As of this week, travelers can now book flights on Virgin Atlantic’s brand-new A350 aircraft, offering an entirely redesigned upper-class cabin, as well as the airline’s social space, The Loft.
The aircraft’s first commercial service is expected to take place on September 10 from London Heathrow to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport. The introductory schedule is expected to be as follows: Flights from September 10 – October 26 will operate daily, except for Thursdays when the aircraft will be in planned maintenance; from October 27, scheduled maintenance will switch to Tuesdays.
Four A350s—Mamma Mia, Red Velvet, Rain Bow and Queen of Hearts—will join the airline’s fleet by the end of 2019. All four aircraft will initially fly between Heathrow and JFK. Virgin Atlantic will continue to take delivery of a further eight A350s throughout 2020- 2021 with full schedule and destination information set to be revealed at a later date.
All of the airline’s initial A350 deliveries will be based at London Heathrow. The final five planes will offer a leisure configuration and will operate routes to Florida and the Caribbean from London Gatwick and Manchester Airport. These deliveries will take place in 2021 as the airline beings to retire its Boeing 747 fleet.
The A350 is the first aircraft for Virgin Atlantic that has the new social space known as The Loft. As the largest social space in the airline’s fleet, it’s designed for customers to gather, chat, enjoy a drink or dine with friends. The A350 also offers an entirely redesigned upper-class suite, with window-facing seats and deployable privacy screens. Customers traveling in Virgin Atlantic’s Premium cabin and its Economy cabin will also be able to enjoy increased levels of luxury, including the largest-ever entertainment screens for Virgin Atlantic.
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