Virgin opening more seats for visitors out of UK

With a growing demand among Britons for travel to Barbados and other Caribbean countries, Virgin Atlantic has announced that it will be ramping up airlift capacity beginning Sunday, August 1.

This comes a week after the British airline carrier commenced daily flights to Barbados.

Caribbean Country Manager at Virgin Atlantic Hannah Swift said starting Sunday, the airline would be flying its Airbus A350 from Bridgetown, offering a 335-seat capacity per flight, a 300 per cent increase.

This, she said, formed part of a wider transformation strategy of the company.

“The introduction of our A350’s on the Barbados route is a true evolution of our customer experience. We believe that flying should always be exciting whether we are reuniting you with friends and family, taking you to your next big meeting or whisking you off on that bucket list holiday,” said Swift in a release.

“The A350 forms a significant part of our fleet transformation strategy and by 2022, we’ll have our youngest, cleanest, greenest fleet in the sky as the aircraft transforms our customer experience and it reduces our environmental impact,” she added.

She said the A350 comes with several special features, adding that Virgin Atlantic was offering greater flexibility to customers.

Swift also pointed out that the airline had extended its rebooking horizon for all customers until April 2023, giving a broader window of time to reschedule plans if needed.

“To ensure the health and safety of customers and crew, Virgin Atlantic is implementing additional measures to offer peace of mind in the airport and when taking to the skies,” she added.

“These include enhanced and thorough cleaning practices at check in, boarding gates and onboard including the use of electrostatic spraying of high-grade disinfectant in all cabins and lavatories before every flight, ensuring no surface is left untouched.  Safe distancing will also be adhered to wherever possible, and mask wearing will be required throughout the journey. All customers will be provided with a personal health pack for their health and safety, which will contain three medical grade face masks to be worn onboard, surface wipes and hand gel,” said Swift.

(MM/PR)