HELLO TAMPA BAY! VIRGIN ATLANTIC MARKS DOUBLE CELEBRATION AS ITS NEW A330neo TOUCHES DOWN IN ITS LATEST DESTINATION

• First ever route between London Heathrow and Tampa Bay has touched down this afternoon.
• The 4 weekly service will enhance to each day from 28 November.
• Virgin Atlantic’s brand-new aircraft, the A330neo will function the route, boasting new Upper Class cabin and first ever Retreat Suite.

LONDON, Nov. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Sir Richard Branson has touched down in Tampa Bay for the primary time this afternoon on Virgin Atlantic’s inaugural A330neo flight. The flight was additionally welcomed by the Mayor of Tampa Jane Castor and CEO of Tampa Airport Joe Lopano, alongside representatives from Visit Tampa Bay and Visit St Pete Clearwater, marking the areas first ever direct providers to London Heathrow. 

The new Airbus A330neo, named Billie Holiday, flew over a delegation of VIPs, together with the airline’s CEO Shai Weiss. On board, company have been handled to an array of the area’s well-known delicacies together with Cuban sandwiches, key lime pies and Two Tribes Floridian beers. In a nod to town’s world class sports activities groups, Sir Richard Branson and Shai Weiss donned the sports activities jerseys of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Tampa Bay Lightning, as they posed for pictures alongside the airline’s world-famous cabin crew.

The new year-round Florida service will initially fly 4 occasions per week earlier than growing to each day from twenty eighth November, complementing the airline’s flights to Miami and Orlando. This newest addition follows the airline’s launch of direct flights between London and Austin, Texas in May 2022, cementing the USA as Virgin Atlantic’s heartland. The airline’s expanded three way partnership with Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM means clients throughout the US and Europe will be capable of join seamlessly onto the brand new service by way of Heathrow.

Tampa Bay shall be one of many first locations to expertise Virgin Atlantic’s brand-new Airbus A330neo which is designed to offer a premium, personalised expertise for each single buyer. The airline’s Upper Class cabin boasts a model new seat, evolution of its iconic social area and the revealing of The Retreat Suite, essentially the most spacious suite in Virgin Atlantic’s historical past.

Sir Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic and Founder of Virgin Group stated:

“We have double the reasons to celebrate today as we fly our brand-new plane into our latest destination – Tampa Bay. I can’t think of a better way to mark our arrival into this incredible region than by giving passengers the best start to their journeys on our new A330neo.

“Tampa Bay has all of it; a year-round heat local weather, vibrant nightlife, countless sights and naturally a few of the world’s greatest seashores in St Pete and Clearwater. Combined with its rising entrepreneurial mindset, the area merely is smart for Virgin Atlantic and I am unable to look ahead to our clients to expertise all it has to supply.”

Shai Weiss, CEO at Virgin Atlantic commented:

“Today is a big milestone in Virgin Atlantic’s continued development, as we get again to our greatest for our clients and folks. The USA is our heartland and Florida has an essential position in our American portfolio, so I’m delighted to be bolstering connectivity to the area with the one direct flight to London Heathrow. 

“It’s also fitting that our new route will enjoy our newest aircraft, the A330neo. This plane has evolved our customer experience, with every traveller receiving a premium experience regardless of the cabin they travel in. It also plays a significant role in our multi billion dollar fleet transformation, demonstrating our commitment to the planet. We know the most impactful thing we can do as an airline is to fly the cleanest, greenest, youngest fleet possible and the A330neo is integral to achieving this goal.”

Joe Lopano, CEO Tampa International Airport, commented;

“Tampa International Airport is delighted to partner with Virgin Atlantic for nonstop service to a world-class destination like London–Heathrow. This route will give our passengers another premier overseas option for both business and leisure, aboard an aircraft that reflects TPA’s commitment to cutting-edge innovation and unparalleled service. We’re excited to support Virgin Atlantic’s continued growth here for many years to come.”

Santiago C. Corrada, President and CEO of Visit Tampa Bay commented;

“Today is an exciting day for the Tampa Bay region and shows the strength of the partnership between Visit Tampa Bay, Visit St. Pete Clearwater and Tampa International Airport. Virgin Atlantic is the perfect partner not only for its high quality and fun product offering but they also share our focus on diversity and inclusion. We are looking forward to welcoming even more international travellers from across the UK and Europe into the region to see everything we have to offer from our wide range of hotels, Michelin recommended restaurants and stellar attractions. Tampa Bay is a premiere destination and we are excited about the opportunities the new service with this industry-leading airline will bring. We very much welcome Sir Richard Branson, all of his team and the VIP media and guests on today’s flight to the area.” 

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About Virgin Atlantic   

Virgin Atlantic was based by entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson in 1984, with innovation and superb customer support at its core. In 2022, Virgin Atlantic was voted Britain’s solely Global Five Star Airline by APEX for the sixth 12 months operating within the Official Airline Ratings. Headquartered in London, it employs over 7,500 individuals worldwide, flying clients to 29 locations throughout 4 continents. Virgin Atlantic just lately continued its enlargement within the US, saying a brand new path to Tampa from November 2022, following the launch of flights to Austin in May 2022. 

Alongside shareholder and Joint Venture associate Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic operates a number one transatlantic community, with onward connections to over 200 cities world wide. On 3 February 2020, Air France-KLM, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic launched an expanded Joint Venture, providing a complete route community, handy flight schedules, aggressive fares and reciprocal frequent flyer advantages, together with the flexibility to earn and redeem miles throughout all carriers. Virgin Atlantic can be set to hitch the worldwide airline alliance SkyTeam in 2023. Virgin Atlantic will develop into SkyTeam’s first and solely UK member airline, enhancing the alliance’s transatlantic community and providers to and from Heathrow and Manchester Airport.

Sustainability stays central to the airline, which is dedicated to attaining internet zero by 2050. To meet this aim, Virgin Atlantic welcomed the primary of 16 A330-900neos in October 2022. The A330-900neos are outfitted with essentially the most fuel-efficient engines and designed to be 11% extra gasoline and carbon environment friendly than the A330-300s that they change and ship a 50% discount in airport noise contour. These investments reaffirm the airline’s dedication to flying one of many youngest and most fuel-efficient fleets within the skies, ensuing within the discount of carbon emissions by 20%, growing to 30% in 2027. 

For extra info go to www.virginatlantic.com or by way of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @virginatlantic.

SOURCE Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd