10 day trial at London Heathrow shows UK Government can rapidly expand its Amber policy and remove self-isolation for fully vaccinated US and EU citizens arriving into the UK

 The results of a joint UK proving trial established by Heathrow, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic have demonstrated the UK Government can rapidly expand its Amber policy and remove self-isolation for fully vaccinated US and EU citizens arriving into the UK.

The group’s encouraging trial results come ahead of the UK Government’s next checkpoint to review traffic light measures, due by this Saturday, 31 July. Using a selection of US, Caribbean and European routes, the trial successfully proves that airlines and airports can very effectively check a wider range of recognised vaccination statuses for different nationalities – in both paper and digital format – at the point of departure and away from the UK Border, ensuring no further pressure in immigration halls. Verification checks ensured 99% of credentials were authentic with the remaining 1% successfully denied where documentation requirements were not met.

Findings from a 10-day proving trial jointly organised by Heathrow, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic demonstrate that internationally recognised vaccination statuses can be checked quickly and easily away from the border to allow safe entry to the UK 

Around 250 fully vaccinated voluntary participants on flights from the USA, the Caribbean and Europe to London Heathrow presented their Covid-19 vaccination status in digital or paper format, with 99% of credentials correctly verified for a smooth and convenient customer experience 

Anonymised data from the trial has been shared with the UK Government ahead of the next traffic light restrictions checkpoint, due by 31 July 

The trial shows industry readiness for Amber rules for fully vaccinated travellers, with no reason to delay an expansion to US and EU citizens 

The exemption from self-isolation for fully jabbed arrivals from Amber countries is currently limited to vaccines administered by UK authorities, meaning the UK is falling behind the EU and hindering its own economic recovery, with citizens of our largest trading partners unable to avoid self-isolation even if they’re fully vaccinated

New British Airways, Virgin and London Heathrow trial

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Heathrow have joined forces to prove it’s possible to quickly and easily verify those arriving into the UK who are fully vaccinated – an identification process already in place for outbound travel to several countries. Earlier this week, Germany became the latest country to confirm it would accept fully vaccinated UK travellers without the need to quarantine. The new UK proving trial, enabling inbound travellers to present their fully vaccinated status, will support the Government to move forward with its plans to remove quarantine for double jabbed passengers entering the UK from ‘amber list’ countries.

Later this week customers travelling on selected flights from the US, Caribbean and Europe to London Heathrow will be invited to take part in a proving trial to support the Government in lifting some of the most onerous restrictions for travellers arriving from ‘amber list’ countries

Fully vaccinated travellers of all nationalities will be able to present their Covid-19 credentials in digital or paper format to help prove vaccination status can be quickly and easily checked away from the border and allow safe entry to the UK

Anonymised data will be shared with the UK Government at the earliest opportunity, providing real-world insights to support the introduction of a scheme to exempt fully vaccinated passengers from self-isolation

Participants will continue to adhere to current restrictions for travellers entering from ‘amber list’ countries during the trial period

The proof-of-concept aims to support the Government to introduce exemptions for fully vaccinated travellers no later than 19 July, allowing the UK to catch-up with the EU and US, which have already introduced similar schemes

Routes including Los Angeles-LAX and New York-JFK have been chosen given Transatlantic air links between the US and UK are vital to re-start business, reunite families and allow people to go on holiday

Delta and Virgin Atlantic to return to Heathrow Terminal 3 from July 15th

Delta and Virgin Atlantic have been given the go-ahead by Heathrow Airport to resume operations in Terminal 3 from July 15th

Delta and Virgin Atlantic are returning to their home at London Heathrow Terminal 3, which has been closed for over a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, on July 15. The airlines are looking forward to safely welcoming customers back onto their home turf, which has been missed by many, with their signature flair, dedicated seamless check-in area and award-winning facilities. 

Award winning Clubhouse will also reopen

Delta is operating nonstop services to Heathrow from both Atlanta and New York-JFK, however, U.S. entry restrictions for non-essential travellers from the U.K. still apply. Virgin Atlantic destinations including Antigua, Barbados, Grenada and Israel are all classified as “Green” on the Government’s travel list, which means customers are not required to quarantine on their return.

Eligible Delta customers, as well as Virgin Atlantic Upper Class and Flying Club Gold members, can also once again enjoy access to the airline’s award-winning Clubhouse, Revivals lounge and Upper-Class Wing. In the Clubhouse, they’ll enjoy complimentary a la carte menus featuring five-star dining, smaller tapas dishes, meats and cheeses from the deli and afternoon tea. A wide selection of wine, cocktails and soft drinks are also available to be enjoyed across the many Clubhouse relaxation spaces, such as the library or restaurant, or outside, plane spotting on the roof terrace. 

Delta and Virgin Atlantic to launch built-in digital health credential; provides blueprint to reopen trans-Atlantic travel

Delta customers travelling between the U.S. and U.K. this summer will be among the first to use Delta FlyReadySM, a new digital health credential solution that will help take the guesswork out of meeting health requirements during international travel. The tool will initially help manage testing requirements, but Delta will integrate vaccination credentials into Delta FlyReady later this summer – great news for customers looking to travel to Delta FlyReady-eligible destinations that require proof of vaccination for entry.

Delta began testing the new solution in late April on flights between Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and London’s Heathrow Airport. Delta FlyReady assists customers in scheduling a COVID-19 test that meets destination requirements, automatically verifies their test results and confirms the traveler meets the necessary testing requirements in place at their destination. In partnership with Virgin Atlantic Airways, customers travelling on either Delta or Virgin Atlantic-operated flights will be able to use the tool beginning this summer.*

“Early in the pandemic, we realized that our customers would need a way to navigate the complex requirements of post-COVID international travel, so we began working with our partners at Virgin Atlantic to develop this solution,” said Allison Ausband – E.V.P. & Chief Customer Experience Officer. “We are committed to making travel an enjoyable experience that we all cherish, and Delta FlyReady is an easy-to-use, reliable and effective capability that removes the guesswork for customers and our employees.”

All the transatlantic airline CEO's call for the reopening of transatlantic travel..........

All the transatlantic airline CEO's call for the reopening of transatlantic travel

The CEOs of all airlines that offer UK-US passenger services – American Airlines, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic joined today with Heathrow Airport and other industry-leading CEOs in calling for the re-opening of transatlantic travel, a move that will be essential to igniting economic recovery.

Top leaders in aviation and travel came together ahead of the G7 meeting in Cornwall later to push for the reopening of the UK – US travel corridor. With world-leading vaccination programmes in both the UK and US, there is a clear opportunity to safely open up travel between these two low-risk countries, enabling consumers on both sides of the Atlantic to reconnect with loved ones, re-establish business relationships and explore new destinations after more than a year of lockdowns and restrictions. The CEOs urged both governments to take a data-driven and risk-based approach to re-opening borders to travel.

A line-up of American Airlines CEO Doug Parker, British Airways CEO and Chairman Sean Doyle, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian, Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye, JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes, United CEO Scott Kirby, U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow and Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss joined forces at the panel event, hosted by Duncan Edwards, Chief Executive of BritishAmerican Business.

Virgin Atlantic to ship vaccines through partnership with SkyCell

Virgin Atlantic’s Pharma service will use SkyCell’s temperature-controlled containers to ship valuable, life-saving pharmaceuticals

                                       SkyCell, one of the leading manufacturers of innovative pharma containers, has partnered with Virgin Atlantic to contribute to its safe, secure, and sustainable shipment of valuable vaccines and pharma products. Virgin Atlantic will use SkyCell containers covering the full range of biologics transit temperature requirements: -80°C, -25°C to -15°C, +2°C to +8°C, and up to +15°C to + 25°C.

The partnership will give customers confidence that their pharmaceutical shipments will arrive at destination safely, as the innovative hybrid containers - which have an average runtime of 202 hours - have a failure rate of less than 0.1%. This is compared to an industry standard failure rate of up to 12%, which cost the pharma industry $34.1 billion in 2019 alone. 

Further refinancing for Virgin Atlantic as services reduced

Virgin Atlantic is hurrying a refinancing deal through that will see Griffin Global Asset Management buy two of the airline Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft and then lease them back which will release a further $231 million.  Griffin is a subsidiary company of Bain Capital which has already rescued another Virgin air company - Virgin Australia and is also an investor in the recently launched Virgin Voyages.

According to reports, the majority of the money will be used to pay back Davidson Kempner - the specialist hedge fund that stepped in to help at the height of the first UK lockdown. There will be approximately $70 million left over to help keep the airline going into the middle of the year.

Virgin Atlantic launches new India flying from Manchester

Virgin Atlantic is delighted to announce it will be launching services to Delhi and Mumbai from Manchester as the airline ramps up flying from its home in the north.  

Flying three times a week from Manchester to Mumbai beginning in December and twice weekly to Delhi starting in January, these new services will go on sale on 20th October.

Virgin Atlantic launches a duo of new routes from Manchester to Mumbai on 19th December and to Delhi on 5th January benefiting half a million Indian diaspora living across the north

With more than 16 million Indians living outside of their country and 500,000 living across the north of England, India has the world’s largest diaspora. These new services will open up more than 130,000 seats between Manchester and India and aim to respond to the large, fast-growing demand to visit friends and relatives as well as capturing demand for business and leisure travel to the region as global economies gradually recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.  

 As well as flying customers, Virgin Atlantic will offer a fast, efficient cargo service presenting new opportunities for companies looking to export and import goods such as fresh produce, pharmaceuticals and textiles between prime markets in the UK, US and India.

Virgin Atlantic get a brand new Airbus A350-1000 on lease from Air Lease Corporation

Air Lease Corporation, one of the global leaders in commercial aircraft leasing has confirmed the delivery of one new Airbus A350-1000 aircraft on long-term lease to Virgin Atlantic. 

The jet is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines and is is the first of four A350-1000s ALC will deliver to the airline from current order book with Airbus.

“We are pleased to announce this first new A350-1000 aircraft delivery to Virgin Atlantic today,” said Steven F. Udvar-Házy, Executive Chairman of Air Lease Corporation. “Our A350-1000s will replace Virgin Atlantic’s Boeing 747 aircraft on routes from London across the Atlantic to modernize the airline’s long-haul fleet.”

Virgin to try and make money on three new routes to Pakistan

Fresh from the news that Virgin Atlantic is to shed more jobs,  the airline with Atlantic in its name is going to try and make money by launching two new routes.   The airline is planning to start new routes to Pakistan from London and Manchester this December.  

The troubled carrier is going to start services to Lahore and Islamabad from London Heathrow, as well as a service from Manchester to Islamabad. The initial schedule will see the Virgin Atlantic flying four times a week to Lahore and three times a week to Islamabad, whilst the Manchester - Islamabad service will be four times a week.  The new services are aimed at tapping into the lucrative market reconnecting friends and relatives.   

Virgin also hope to connect the Pakistani population living in U.S. with friends and relatives back in Pakistan via London Heathrow.   The routes are all currently subject to applicable regulatory approvals and will offer Virgin's usual fare offerings of Light, Classic, Delight and premium economy as well as Upper Class.       

Virgin to shed yet more jobs despite rescue deal being agreed

Virgin Atlantic, the UK airline, part-owned by U.S. carrier Delta had confirmed that another 1150 staff at the troubled firm will lose their jobs, despite a £1.2 billion rescue deal being agreed in recent weeks.

These new job losses come around four months since the airline axed more than 3500 jobs and closed its London Gatwick Airport home base. 

"The outlook for transatlantic flying, which is core to Virgin Atlantic's business, remains uncertain with US-UK travel curtailed," the airline said in a statement,  "Until travel returns in greater numbers, survival is predicated on reducing costs further and continuing to preserve cash,"

Whilst these times are incredibly difficult for all airlines, Virgin says the last six months have been the most difficult in its history and the recent rescue deal secures that carriers future for only the next 17 months

Virgin is commencing the legally mandated 45-day consultation period with staff this Friday and could not rule out further job losses in the future. The airline is hopeful it can avoid compulsory redundancies by introducing a similar scheme to the government's furlough scheme for around 600.

Brian Strutton, BALPA General Secretary said:  "Hardly a day now goes by without more tough news from the aviation industry. This announcement from Virgin is the latest.

Our reps are meeting with Virgin next week and I am hopeful they we will find a way to avoid any further pilot redundancies. Every single job lost to this crisis is a tragedy and we are doing everything we can to mitigate job losses across the board.

 

"Despite no help from Government, their financing is now secure. I am confident that Virgin Atlantic will get through this Coronavirus crisis and will emerge in a strong position."

Virgin has now been removed from a list of preferred airlines by a business travel agency based in Brighton and other aviation analysts are predicting the demise of the airline in less than 18 months' time. 

The airline is calling for both UK and US governments to introduce robust passenger testing regimes to lift travel restrictions whilst protecting public health. 

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The latest on Virgin Atlantic.....bankruptcy and the future

The ups and downs of the financially troubled Virgin Atlantic have been so much like a rollercoaster in recent days it has been hard to keep up with,  the recuse deal was on then off and then on again. So, here's the latest...... at least for now!

Tuesday 14th July,    Virgin Atlantic announces basic details of a plan to 'solvently recapitalise' the airline'.  The press release said the recapitalisation would deliver a refinancing package worth c.£1.2bn over the next 18 months in addition to measures already taken.  

The plan would have seen The Virgin Group investing £200 million, deferral of £400 million shareholders deferrals and waivers. Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP investing £170m and creditors supporting the firm with £450 million of deferrals.  The press release at the time indicated this was going to be done through a court-sanctioned process under Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006, paving the way for this weeks action. 

Tuesday 4th August, Virgin Atlantic has filed for bankruptcy in the UK,  a position designed to allow creditors to vote on the much talked about financial restructuring proposals later this month. The company telling the court that it only had enough cash to last until 28th of next month without the restructuring deal going through.

Virgin Atlantic also files for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in New York,  which non-U.S. companies have to do in order to protect its assets while it goes through a potential restructuring. 

A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: "In order to progress the private-only solvent recapitalisation of the airline, the restructuring plan is going through a court-sanctioned process under Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006, to secure approval from all relevant creditors before implementation.  With support already secured from the majority of stakeholders, it’s expected that the restructuring plan and recapitalisation will come into effect in September. We remain confident in the plan."

The meeting of creditors will take place with the vote occurring on August 25th. 

So, yes, while Virgin Atlantic is technically bankrupt, it is only a temporary measure in order to allow its creditors to vote on the restructuring plan.  The carrier will continue to operate as normal while this action goes on and the future of the company,  well that really depends on the creditors meeting and what they decide to do. It is a fair assumption that they all will vote for the deal to go ahead,  at least that way,  they have some chance of getting the bulk of the money they are owed back - albeit over a much longer period than was envisaged. Some see it as rather telling that Delta, the U.S. carrier which currently owns 49% of Virgin is not a key player in the restructuring deal,  it has refused to invest more on the troubled carrier,  just deferring some of the money it is due.  

What does this mean for passengers?  Our chief aviation editor Jason Shaw explains:   "There isn't a great deal of difference for passengers,   the airline is still going to operate as normal. Flights are still going on schedule, the frequent flyer programme - The Flying Club continues with passengers being able to either, spend, earn or transfer miles as normal.   Nothing in the latest announcements, which the mainstream media paint as catastrophic, should give a great cause for concern."

"The airline is still ploughing through refunds for cancelled flights,  at a rather glacial pace it seems, and this will continue throughout the whole process going on at the courts and at the meetings."

"As for the future, the Virgin brand, whilst slightly tarnished is still strong and still popular with a lot of the travelling public.  The airline's service and staff are still its best assets, so I see no reason why it shouldn't survive the current turmoil, that is providing, of course, the creditors see a long term future for a return if the plan goes ahead.  If I needed to,  I'd still book a future flight with Virgin Atlantic, but if I was asked if I would either take a credit voucher or a full cash refund for a cancelled flight - I'd opt for the latter."

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Virgin Atlantic still up for sale despite recent recapitalisation plan

Virgin Atlantic is still up for sale,  the firm has appointed investment bank Houlihan Lokey to negotiate the whole sale process with potential investors it has been confirmed this weekend.

According to media reports,  more than 100 potential investors have already been contacted by the bank as the Virgin Group look to dispose of the bulk of its shareholding in the carrier,  to keep it afloat beyond the end of the year.

According to media outlets, a spokesperson for the group said: "Richard and the Virgin Group are committed to the airline and are not seeking to sell Virgin Atlantic. They recognize that additional investment will be needed to compensate for the total loss of revenue due to Covid-19 and are working with Houlihan Lokey to approach private investors about the investment opportunity."

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Virgin Atlantic confirms restructuring plan to keep it flying.

The UK based airline Virgin Atlantic that's partly owned by U.S. carrier has released more details of a special major refinancing plan that will keep it flying in the wake of the global COVID-19 crisis. 

On Tuesday the airline published details for the private-only solvent recapitalisation of the airline after talks with the UK government over a bailout failed to achieve the £500+ million it had asked for. 

This new solvent recapitalisation plan for the airline and holiday business will see the company through the worst of the crisis and enable to carry on flying, albeit with a smaller fleet and less staff.  The bulk of the plan isn't exactly new money,  it is more of deferring debt owed to creditors (£450 million) deferring payments to shareholders - Delta & Virgin Group mainly (£400 million).  New investment from Virgin Group (£200 million - partly proceeds from a sale of stock in Virgin Galactic). New investment from Davidson Kempner Capital Management LP - an investment management firm (£170 million) 

Virgin Atlantic supporting UNICEF and the World Food Programme-

The Virgin Group and Virgin Atlantic are supporting UNICEF and the World Food Programme-led Global Common Supply Chain Services Provision by donating a special cargo flight from Hong Kong (HKG) to Johannesburg (JNB), delivering essential PPE equipment for frontline health workers into Eswatini and Mozambique.

The flight, which departed Hong Kong on Thursday (18 June) and travelled via London Heathrow (LHR) arrived today carrying almost half a million items of PPE including masks, gowns, goggles and face shields procured by UNICEF to support the governments of Eswatini and Mozambique in their fight against COVID-19. Distribution of all items will be managed by the Ministries of Health in each country to ensure the PPE reaches the areas and individuals in greatest need to help beat this pandemic.

17 additional destinations to be added to Virgin Atlantic's summer schedule.

Virgin Atlantic has announced its plan to restart passenger flying to 17 additional destinations from August 2020.

Following the airline’s announcement that services from London Heathrow are expected to resume from 20th July 2020 onwards, Virgin Atlantic has unveiled more detailed plans that will see passenger flying restart to many destinations across the airline’s network.

Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer, Virgin Atlantic commented: “As countries around the world begin to relax travel restrictions, we look forward to welcoming our customers back onboard and flying them safely to many destinations across our network. From 20th July we are planning to resume some services and then from 1st August onwards, we will resume passenger flying to 17 additional destinations around the world including Tel Aviv, Miami, Lagos and San Francisco,”

“However, we are monitoring external conditions extremely closely, in particular the travel restrictions many countries have in place including the 14 day quarantine policy for travellers entering the UK. We know that as the Covid-19 crisis subsides, air travel will be a vital enabler of the UK’s economic recovery. Therefore, we are calling for UK Government to continually review its quarantine measures and instead look at a multi-layered approach of carefully targeted public health and screening measures, including air bridges, which will support a successful and safe restart of international air travel for passengers and businesses.”

Virgin Atlantic planned return to flying from London Heathrow Terminal 2 (subject to change and dependent on travel restrictions)

2021 Flight plan for Virgin Atlantc

Embattled Virgin Atlantic has announced its flying programme for Summer 2021 with services operating from London Heathrow, Manchester, Glasgow and Belfast.

The airline recently announced it had pulled out of its original home base of Gatwick Airport as well as taking its 747's out of service in order to cut its costs as it faces life post-COVID.

As countries start to lift travel restrictions and demand for travel begins to return, it is expected that Virgin Atlantic will steadily increase passenger flying in the second half of the year, with a further, gradual recovery through 2021.

In 2021, Virgin Atlantic intends to fly to 24 destinations around the world on a modern fleet of wide-body, twin-engine aircraft comprising of A330-300s, 787-9s, A350-1000s, as well as A330-200s before they retire in early 2022 as planned.

Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer, Virgin Atlantic commented: “As the Covid-19 crisis stabilises and demand gradually returns, we are looking forward to welcoming our customers back and flying them safely to their favourite destinations. We have taken the opportunity to pause, reflect and reshape our 2021 flying programme looking at efficiencies in our fleet and connectivity across our network, to ensure it is fit for the future, flying to the destinations we know our customers love to fly.

July restart date for Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic has announced its plan to restart passenger flying, with services from London Heathrow to Orlando, Hong Kong, Shanghai, New York JFK and Los Angeles set to resume from 20th and 21st July 2020.

As countries around the world start to relax travel restrictions, Virgin Atlantic will resume some routes on 20th July, while steadily increasing passenger flying throughout the second half of 2020, with a further, gradual recovery through 2021 in line with customer demand.

Services from London Heathrow to New York JFK, Los Angeles, Orlando, Hong Kong and Shanghai set to resume from 20th and 21st July 2020, with more destinations set to be announced in the next two weeks for the month of August
Additional measures put in place at the airport and onboard to ensure health and safety of our customers and our people
Dedicated cargo operations to continue to destinations on the Virgin Atlantic network and beyond, keeping essential supply chains running

Richard Branson hopes to make $500 million from selling a stake in Virgin Galactic to bailout other interests

Part of Virgin Galactic is now up for sale as Richard Branson seeks to raise urgent extra finance to help bail out his other business interests that are currently struggling to cope during the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. 

Branson had been facing a business backlash after demanding a UK government bailout for Virgin Atlantic, whilst refusing to put any extra finance into the airline, that's part-owned by the US airline Delta. Virgin Atlantic is already taking advantage of the government's furlough scheme whereby the majority of staff are having 80% of their wages paid by the state.   

The airline had already announced it would be shedding over 3000 jobs and drop its operations from London Gatwick, causing a massive shockwave in the local community.

Branson is hoping to raise $500 million from the sale of the stake in the loss-making Virgin Galactic which will then be used to prop up his other business interests including Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia. 

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Virgin Atlantic on the brink of bankruptcy....... Alvarez & Marsal put on standby to restructure and handle the administration of the UK airline half owned by Delta.

Photo Gatwick Airport

The UK airline Virgin Atlantic is said to be on the very brink of bankruptcy after it was revealed the company has put the firm Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) on standby, to do a complete corporate restructuring. 

Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) specialise in restructuring firms that are either bankrupt or on the verge of doing so, previous clients include Lehman Brothers and the giant US retail store chain Target.  It's understood the firm is already acting on a consultancy and is looking at bringing forward options for a so-called pre-pack administration that would see a restructured and financially viable Virgin Atlantic come out the other side of the current coronavirus crisis. 

US commentators have indicated that Delta Air Lines which owns almost half of Virgin Atlantic had insisted Alvarez & Marsal (A&M) be taken on, while UK commentators have said that it is a legal obligation for the directors of Virgin  Atlantic prepare for such events. 

Investment bankers Houlihan Lokey are also said to be advising the troubled airline that has only recently announced that more than 3000 jobs were on the line as it struggles to survive. There is media speculation that there are at least six serious contenders for interested in taking control of a restructured Virgin Atlantic.

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