Heathrow hits back after Virgin Atlantic says airport ‘fleecing’ passengers with ‘disproportionate’ fees TURBULENT SKIES THE EXTRAORDINARY public spat between two of the world’s largest airlines and Heathrow airport moved into another stratosphere yesterday after Virgin Atlantic’s boss said Heathrow was “abusing its monopoly to fleece passengers.” Both Virgin and BA-owner IAG have hit out at Heathrow after the airport asked the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to allow it to [...]
Tail between the legs: NYC-bound Virgin Atlantic plane u-turns due to ‘rostering error’ U-Turn A Virgin Atlantic plane was forced to go back to Heathrow due to one of its pilots being not properly trained. The plane, which was headed towards New York, was 40 minutes into its journey on Monday when the personnel realised there had been a “rostering error” which put a not fully qualified pilot on [...]
Virgin Atlantic accuses Heathrow of ‘cynically’ downplaying recovery to increase fees Virgin Atlantic v Heathrow Virgin Atlantic has accused Heathrow of “cynically” downplaying its recovery to increase passenger fees. “With remaining UK travel restrictions now removed, Heathrow is set to be the busiest airport in Europe this year,” a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson told aviation website Simpleflying today. The airline accused the London-hub of “seeding doubt in the strength of demand” [...]
Virgin Atlantic reaps the rewards from oil bet in pandemic rebound March 13, 2022 Virgin Atlantic will offer the same number of seats for customers as this summer as it did in 2019 - prior to the pandemic.
Virgin Atlantic to adopt lower carbon fuel converted from plastic in net zero push February 15, 2022 Virgin Atlantic is set to adopt a new, lower carbon fuel that has been converted from waste plastics as part of a new partnership with chemical conversion technology firm Agilyx. The collaboration spans the Virgin Group, including Virgin Orbit, and aims to tackle both the plastic problem and carbon emissions. “We cannot keep wasting all [...]
Virgin Atlantic slammed for ‘overblown and oppressive’ staff socialising ban January 30, 2022 Virgin Atlantic has been criticised for not allowing airline staff to socialise in a bid to prevent Covid outbreaks. Under a policy that has been in place since 21 December, pilots and cabin crew and not allowed to eat or socialise together. Bosses are trying to crack down on a party culture that they fear [...]
London snub: Branson heads for Amsterdam SPAC listing January 7, 2022 The Virgin Group has drawn up plans to list a new special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in Amsterdam in the coming months, insiders report.
Virgin Atlantic boosted by £400m in funding from Branson’s Virgin Group and Delta Air Lines December 13, 2021 British Airways rival Virgin Atlantic is hoping to leave the turbulence behind after sealing a funding deal with Virgin Group and Delta Airline to inject £400m in fresh cash to steer it out of the pandemic. Virgin Atlantic, like many other airlines, has been battered by the Covid tracvel restrictions and the clisure of many [...]
Business travel equilibrium unclear to everyone, Virgin Atlantic boss says December 1, 2021 Virgin Atlantic’s chief executive Shai Weiss believes business travel forecasts are still very unclear to all airlines, because of the pandemic’s unpredictable nature and the consequent measures taken by governments to curb the spread of the virus. Speaking on a panel at London’s World Aviation Festival today, Weiss stated that despite seeing a recovery of [...]
Watch: Travelers and airline crew ecstatic as first UK to US take off from Heathrow November 25, 2021 The US reopened its borders to international flights on Monday, offering joy for travelers and hope for hard-pressed airlines. Watch the full report.