TORONTO — Virgin Atlantic is laying the groundwork for its return to the Canadian market, with an announcement about its country manager for this market expected in the coming weeks, and a promotional campaign starting this fall and ramping up in the new year.
Trade media got all the latest details at a Toronto press conference yesterday, hosted by one of the airline’s partners, VisitBritain.
Virgin Atlantic’s Kathryn Stanley and Simon Hawkins (photo courtesy Michelle Zimmer)
As reported in June, Virgin Atlantic will launch its new daily route between Toronto Pearson and London Heathrow’s Terminal 3 on March 30, 2025 with a mix of aircraft including the A330-900neo.
The A330-900neo “is a fantastic product,” said Simon Hawkins, Virgin Atlantic’s Head of the Americas, at yesterday’s update.
The state-of-the-art aircraft dovetails with Virgin Atlantic’s commitment to flying the cleanest, greenest fleet in the sky. In the company’s own words, “from wingtip to tailfin, we’ve used inspiration and innovation to make this aircraft brilliant on every level. From a brand new social space and wireless charging, even more storage and stylish design touches, through to a huge 11% less fuel burn and carbon emissions, it’s a game changer, Virgin Atlantic style.”
With 280 seats, passengers can choose between Upper Class, Premium and Economy.
“WE THINK THERE’S A SPOT FOR US”
Long-time industry veterans know this isn’t the first time Virgin Atlantic has come into the Canadian market. In the early 2010s the airline flew out of Vancouver. And before that, in summer 2001, the carrier was promoting its brand new flights out of Toronto. Then 9/11 happened, and that was the end of that.
Asked if the Toronto – London Heathrow is underserved, Hawkins noted that creating a spot in a market that’s already seemingly full is in Virgin Atlantic’s DNA. After all, it was 40 years ago that Sir Richard Branson launched Virgin Atlantic into the transatlantic market, with a single 747 and a whole lot of style and marketing genius. A few years later Virgin Atlantic faced down British Airways in a David-and-Goliath fight. These days Virgin Atlantic and its joint venture partners Delta Air Lines and Air France command 26% of transatlantic capacity.
Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330-900neos
“At Virgin Atlantic we always think there’s a spot for us. We know there is a dominant carrier. There’s Air Canada, and there’s also British Airways and Transat. We think there’s space in there for us. We have strong appeal and we offer something unique,” said Hawkins. “We’re a people-based company with a real spirit of innovation. From seat-back TVs to fully lie flat beds, we have a history of innovation.”
Bookings for the new Toronto – Heathrow flights opened June 19. “It’s very early days,” said Hawkins. “We’re looking to put more of a footprint in Canada. We’re excited about Canada.”
Virgin Atlantic’s Toronto flights will also come with air and hotel packages with Virgin Atlantic Holidays. One property sure to be in the program: Virgin Hotels London-Shoreditch, which just opened two weeks ago in the city’s East End.
Could Virgin Atlantic return to Vancouver, or any other Canadian cities, especially if the Toronto route performs well? “We’re always looking at opportunities. And with partnerships like WestJet we will continue to evaluate,” said Hawkins.
Virgin Atlantic’s WestJet partnership just adds to the connectivity. “They’re a really good partner for us,” said Hawkins.
WestJet will sell itineraries including flights operated by Virgin Atlantic from LHR to destinations within Virgin Atlantic’s international network for winter 2024/2025. By summer 2025, WestJet will also provide domestic connectivity to Virgin Atlantic’s Toronto – Heathrow route. WestJet and Virgin Atlantic established their codeshare partnership in 2019.
Virgin Atlantic is also maximizing its opportunities with its strong presence to India. “Virgin Atlantic does one million seats between the UK and India. It’s a significant market for us,” said Hawkins.
The Toronto – Heathrow route will reinforce the airline’s commitment to the Indian subcontinent and its third largest market with onward connectivity for Canadians travelling to Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, as well as Tel Aviv, Lagos, and Johannesburg via Heathrow.
Virgin Atlantic Airbus A330-900neos
Hawkins said Virgin Atlantic is a big fan of travel advisors, adding that the airline offers agent fares. “We’re in this market already with travel agents thanks to our partnership with Delta,” he said. “Travel advisors are a valuable component of our proposition, they’re very important to us.”
From Toronto, flight VS148 departs at 10:20 p.m., arriving at 10:30 a.m. the next day. On the return leg, flight VS147 departs LHR at 5:10 p.m., arriving in Toronto at 8:30 p.m.
