VIRGIN ATLANTIC WINS SHORT HAUL FLYING slots at LHR

[Andyzx]

Just got an email that some may find useful for domestic UK and short haul Europe and add a couple of points to your balances.

We are excited to announce that we have been offered all of the Heathrow short haul remedy slots available following the International Airline Group's acquisition of bmi.

We have fought hard for the right to fly short haul and take a strong challenge to British Airways within these shores. For 28 years both airlines have battled for customers all over the world and it has meant that British consumers have ultimately had some of the world's best flying and lowest fares.

This is the beginning of an exciting new era in Virgin Atlantic history and we now feel a responsibility to everyone that has supported us in this challenge. You can look forward to a great short haul service with us but most importantly reap the benefits from the re-injection of vital competition we can provide on these routes.

Over the next two weeks, we will work to finalise our plans for utilisation of the available remedy slots and to confirm a flying timetable. We will primarily focus on flying between Scotland and Heathrow, running multiple daily flights from Edinburgh and Aberdeen to London Heathrow.

Flights will commence around 31st March 2013 and complement the new Heathrow to Manchester route that we are also introducing next year. We will be working with a wet lease partner to provide narrow body Airbus A320 aircraft to operate these short haul flights.

We will be revealing specific details of our short haul product and famed onboard customer experience in the coming months, so watch this space!.

We look forward to seeing you onboard soon


Steve Ridgway
Chief Executive - Virgin Atlantic Airways

 

[Andyzx]

I assume that this really really pis#$d BA off big time after spending that amount of money on BMI

 

[anat0l]

I assume that this really really pis#$d BA off big time after spending that amount of money on BMI

Maybe, but one way or another they had to probably give way to some slots. They couldn't possibly keep all of them for the one airline when there is bugger all domestic competition.

Similar deal to giving up some of the international slots held by bmi; they'd like to keep all of them, but that wasn't happening.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using AustFreqFly

 

[moa999]

This was put of the regulatory deal to get the bmi purchase over the line.
Virgin Atlantic were always the likely winners.