stay there, the cost of an Upper Class seat is unlikely to be an issue.

Even my outbound flight to MCO in 10 days time, it's a non-leisure A350-1000 - and Upper Class looks pretty full too.
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