Virgin Atlantic boosts Manchester-Orlando capacity

Virgin Atlantic has announced it will be offering 30,000 extra return seats to Orlando from Manchester Airport in summer 2014.

To meet high demand for travel to one of Virgin Atlantic’s flagship destinations, Richard Branson’s airline is deploying a Boeing 747 aircraft on all 11 of its weekly flights from the UK’s northern gateway, Manchester Airport - resulting in up to 2,000 extra available seats to and from the Sunshine State every week.

Confirming the enduring popularity of Florida with British holidaymakers, Virgin Atlantic will carry up to 10,000 passengers every week from Manchester Airport next summer, a 25 per cent increase from this year.

The move further confirms Virgin Atlantic’s commitment to expansion in Manchester following the recent launch of its domestic service Little Red, which operates four daily return flights from Manchester Airport to London Heathrow.

Little Red’s services reintroduced competition on the route, which had been served by a single carrier since British Airways’ takeover of bmi.

Edmond Rose, director of airline planning, Virgin Atlantic, commented: “Orlando has always been one of our most popular destinations and across our network we offer nearly 40 return flights a week to Florida.

“We are delighted to see continued high demand for our flights from the North West of England and to meet this demand we have taken the decision to bring a second Boeing 747 jumbo jet onto this route, resulting in a huge increase in the number of seats available for holidaymakers looking for a sunshine break.

“This continues our recent work with Manchester Airport to expand our operations, after we launched our first ever domestic flight from the airport this Easter. We now offer passengers from the city four daily flights to London Heathrow, opening up a host of onward connection opportunities on our worldwide network, with destinations varying from Tokyo to Cape Town, Lagos to Los Angeles.”

The 455 seat jumbo jet will replace a 314 seat Airbus A330 which previously operated seven of Virgin’s 11 weekly flights.

The Boeing 747 aircraft also features Virgin Atlantic’s award winning Upper Class in addition to the Premium Economy and Economy product available on the Airbus, and was recently refitted to include touch screen in-flight entertainment systems, new seats and mood lighting in all cabins.

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Virgin Trains reduces fares by 25% during July engineering works

Virgin Trains has introduced a number of Cheap Day Return tickets between Glasgow and Northern England for travel in mid-July.

Return fares between Lancaster, Oxenholme, Penrith, Carlisle and Glasgow will be reduced by 25% during the nine consecutive days of engineering work between July 13 and 21 (inclusive) for passengers travelling back on the same day.

The offer coincides with Glasgow Fair weekend, one of Scotland’s busiest public holidays, when thousands of families traditionally travel south of the border.

A Cheap Day Return from Glasgow to Carlisle will cost £17.40, compared to the normal £23.20 Off-Peak fare. Passengers travelling to either Oxenholme or Penrith in the Lake District will pay £22 instead of £29.50, while those heading to Lancaster will pay £23.50 against the normal £31.30 fare.

Essential maintenance work being carried out by Network Rail will see the West Coast Main Line closed between Warrington Bank Quay and Preston, resulting in no direct services from London Euston/Birmingham New Street to Edinburgh and Glasgow Central. However, travel north of Preston will not be significantly affected.

Gary Iddon, Virgin Trains’ General Manager for Scotland and North England, said: “We recognise that passengers will be affected by this work and we’re doing everything we can to ensure that alternative travel arrangements are put in place for them. We will have extra staff deployed within stations to ensure that passengers get the appropriate information and can find their connecting services easily.

“We’re delighted to be able to offer a significant price reduction on a number of fares between Lancashire, Cumbria and Glasgow, where travel will not be significantly affected. We would encourage the public to take advantage of these.”

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