MRU flights move from LGW to LHR

Flights to and from MRU will now operate from LHR airport using A340-300 aircraft from November.

I have a few questions about this.
Would that be the newly refitted A340-300? or the older ones
And does the Virgin flight operations team have any idea what they are doing or are thy doing it as they go along[}:)]

Virgin Crazy- all the 343s have ucs, none have been refitted with new W/Y seats AFAIK.


So does this mean:

that the LGW fleet is really being over stretched- with MRU being the longest one sector VS fly perhaps the logistics didn't work, especially with the MRU flight leaving very late
Does it mean that sales are poor and an 343 is needed
Does it mean that VS will be bringing back the VK 343 and retrofitting it?
Or as some on here believe , is it further truth of VS not valuing LGW as much as LHR??

Answers on a postcard please..........

[HighFlyer]

Or simply that VS had the slots at LHR to move the service to? Air Mauritius use LHR, and the flight times of MRU didnt really fit in too well with LGW, with the CH having to extend its opening hours and so forth.

G-VHOL is alleged to have the new W seats out of the A343's though.

Thanks,
Sarah

[Neil]

This could well be linked with VS acquiring the Air Jamaica LHR slots. Makes sense, the new Kingston flights are going to be from LGW so moving the MRU flights to LHR frees up the LGW a/c for the Kingston flights and gives VS something to fill the LHR slots.

Neil

[mitchja]

Nor sure how big MRU airport is, but not all small island airports are able to handle a B744 or an A346 very well.

Take NAS for example, an extention gate area had to be built at NAS airport to accomodate the VS B744.

As Sarah mentioned, all of the A343's should have the new PE seats by the time MRU flights start at the end of October (which you wont get on the LGW A/C until next year so that's a bonus in my books if you are booked in PE going to MRU)

The only problem I see is if pax connecting to LGW have already purchased their seperate domestic flights and so will have to change these now. I got stung by this when the VS MIA flight moved from LGW to LHR a few years ago.

Regards

Its happening from the 29th OCT. There is no need to over annalize this change its only a change.


Services will be operated by an A340-300,
inaugural services will be operated by an A340-600.


days of operation will also change with departures

now on Fridays and Sundays exUK.



Passengers booked on Monday VS372 services exLGW will be reprotected on the Sunday VS372 exLHR.


Passengers booked on Friday VS372 services exLGW will be reprotected on the same day's flight from LHR.



Passengers booked on Tuesday VS373 services exMRU will be reprotected on Monday VS373 services and will arrive in LHR instead of LGW.


I think this is better.

Originally posted by mitchja
Nor sure how big MRU airport is, but not all small island airports are able to handle a B744 or an A346 very well.

Hi mitchja

MRU is quite a sizable airport and can handle a handful of wide-bodied aircraft at a time. I flew BA 744 to Mauritius in September 2000 with my Girlfriend and came back with a Wife

Jerseyboy

Using 340-300/600 offers a high J config (34/48) - is this expected for such a route?

I appreciate it has worked for BA to Barbados previously - is Mauritius a high J destination?

Air Mauritius offers a 12F,28/33W config, and AF 14J/36W.

Could this mean there will be some good deals to be had in Upper Class?

There are quite a few premium end hotels on the island which certainly offer potential for high demand for UC.

45.

Agreed, and due to it not being Daily we may be looking at roughly the same number of weekly premium class (F/W) seats as Air Mauritius who operate 5x weekly.

Air Mauritius is increasing to daily so, along with BA using a 744, the Y market is pretty strong already.

[honey lamb]

Originally posted by jerseyboy

I flew BA 744 to Mauritius in September 2000 with my Girlfriend and came back with a Wife

Jerseyboy

Whose wife did you come back with and what happened to the girlfriend [:w]

Sorry! Couldn't resist!

Originally posted by honey lamb

Originally posted by jerseyboy

I flew BA 744 to Mauritius in September 2000 with my Girlfriend and came back with a Wife

Jerseyboy

Whose wife did you come back with and what happened to the girlfriend [:w]

Sorry! Couldn't resist!

No WorryÕs I was kind of waiting for it to be said although i did think GJ would be the one.

It took two weddings for the girlfriend to finally fade away and she finally metamorphosed into the now know Mrs Jerseyboy

Before, during and after pic's available on request [:w]

Does anyone know if this is still happening for certain as the parents are off in March and on the VS website it's still showing LGW. They like to be nice and organised and have their transport booked (which they have done already to LGW) but will need to change it. Also I know the days are changing allegedly but are the times.

They phone FC today (only the red line) and were told they knew nothing about the change???

It is going from LHR. Call res they will tell you.

[honey lamb]

From the Virgin Atlantic website Just scroll down the page a bit