VS announce MAN-JFK from Summer 2017

Delighted that this can finally be confirmed.

VS announce MAN-JFK from 1st June 2017 taking over from Delta.

The route will be flown by an A330. Timings to be confirmed though it will be a daily service.

This is fantastic news and by all accounts VS management are delighted with how MAN is performing.

Jon

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/381363531.html

Looks like a bunch of route changes today...

VS taking on LHR-SEA from DL.
DL launching LHR-Portland (PDX)
VS dropping LHR-DTW & reverting route to DL metal

I wouldn't be surprised to see MAN-DTW confirmed by DL at some point too.

Jon

Excellent news! So from next year we'll have SFO, LAS, MCO, BOS, ATL, JFK all direct from MAN? All we need now is a Clubhouse...

[mitchja]

Don't forget there's still also BGI from MAN too


I received an email from VS Trade today with more details:

Effective summer 2017, Virgin Atlantic will start flying between London Heathrow and Seattle, replacing the service currently operated by Delta. Delta will operate a second daily flight from Heathrow to Detroit, taking over the existing Virgin Atlantic service and operating it three times a week. In addition, from 25 May 2017 and for the summer schedule only, Virgin Atlantic will operate the daily nonstop service between Manchester and New York-JFK, currently operated by Delta, while Delta will operate a third London Heathrow to Atlanta frequency, a service currently operated by Virgin Atlantic.

Swap 1
LHR- SEA VS VS105/106 from 26-Mar-17 goes on sale 02-Jun-16
LHR-DTW DL DL019/018 from 26-Mar-17 goes on sale 04-Jun-16

Swap 2
MAN-JFK VS VS127/128 from 25-May-17 goes on sale 23-Jun-16
LHR-ATL DL DL033/32 from 25-May-17 goes on sale 02-Jul-16

I didn't realise the MAN > JFK route is for the summer only. We always fly to JFK in October for work. Looks like we'll still be making good use of the ATL route with connections.

The summer schedule doesn't finish until the last weekend of Oct so you may be ok.

Looks like DTW didn't work for VS then, a shame given all the hype around its launch but I'm not really surprised - if it was a viable route BA would fly there and they don't. Maybe it's taught them that just being a DL hub doesn't guarantee instant success.

As for MAN-JFK, very positive news. As EK and QR have shown, there's capital to be made out of BA's dogged refusal to operate any long haul routes from outside London.

Surely a Clubhouse at MAN is a given now?

Really glad to see JFK swapping over to VS for next summer. Goes to show that the route is doing well and, combined with recent route announcements, goes to show that long-haul from MAN is viable.

Great news all around I think passengers and staff who have made Man a viable option

It also appears that one of the ATL flights is going back to DL.

Trying to work through this and see if it means a net increase or level playing in terms of daily flights ... DTW going, 1 x ATL going, isn't Vancouver going when SEA starts too (?), then +1 SEA and I believe LHR-JFK is increasing by x1 daily so it seems to be the one down. Did I miss something?

At MAN of course, it appears an average of four daily flights given the seasonality of some which is great news, I do hope VS invests in a Clubhouse.

Vancouver's long gone sadly. As far as I can see VS are down one slot a day at LHR but up one at MAN in these latest changes.

I didn't realise the MAN > JFK route is for the summer only. We always fly to JFK in October for work. Looks like we'll still be making good use of the ATL route with connections.

DL are certainly operating it through Winter 16/17 with a 76W....so wonder if it's means it will only be Summer only with VS. Surely it won't go back to DL over the winter in 17/18?!

Roll on the Clubhouse. I just don't see where it would go unless it takes over the space used by something else and I'm not sure why they would bother until the airport redevelopment is complete (planned for 2018)

Jon

The loss of DTW is the big loss for me, i much prefer connecting there than through ATL.

I hope VS keeps the morning ATL flight.

Please, please, please VS, take on the Delta EDI to JFK flight as well

David

MAN-JFK will be operated by VS in the summer and DL in the winter

MAN-JFK will be operated by VS in the summer and DL in the winter

Thanks VB747, that clears that up. It'll be interesting to see if that changes closer to the swap with VS operating year-round.

The summer schedule doesn't finish until the last weekend of Oct so you may be ok.

Surely a Clubhouse at MAN is a given now?

That's fantastic news! I thought the summer schedule ended in September, so this is perfect.

There were rumours of a Clubhouse for around 2018 with the refurbishment of T2, so fingers crossed it's true

Don't forget there's still also BGI from MAN too


I received an email from VS Trade today with more details:

Effective summer 2017, Virgin Atlantic will start flying between London Heathrow and Seattle, replacing the service currently operated by Delta. Delta will operate a second daily flight from Heathrow to Detroit, taking over the existing Virgin Atlantic service and operating it three times a week. In addition, from 25 May 2017 and for the summer schedule only, Virgin Atlantic will operate the daily nonstop service between Manchester and New York-JFK, currently operated by Delta, while Delta will operate a third London Heathrow to Atlanta frequency, a service currently operated by Virgin Atlantic.

Swap 1
LHR- SEA VS VS105/106 from 26-Mar-17 goes on sale 02-Jun-16
LHR-DTW DL DL019/018 from 26-Mar-17 goes on sale 04-Jun-16

Swap 2
MAN-JFK VS VS127/128 from 25-May-17 goes on sale 23-Jun-16
LHR-ATL DL DL033/32 from 25-May-17 goes on sale 02-Jul-16

Thanks for the dates they go on sale I was just checking and couldn't see anything...only delta.

Well VS is full of surprises these days. Looks like we are spoilt for choice in 2017 at MAN now. And as other people have already mentioned shows that BA are wrong to snub MAN for long hall flights. Just hope VS spread the flights out over the day in 2017. As the MCO and ATL flights are only half an hour apart at the moment. I would imagine JFK would be an afternoon departure. BOS is showing 15:20 at the moment.

Other interesting thing is another A330 being used at MAN. Reminds me allot of when BMI did long hall to ORD IAD in the early 2000's. The A330 seems to be the right fit for those markets. With regards to the Clubhouse it needs to be fast tracked now. VS should use the opportunity to work alongside MAN to develop the new T2 and make it their own. Similar to what Virgin America did at SFO.

MAN-JFK is apparently at 10:45am departure, 1:35pm arrival. Totally agreed with the Clubhouse, it really is a necessity now.

I read recently that BA still have no long term plans to launch any MAN long haul routes. I find it pretty amusing to be honest. VS are really leading the way with this one.

BA's strategy - which seems to be working - is based on growing connecting traffic so they'll continue to throw everything at their Heathrow hub.

For VS it's all about point-to-point so having a northern base is a sensible idea. I suspect it won't be too long before MAN overtakes LGW as its second busiest base and I'd be amazed if a Clubhouse isn't part of the T2 redevelopment plan.

Raffles has published his take on the changes on HFP today. He points out that having VS, rather than DL, operate most of the MAN TATL routes makes sense because most of the market for those flights is in northern England, not the US and VS is the stronger brand on this side of the Atlantic. Traffic for the Detroit route, on the other hand, is mostly US-based so it makes sense for DL to operate it.

Great news for MAN & nice to see a UK airline having a vision beyond the 2 golden runways of LHR & the one at LGW.

Have also got to agree that a Clubhouse for MAN must be on the cards now - no way can VS justify operating all these flights from MAN with the mediocre Escape Lounge for their premium passengers / gold card holders. It'll probably be a few years coming as T2 is pretty full - but expansion plans are in progress.

Do remember that Delta have their own Escape Lounge - next to the V-Room. It's pretty small (probably about the size of one side of the normal Escape lounge). This could free up a little space, but being realistic, for a good Clubhouse you'd want the Delta Escape Lounge + the V-Room knocked into one.

Could be interesting - which makes more money for Virgin Group? The V-Room with paid access from V-Hols customers, or a Clubhouse using the V-Room area for premium pax - many of whom will doubtless be on full J-fare tickets. I suspect the V-Room is rammed in school holidays (so 12-14 weeks a year) and quieter outside these times. A Clubhouse would be busy year-round and Virgin could admit other airlines passengers into a Clubhouse [for a fee, naturally] later in the day when there would be few - if any - VS departures if they wanted to.

Well that VS Card was burning too big a hole in my pocket so its been used for a nice little long weekend away to New York - from Manchester.

Out in Economy on the VS127 and returning on the VS128 in Upper Class, which for the price I paid considering there is no Ex-Dublin, feels like i am stealing from VS!

Am I the first V-Flyer to be booked on the new MAN-JFK?

Well that escalated quickly, OHnot impressed at flying Economy for the outbound so now rebooked it in Upper for an additional £400 each

Have seen some very impressive ex-MAN UC prices to JFK lately! Good job snapping them up