Virgin Atlantic is delighted to launch new direct services between Austin, Texas and London Heathrow, the airline’s first new route from the US since 2015.

The four times a week service will launch on 25th May 2022 and will operate on the airline’s 787-9 aircraft boasting 31 Upper Class, 35 Premium and 192 Economy Delight, Classic and Light seats.

The new service will connect the growing tech hub of Austin direct to London, which is not only one of the financial capitals of the world but a leading destination for tech start-ups. For those customers travelling for leisure, Heathrow is just a 15 minute train journey from the city centre, perfect for visiting attractions such as Buckingham Palace, the Shard and the Tower of London. Customers travelling to London Heathrow will also have the option to smoothly connect onto Virgin Atlantic’s rest of world destinations through Terminal 3 including Delhi, Mumbai and Shanghai.

Austin is a key focus for Virgin Atlantic and its expanded joint venture partners, with Delta Air Lines offering connections from Austin to 10 US cities, Seattle, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Detroit, Minneapolis, Cincinnati, Atlanta, Raleigh Durham, JFK. KLM also looks forward to launching three times weekly services from Austin to Amsterdam on 28th March 2022 offering even more choice for customers both side of the Atlantic to connect between the US and Europe. In addition, Virgin Atlantic Holidays will be launching a holiday portfolio in Austin and throughout Texas including hotels and fly drive holidays to capitalising on the increased demand for leisure tourism from the UK to Austin, with travellers looking to explore the “live music capital of the world” as well as the city’s famous art and foodie scene.

As well as flying customers, Virgin Atlantic will offer 20 tonnes of cargo capacity on each flight. This fast cargo service will offer new opportunities for companies looking to export and import goods such as high-tech products and e-commerce between prime markets in the UK and US.
Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic commented: “We are incredibly excited to launch this new service between Austin and London Heathrow. With an impressive food, arts and music scene, we know it’s a destination our British customers will love to explore.
“The US has been our heartland for more than 37 years since our first flight to New York City in 1984. Since US borders opened to UK travellers on 8 November, it feels extra special to be launching new flying, especially to the fantastic city of Austin.

“There are so many synergies between Virgin Atlantic and the city of Austin. We love their philosophy and desire to celebrate local brands, businesses and communities and we cannot wait to welcome customers, both existing and new onboard, flying them safely to explore this fabulously quirky city.”
Jacqueline Yaft , CEO, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport commented: “We are thrilled to welcome Virgin Atlantic to Austin and Central Texas. This exciting new partnership helps meet our goals of continued recovery from the impacts of the pandemic and furthers our commitment to being the Gateway of Central Texas for both leisure and business travelers alike.”

As Virgin Atlantic recovers from the pandemic, the airline continues to work towards its vision of becoming the most loved travel company. With new Caribbean services to St Vincent and the Grenadines, Bahamas and St Lucia as well as new flying from Edinburgh to Barbados launching tin 2021, the airline is focussed on serving the destinations we know our customers love to visit. Later this year, Virgin Atlantic will be the first UK airline to receive the A330neo aircraft which not only boasts a step change to its Upper Class Suite and social space for customers but will help transform the fleet into one of the quietest and most fuel efficient in the sky.

Flights are on sale from Wednesday 12th January at www.virginatlantic.com with return Economy fares starting from $708 per person.
Enhanced flexible booking policy on all new bookings

To help customers book with confidence, Virgin Atlantic has extended its policy of unlimited free date and flight changes for new bookings, giving further flexibility to customers to support future travel plans. The updated flexible booking policy enables Virgin Atlantic customers making a new holiday or flight-only booking for travel up to 31 December 2022, to make as many changes as necessary to their travel dates, origin or destination, with the change fees waived**, as well as one free name change.
In addition, the rebooking horizon, the date by which rescheduled travel can be completed by, has been extended by eight months for all new and existing bookings – all the way until 31 December 2023 – giving a broader window of time to reschedule plans if needed.
The improved flexible policy also applies to customers who already have converted their booking to a voucher or hold an open ticket and will benefit customers if their flight or holiday is subject to cancellation, in addition to their refund and voucher options.

Route facts
Aircraft type
787-9 with 31 Upper Class, 35 Premium and 192 Economy Delight, Classic and Light seats.

Route frequency
Four times a week – Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday

Flight timings and flight number
AUS – LHR – VS232 – 18:05 / 09:00 (next day arrival)
LHR – AUS – VS231 – 11.35 / 16:05

First flight
25th May 2022

Fares
Flights on sale from 12th January.
Return Economy fares start from $708 per person, Premium from $1,471 per person and Upper Class from $3,001 per person.