VA to start regional MAN <-> LHR service

[bazzanoid]

Not major news, but of use for anyone who flies to london to catch a connecting flight....

Virgin have announced that from 31st March 2013 it will commence a 3 times a day service to and from Manchester / Heathrow. They'll be using Airbus A319 for the route.

 

[stoneyloon]

They're also planning LHR to Aberdeen and Edinburgh too as there's so many of us Jocks flying with them already.

 

[london75]

I'm a bit concerned by the news though as it could spell the end for longhaul out of Manchester. It will be a lot more cost effective to centralise all flights from Heathrow as BA did, fewer crew, fewer checking staff, less terminal space, more space for flight consolidation.

I don't think this is good news, sorry for being a pessimist.

 

[wayneg]

I'm a bit concerned by the news though as it could spell the end for longhaul out of Manchester. It will be a lot more cost effective to centralise all flights from Heathrow as BA did, fewer crew, fewer checking staff, less terminal space, more space for flight consolidation.

I don't think this is good news, sorry for being a pessimist.

I am no expert on the subject but I would think VA have more than enough business on the MAN~MCO route.
Can't see them running a Heathrow to Orlando flight when they have Gatwick.
Time will tell but I think its a mixture of losing the rail link and improving the network to Heathrow for existing flights rather than removing Long haul from Manchester.

 

[london75]

Yep, its me being stupid, I never look at the Virgin flights from that London as it's too far away to drive and we prefer direct from MAN. I hadn't realised they had no slots to Orlando from Heathrow.

That's good news definitely. Hopefully it will bring down flights heading East rather than West as we've wanted to head the other way for a while and Heathrow seems to serve some of those routes.

 

[orangetiggs]

Va wont run and mco route from heathrow, heathrow is where the money is as such as its mostly business flights with lots of upper class seats. Im sure they will stick to man and lgw for the tourist flights.

Im not sure how well irgin america is but i think this is where the planes are coming from as they use the a319 on that

Be good for conntecting flights. Virgin holidays used to do med flights so maybe its all coming back as they had virgin sun a few years back