Virgin Atlantic says it wants to be travel agents’ “airline of choice” for the Caribbean as it ups capacity on leisure routes to the region.
Virgin’s new route between Heathrow and the Bahamas went on sale on Wednesday (August 11) and sales vice-president Lee Haslett noted the 35 Upper Class seats at the front of the Boeing 787 as an opportunity for the trade.
He said: “We used to operate a lot 747s to a lot of the Caribbean islands that only had 14 seats at the front. Given the premium mix that you’ll get to a destination like the Bahamas, having all of those Upper Class and premium economy seats is fantastic.”
The airline has hosted events for travel agents in order to communicate the new routes, and recent boosting of capacity, which Haslet said have garnered a “phenomenal reception”.
More:Virgin boosts Caribbean capacity in response to green list additions
Virgin Atlantic ‘hopeful’ of US reopening from September
Haslett said Virgin “takes counsel” from the trade in terms of which routes it should look to operate. He added: “We got feedback loud and clear that the Bahamas was a great destination, that they have really, really good pent-up demand for and we’re definitely seeing that on day one.”
Sales have “kicked off really well” with “impressive” numbers to the Bahamas, he added. “I’m looking forward as we get into the weekend and those busier booking Friday and Saturdays and seeing the numbers on Monday morning.”
Virgin also announced its first routes from Edinburgh this week, moving an Orlando service from Glasgow when it resumed in April 2022 as well as a new service to Barbados from December – the first direct service from Scotland to the Caribbean.
Haslett hailed the Barbados route as “a fantastic opportunity for our trade partners in Scotland” especially for winter sun. He added: “The great thing about I guess Barbados is it offers such fantastic onward connections to the wider Caribbean, so seamless links to Grenada or St. Vincent or Tobago.
“It really does create a bit of a hub and great some great connecting traffic to other Caribbean islands.”
Virgin also held trade events in Scotland, in partnership with the Visit Barbados tourism and marketing team.
Haslett said: “We’ve seen phenomenal business for the Caribbean for winter and into early 2022, and brilliant support from our trade partners. And they’ve told us that there’s more that could be had, and we’ve listened to that and put more capacity on – but, as we know, it doesn’t stop there. It’s not just about the Bahamas and Barbados. There is more.”
Virgin has also announced the return of its three-times-weekly Heathrow-St Lucia services from December 18, with 31 Upper Class seats and the return of its Manchester-Jamaica route, with three flights a week from November 6.
Haslett said: “It’s great for the Caribbean. We really want to be the airline of choice for the trade when it comes to premium leisure to the Caribbean.
“We’ve got phenomenal support from our travel agency community and we’ve seen that support for what has been a very difficult 18 months.
“We believe this gives them plenty on the shelves to sell as we head into winter, and it’s absolutely what we can see the UK consumer wants.”