Virgin gets domestic slots

According to The Telegraph

good news,

as been reported lately in our local press, a delegate of states members, are to have talks with virgin , regarding
re - instating the much lucrative jersey to London heathrow which we lost a few years ago


watch this space


Jason

Let's hope some Gatwick flights are included.

David

http://www.theedinburghreporter.co.uk/2 ... -heathrow/

as been reported lately in our local press, a delegate of states members, are to have talks with virgin , regarding
re - instating the much lucrative jersey to London heathrow which we lost a few years ago

I can't see that happening unless Virgin can see a significant market on Jersey for pax who want to connect into its long haul network at LHR.

That's the main advantage of having a domestic feeder network. The Jersey route may well be lucrative, but if it doesn't work strategically for VS it's a non-starter.

Wonder if they might take some of VX's postponed A320's or do the timings not match ?

David

Wonder if they might take some of VX's postponed A320's or do the timings not match ?

David

That would be ideal wouldn't it, in which case we'd get the VX interior, IFE and first seats ... but from the news that sounds like an unfulfilled dream since VS say they'll be wet leasing.

Great news for VS, hope these are profitable.

Wonder if they might take some of VX's postponed A320's or do the timings not match ?

David

That would be ideal wouldn't it, in which case we'd get the VX interior, IFE and first seats ... but from the news that sounds like an unfulfilled dream since VS say they'll be wet leasing.

Great news for VS, hope these are profitable.

I can't see how they will be. But I can see VS giving this their best shot then quietly reallocating the slots a year or two down the line.

http://boardingarea.com/blogs/ghettoife/2012/11/18/virgin-atlantic-win-extra-slots-at-heathrow/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GhettoIFE+%28Ghetto+IFE%29 Seem to think that Virgin might have also got Nice, but lost Moscow to Easyjet.

Nice can we busy in both the winter and summer, but also a useful feeder to the delegates that need to go to ETSI, in Sophia Antipolis

Will use these new routes to burn my vs miles now. Was thinking they'd just expire

[mitchja]

sickbag, don't waste miles on reward domestic routes on any airline, as the base fare is often just a few quid (often less than £10 now) as the vast majority of a domestic fare is now all tax and fees which you still have to pay on reward fares.

sickbag, don't waste miles on domestic routes as the base fare is often just a few quid (often less than £10) as the vast majority of a domestic fare is now all tax and fees which you still have to pay on reward fares.

Thanks for the info. I guess they'll just expire then

I found this true of reward seats to the states. Hoped domestic wouldn't be such a ripoff

Im used to paying just over £100 tax and fees for reward flights now I accumulate AA miles

I thought that the UK domestics were going to be 7500 points plus a small amount fo taxes - something like 10 or 15 quid from memory

[mitchja]

I thought that the UK domestics were going to be 7500 points plus a small amount fo taxes - something like 10 or 15 quid from memory

No the tax and fees make up most of a domestic fare now, for example a VS domestic flight from MAN>LHR return in April 2013:

Total Net fare for all passengers GBP 8.00
Taxes, fees and surcharges GBP 97.85
Total GBP 105.85

Break down of the tax/fees:

UK Passenger Service Charge UB GBP 37.85
UK Air Passenger Duty GB GBP 26.00
Operating Airline Fuel & Insurance Surcharge YQ GBP 34.00

So 7500 miles + £97.85 is only actually giving you a £8.00 return flight. BA is exactly the same too. Domestic reward flights are a waste of miles.

Well v-flyers just had an email pop through saying that Virgin have been offered all of the LHR short haul remedy slots available after the IAG acquisition of BMI..

The message goes on to state that they will be "working with a wet lease partner to provide narrow body Airbus A320 aircraft to operate these short haul flights." Guess that means the VX surplus are staying stateside.

Interesting thing to watch, will be keeping an eye out for these new EU destinations, will take a while though to build up the rep to take a cut out of BA profits...

Here's hoping VS 8D

Belfast Mr Branson... pleeeeeeeeeeeeease! And a domestic CH would be nice...

[mitchja]

MAN>LGW would be an obvious choice as well to fill that void created by BA from next year.

I would think VS will be using old BMI lounges? I'm guessing that's what they will use at MAN anyway, as there's no other lounge there apart from the BA lounge in T3.

MAN>LGW would be an obvious choice as well to fill that void created by BA from next year.

Unlikely I'd have thought, as the two most popular VS destinations MAN-LGW flights might connect with are already served direct from MAN (MCO and LAS).

Remember Virgin's primary reason for operating domestic routes is to feed into and out of its long haul network, not to provide a UK commuter service (although clearly that's an added bonus).

These slots are for LHR flights not LGW flights. If Virgin wanted to do LGW flights to domestic destinations they would aready be doing it as LGW isn't full like LHR is and slots a readily avaliable. Plus with the likes of EZY and Flybe doing a full range of domestic flights I can't see how Virgin would benefit.

Great news, will hopefully keep BA's LHR-EDI prices lower. Funny how they seemed to have jumped after the BMI acqusition... v(

Long shot but SEN seems to be a lucrative, fast growing, destination for leisure and business and is becoming a choice over other london airports such as LCY / STN and some LGW/LHR routes but I think i may be wishful thinking.

Belfast Mr Branson... pleeeeeeeeeeeeease! And a domestic CH would be nice...

I second that - but not likely with EI at BHD now

These slots are for LHR flights not LGW flights. If Virgin wanted to do LGW flights to domestic destinations they would aready be doing it as LGW isn't full like LHR is and slots a readily avaliable. Plus with the likes of EZY and Flybe doing a full range of domestic flights I can't see how Virgin would benefit.

Hopefully adding LGW flights a well as LHR flights might help to make a short haul fleet more sustainable.

Having travelled to LGW many many times to connect to VS long haul flights, we would never use Easyjet. The extra cost involved with baggage doesn't look at BA's costs and of course you still lose interlining facilities and extra baggage ( weight ) when travelling P/E or Upper costs you even more.

It could also help feed into their increasing Caribbean flights which aren't available from Man or Gla.

David

I wish Virgin well with this but I wonder how they are going to make money from it?

BA loses a reported £200m a year on its Heathrow short-haul operation. bmi was losing £38 per passenger. Heathrow landing charges are geared towards discouraging small short-haul ops and domestic traffic is by far the least lucrative traffic.