Virgin Suspends Flights to Accra

Virgin Atlantic has announced it will be suspending its operations between London Heathrow and Accra, Ghana, from 22 September.
 The last flight from Accra to London will depart on 23 September. Exceptionally high fuel costs in Ghana, a challenging wider economic environment and an inability to operate morning arrivals from Accra due to scarcity of slots at Heathrow, have all contributed to the decision to withdraw the service.
 “These are still challenging times for the airline industry and we have to deploy our aircraft to routes with the right level of demand to be financially viable,” says Edmond Rose, Director of Airline Planning for Virgin Atlantic. Passengers can continue to book for travel prior to those days throughout the coming months.

Virgin Reintroduces Direct CT Seasonal Flights

Virgin Atlantic has re-introduced its direct seasonal flights between Cape Town and London from 18 October. The schedule will continue until April 2013. Flights will operate three times a week until the end of October, and from then will move to daily flights. “By introducing the direct flight for summer, we believe this will drive additional tourism to both London and Cape Town. The direct route also cuts down costs, whichever way you’re flying,” said Simon Newton-Smith, Virgin Atlantic’s Country Manager for South Africa.

Innovative Dining On Virgin Atlantic

 Virgin Atlantic has announced a new £100 million product investment in its Economy Class cabin. It’s a fresh new take on aeroplane dining, with the idea of replicating the feeling of a restaurant service, with a menu that includes a number of interesting dishes, such as a welcome cocktail and a snack tray service.

 The service, which was introduced from 1 November, features a welcome cocktail with mixed fruit juices (with or without  vodka) and a brand new menu with a new soft touch, non-slip meal tray for meals to be served. A cold breakfast or quintessentially British afternoon tea will be served in a deli-style box adorned with the words ‘High Tea’ or ‘Good Morning’ in the respective on-board languages on shorter flights.

 Passengers can also enjoy a separate dessert and hot drink service break between courses, with a bigger dessert  served with a choice of tea, coffee or a mug of hot chocolate on night flights. Cabin crew will now walk through the aisles wearing the new usherette tray, offering snacks during the movies.

  The airline’s new soft touch durable tray tray is 46% more greenhouse gas efficient over its life cycle than the tray it replaces. With all these changes  Virgin Atlantic will save 132kg per aircraft and enjoy a 4% reduction in CO2.