Virgin Atlantic’s Top 5 US Routes With The Airbus A350

Virgin Atlantic Airlines (VS) operates a fleet of 12 Airbus A350 widebody aircraft. These aircraft are the stretched variant of the A350-1000, making it the type’s fourth largest operator.

According to Ch. Aviation Virgin Atlantic serves 32 destinations in 17 countries, 11 of which are in the US. The UK-based airline utilizes this fleet on long-haul flights, many of which travel to the continental US from its main bases in London Heathrow International Airport (LHR) and Manchester International Airport (MAN).

This guide will look at the most popular US routes that VS operates using the A350. Cirium, an aviation analytics company, provides the data for June.

Aircraft

Virgin utilizes two different configurations of the A350-1000. The first is the Booth model, configured with 16 first class seats, 56 premium economy class seats, and 325 economy class seats (C16W56Y325). This is the high-density version of the A350 operated by VS.

Photo: Bradley Caslin | Shutterstock

The other model, the Loft, is configured with 44 first class seats, 56 premium economy class seats, and 235 economy class seats (C44W56Y235).

Seven of the 12 aircraft are in the high-density Booth configuration, and the rest are in the Loft configuration.

1

London to New York

The highest frequency route on the list

The flight with the highest capacity is to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) from LHR. The airline flies along this 3,452-mile route 157 times in June, 79 times to JFK and 78 back to LHR.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

It uses the lower-density Loft model for this route, as passengers willing to pay a higher premium for better seats tend to travel on this route more frequently. The aircraft offers 335 seats per departure, which allows VS to provide 53,595 seats and 181.55 million ASMs along the route for the month.

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2

Manchester to Orlando

MCO is a popular escape for British tourism

Orlando is a popular tourist destination for tourists from Europe due to its sunny weather, theme parks, and beaches. As a result, it is one of the more popular destinations that VS offers from MAN. However, the airline flies to the destination at a considerably lower frequency than to JFK, nearly 50% less, with only 76 flights back and forth.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

To compensate for the lower frequency, it offers 397 seats per departure on the high-density A350-1000, giving the route 30,172 seats for the month. The flight is 4,237 miles long as the crow flies from MAN to Orlando International Airport (MCO), which also gives VS 127.83 million ASMs on the route.

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3

London to Orlando

The second flight to MCO that VS operates

The airline also flies to MCO from its base in LHR with nearly identical frequency, with just one flight less in each direction compared to the flights originating from MAN, which total 74 flights.

Photo: Airbus

Once again, the high-density booth version of the A350 is used, giving 397 seats per departure, allowing for 29,378 seats for June. The distance from LHR to MCO is slightly longer, at 4,337 miles, giving the route a total of 127.41 million ASMs.

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4

London to Atlanta

ATL is tied for fourth place with IAD in terms of number of flights

VS also flies to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), which is often one of the busiest airports in the US and a major East Coast hub. The airline offers 31 flights to and from ATL, 4,211 miles from LHR in a straight line.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

It operates the Loft model, which has fewer seats. This gives the route 20,770 monthly seats and 87.46 million ASMs. Once again, the reason is that ATL is primarily an economic destination rather than a tourist one. Passengers with deeper pockets fly the route more often, allowing the airline to maximize profits with fewer flights.

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5

London to Virginia

VS offers flights to the second busiest airport near the US capital.

VS offers daily flights from LHR to the second-busiest airport in the Washington-Baltimore area, totaling 62 flights back and forth along the 3,677-mile route. The number of flights as the ATL route, but since the route is slightly shorter than the one to ATL, the ASMs are lower, putting the IAD route last on the list.

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Once again, Washington is primarily a business destination, so the airline uses the Loft A350, which has more business class seats, with 335 seats per departure. The route has the least seats and ASMs, with 20,770 monthly seats and 76.37 million ASMs.

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