Virgin Atlantic is raising frequency between Heathrow and Los Angeles next summer with a third daily flight.
The additional service from May 2017 will coincide with Virgin and joint venture partner Delta Air Lines co-locating their operations at Terminal 2 at Los Angeles international airport (LAX).
This will improve connections between flights for passengers travelling onwards to more 20 Delta destinations, including Mexico, Hawaii and other parts of the US.
The is move is part of the US carrier’s larger $1.9 billion plan to modernise, upgrade and connect LAX Terminals 2 and 3 over the next seven years, as well as connect these terminals to the Tom Bradley International Terminal.
Virgin Atlantic is to deploy Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft on all three service between London and Los Angeles next summer with a new 1pm departure from Heathrow and a 6.30pm flight from the US west coast.
The carriers’ joint summer 2017 schedule includes 40 peak daily non-stop transatlantic flights between from the UK.
Of these, 28 flights will operate between Heathrow and popular US destinations such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta and Washington. An additional 14 flights will run from Manchester, Glasgow, Belfast, Gatwick and Edinburgh to US cities.
Virgin Atlantic commercial executive vice president Erik Varwijk said: “We have been flying between LA and London for over 25 years and this additional service will offer our customers even more choice in flight and connection times between these two fast-paced cities.
“All three flights on this route will be operated by our brand new Boeing 787-9 aircraft, giving our customers the most optimal Virgin Atlantic experience, including on-board Wi-Fi and power at every seat.
“Together with the increased connectivity as part of our joint venture with Delta, we’re able to offer our customers the best possible experience when flying between London and Los Angeles.”
Delta’s west region vice president sales Ranjan Goswami added: “Our joint venture continues to grow from strength to strength as we optimise our network, particularly across the west coast of the United States where we see the demand growing among customers in the technology and entertainment industries.
“Co-locating our facilities in Los Angeles International Airport, Terminal 2 brings tangible benefits to our customers who can have peace of mind knowing that they’ll have a seamless connection between flights across the pond with Virgin Atlantic, or within the US through Delta.”