Is Virgin Atlantic planning to launch flights to Tel Aviv?
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Reports in some Israeli newspapers in recent days, eg here, have suggested that Virgin Atlantic is planning to launch flights to Tel Aviv in September.
The only logic quoted is that Shai Weiss, the new CEO, is Israeli.
However, there are a couple of other potential reasons:
the Dubai flight terminates at the end of the March, freeing up a pair of landing slots which would presumably work OK for an overnight Tel Aviv flight (EDIT: apparently these slots are being used for the additional Boston flight)
alternatively, a day flight could presumably be fitted around existing North America services (it would be a 12-hour round trip)
the arrival of the A350 fleet from mid 2019 will give Virgin Atlantic extra capacity, especially when coupled with the four ex-airberlin A330 planes leased in 2018
If this is true, it would be an interesting strategic move for Virgin which has been focusing very heavily on North America for growth in recent years.
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How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (June 2025)
As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Virgin Points from UK credit cards. Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.
You can choose from two official Virgin Atlantic credit cards (apply here, the Reward+ card has a bonus of 18,000 Virgin Points and the free card has a bonus of 3,000 Virgin Points):
Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard
18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review
Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard
3,000 bonus points, no fee and 1 point for every £1 you spend Read our full review
You can also earn Virgin Points from various American Express cards – and these have sign-up bonuses too.
The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card is FREE for a year and comes with 20,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 20,000 Virgin Points.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card
Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review
The Platinum Card from American Express comes with 50,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 50,000 Virgin Points.
The Platinum Card from American Express
50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review
Small business owners should consider the two American Express Business cards. Points convert at 1:1 into Virgin Points.
The American Express Business Platinum Card
50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
The American Express Business Gold Card
20,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review
Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Virgin Points.
