Manchester: Virgin Atlantic Route News & Base Updates

[Dobbo]

Airline route have now updated this news to give the flight numbers.

Boston will be VS121/122, and SFO will be VS125/126.

Good news. Any indication of VS/DLs next move at MAN (or the timing of it)?

 

[User001]

Not sure, however, I did notice that they skipped the VS123/124 number, hopefully another potential route in time.

 

[jfy1999]

Not sure, however, I did notice that they skipped the VS123/124 number, hopefully another potential route in time.

I've always been confused as to how airlines decide on flight numbers. Some look pretty arbitrary to me 👎

 

[Dobbo]

I'm sure if we looked we would find a correlation, or perhaps no correlation at all!

I'd be surprised if DL/VS ignored the prospect of a route to LAX. The service pattern anticipated by TCX (daily to the west coast - 4xLAX 3xSFO) seems like a sensible model to follow.

Other mooted route is Detroit?

 

[User001]

Delta to keep the B767-300 on the JFK run this winter. Was originally planned to go back to the B757, so, it seems the route is doing well enough to keep the larger aircraft.

As good as an aircraft as it has been, it's pleasing to see an ever decreasing B757 TATL option, replaced by wide bodies as it shows the loads and yields are increasing,

 

[User001]

The new flights to San Fransisco and Boston are now bookable on the virgin website (just the first flight for each route due to the 330 day advance booking period.

San Fran starts on 28th, and Boston on 29th, so, a day later than announced for each.

One thing to pick up on though. Las Vegas last year started u again in May, this year was March 25th, and next year, it's now March 2nd. The start date keeps getting earlier which can only be a good thing.

Will be 1 weekly on Thu from 2-25th March, then it rises to 2 weekly until July when the 3rd weekly usually kicks in.

Orlando looks to be going 12 weekly from 27th March, up from 11 weekly due to Bridgetown going on the A330 and increasing to 2 weekly. When the Vegas flight goes up to 3 weekly on the A330 in July, then Orlando will increase to a full 2 daily schedule.

Word is that the down time between the Vegas flights on the A330 will actually be utilised this time, so, potentially 4 more weekly flights to somewhere.

This means we have now confirmed in peak summer

MCO 14 weekly B744 (2 based) +1 based on 2016
LAS 3 weekly A330 no change
SFO 3 weekly A330 new
BOS 2 weekly A330 new
BGI 2 weekly A330 +1 based on 2016 (3 based).

So it's 7 flights and 1 extra based gained so far, with potentially 4 more flights to be added.

Cracking news, Virgin and delta have really impressed me, they just keep growing and growing!

 

[Dobbo]

Difficult to assess where the next flight might be. Without knowing the "down time" I'll assume we are primarily looking at East Coast or carribean routes. The options seem to be:

Detroit
Miami
more Boston
Carribean

Could they fit in another couple of west coast rotations if demand and sales exist?

 

[Land23R]

User001, I think you mentioned a while back that you thought DL were considering/planning to start Detroit next year.
Is that still the case, do you know?

You didn't mention ATL in the above list, which if it continues at daily would take the VS flights to 31 weekly in peak summer. Was that an accidental omission?

 

[User001]

Yep accidental omission, just miss as it's the only route with no change.

Detroit should be announced in October. Apparently could be on VS metal, hence there is a flight number missing in the sequence between the SFO/BOS flights.

 

[Land23R]

Thanks for that.

 

[Dobbo]

Is there any particular reason that all VS/DL flights ex MAN are on VS metal save for the JFK route?

Is it a marketing thing, operational or simply a legacy of the historical DL and VS operations from MAN?

 

[Dobbo]

So apparently VS are going to operate MAN-JFK? As early as October this year?

Would that be instead of the DL service or in addition, does it mean an extra based aircraft?

Lots of questions!

 

[Aviador]

Now that is interesting especially considering BA don't operate the route anymore.

 

[User001]

It will be interesting to see if this is in addition or instead of Delta, given the full joint venture.

It would be good news either way, as it could free up Delta to go for Detroit, but, one to watch.

 

[EGCC_MAN]

BA will be quick to tell you that they do offer MAN-JFK. But this is of course via their codeshare partner American Airlines. It makes sense for this arrangement to continue, because BA metal would be 'orphaned' at a MAN base, whilst for AA MAN is a spoke like all the others. If BA/AA decide to increase their representation on MAN-JFK then a larger AA type is the likely outcome rather than a BA-branded aircraft.

Meanwhile, the likelihood of Virgin taking over responsibility for MAN-JFK has seemed a matter of 'when' rather than 'if' since the changes on the MAN-ATL route. Virgin is such a strong (well loved) brand in the UK, and Manchester appears to be a predominantly outbound market (more UK residents than US). I doubt that we will end up seeing both Delta and Virgin on the route. It would be nice to see a freed-up Delta aircraft take on MAN-DTW, but the company will see alot of competing options for the redeployment of that frame.

 

[Dobbo]

Well if DTW was planned for the spare airtime for the Vegas VS A330 aircraft in S17 perhaps that implies either another based VS aircraft or another DL route.

If VS take JFK, DL move to DTW would that leave capacity for VS to take LAX or more SFO?

 

[Land23R]

I think it's inconceivable we would see both VS and DL flying to JFK given the capacity now on the route, although I'm not sure if TCX offer any flights over the winter. Also, the VS A333 takes 266 pax compared to DL's 220ish on the normal config. with 26 in J class, so a reduction to 5 x weekly sounds quite likely to me.

As for Detroit, are there any more indications we could see that route in 2017?

 

[Dobbo]

It seems sensible for DL to use the VS brand from MAN. I'd expect them to use their own metal on a flagship route like JFK but if they don't use it for ATL they may not use it anywhere.

I could see DL and VS operate JFK. But with the anticipated entry of Norwegian onto this route as well as planned expansion from TCX it is difficult to see 5 (6 if you count PIA) that seems like overkill.

In addition to both operating JFK, VS could operate to SFO, LAX, BOS, MIA, ATL and DL could operate DTW.

 

[User001]

I could potentially see a VS flight working alongside the DL flight.

The DL could run in the morning, and, the VS flight late afternoon, to capture later traffic.

Currently, we have 4 daily flights to New York.

They leave 0925, 1015, 1105 and 1245.

The VS flight, in time, could potentially be used to utilise a west coast flight, in the same way the Boston flight is used to increase the utilisation on the San Fransisco.

Therefore, if the JFK flight left at say, 1600, the later traffic option could open a new type of demand. Currently, after 1245, if you want a NYC flight, you have to connect.

Even if it's just 3-4 times a week, it could work well.

 

[Dobbo]

All subject to what Norwegian decide to do. I think the late afternoon slot to JFK is a gap in the market.