Virgin Atlantic to restart passenger flights in July and provide ‘health pack’ amenity kits

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• paulm says:

  4 Jun4 June 14:43

  Presumably Orlando is subject to the US removing restrictions as not one of the approved entry points

  • Lee says:

    4 Jun4 June 14:46

    Can’t see China/Hong Kong open their doors

    • paulm says:

      4 Jun4 June 15:11

      Presume those two likely to happen due to cargo revenue

      • Rob says:

        4 Jun4 June 15:19

        Virgin is already flying China to Brussels (oddly) to London for cargo reasons.

        • Lady London says:

          4 Jun4 June 19:51

          I think a lot of companies use Brussels (and, i think, the Netherlands, as a hub/distribution centre.

          A lot of shipments from Chinese vendors seem to be brought in on a plane labelled up, then dropped into the post system as well in Brussels or Netherlands to customers all over Europe.

          I’ve probably done 30 orders this year on 4 or so different platforms UK and Eur in the past year and bar 2-4 of them every single one looked like it was shipped this way. I think that is why Chinese stuff takes 4-5 weeks to arrive – they probably wait for a container slot then it probably only spends 4-5 days in transit even though you’ve waited 4-5 weeks. I’ve noticed that when they need to, stuff can be made to arrive in 7-14 days but that’s only some situations and vendors.

  • Gumshoe says:

    4 Jun4 June 18:24

    VS seems absolutely confident that it’ll be flying to MCO on July 20th.

    But as you correctly point out, unless Trump reverses the order that bans MCO from accepting flights from the UK, it can’t.

    So does VS know something we don’t? Or is it just hoping and praying for the best?

• John T says:

  4 Jun4 June 15:07

  Universal Studios re-opened yesterday so I suspect that may be a reason for the Orlando resumption

  • marcw says:

    4 Jun4 June 15:41

    As long as the US remains closed to UK citizens…. you won´t be able to visit.

• Matthew says:

  4 Jun4 June 15:52

  That swanky health kit, with the foil/plastic package, missed opportunity to use paper packaging. Though pleased to see they are provided, unlike on BA wher eit is bring your own. Virgin 1-0 BA.

  • Oh! Matron! says:

    4 Jun4 June 16:06

    I wonder (actually hope) that they’ve done some research with virologists to determine which material is better from an ability to transmit the virus. I’d imagine paper to be much worse than plastic

    • Rhys says:

      4 Jun4 June 16:25

      I recently read that the virus survives less easily on paper due to its porous nature

      • Oh! Matron! says:

        5 Jun5 June 10:36

        Interesting!

  • Andrew says:

    4 Jun4 June 16:08

    Paper doesn’t provide enough of a barrier to keep the contents sanitary – unless it was plastic coated paper which defeats the object. Greta will need to take a back seat for a while – don’t think reusable cups will be welcomed back at coffee shops for the foreseeable (they had already banned them in early March).

    • Rhys says:

      4 Jun4 June 16:11

      Unless the virus can pass through the paper, it shouldn’t make a difference should it?

      • Chrisasaurus says:

        4 Jun4 June 20:35

        If alcohol can get out then you’ll be left with a dried out wipe which will be useless…

    • Lady London says:

      4 Jun4 June 16:29

      reuseable cups fine.
      Provided they stay in front of their customer that owns the cup.
      Customer’s cup should not be touched by staff, not brought to the machine and filled only carefully and at a distance from a fresh jug that is filled for each customer from the machine.
      Fill jug handled only by staff and then straight into dishwasher.

      Slmilar should always have been the case. I’ve stopped using coffee places when I saw the lack of hygiene when other customers brought their own cups.

      This is just common sense not just for COVID.

      • Anna says:

        4 Jun4 June 17:35

        Exactly, and the environmental lobby probably won’t be happy but the use of bleach and other viricides is going to be crucial to keep COVID under control for the foreseeable future. Someone posted the other day that other hospital infections like c difficile have virtually disappeared since the new hygiene measures were imposed and this can surely only be a good thing.

        • Lady London says:

          4 Jun4 June 19:56

          I miss @Novice. OCDC about food hygiene, like me 🙂

        • Lady London says:

          4 Jun4 June 20:03

          That’s very, very interesting @Anna. I and my OH lonf held the view that C. difficile (clostridium) outbreaks rampant in UK hospitals are simply due to filth – lazy staff and poor management not cleaning things properly and observing very poor hygiene standards.

          I don’t know anyone, of any age, but particularly the old, who is not terrified of having to go into a hospital in the UK because of this filth that no one talks about. Luckily for most readers here, a very high percentage of us have access to private medicine and some choice.

        • Mr(s) Entitled says:

          4 Jun4 June 22:15

          Lady London: If you don’t know anyone who is not terrified of going into hospital because of the filth then surely everyone you know must be talking about it?

        • marcw says:

          4 Jun4 June 23:29

          I think in general, rate of infectious diseases has fallen – just washing hands more often helps a lot. A LOT.

        • Alan says:

          5 Jun5 June 00:10

          @Lady London good luck with your private medicine given some of the cases I’ve seen from there that the NHS has had to mop up…

        • Jody says:

          5 Jun5 June 09:04

          I caught c diff in hospital after a surgery I had. It was truly the most horrendous thing I’ve ever experienced. Literally had rivers of poo leaving my body that I had no control over. Wouldn’t wish it on anybody!

  • Lady London says:

    4 Jun4 June 19:55

    and trendy cardboard bento box (Virgin) vs nast plastic wrapped sandwich triangle (British Airways Business and First) 30-Love.

  • Sanders says:

    5 Jun5 June 00:45

    Oh how awful, why should people have a lower quality product that would have little impact if recycled

• Andrew says:

  4 Jun4 June 16:10

  Meal in a cardboard box in Upper Class – luxurious!

  • Rhys says:

    4 Jun4 June 16:21

    Just clarified with Virgin – Upper Class will get usual food, albeit in a slightly indifferent presentation (likely a single tray).

• Phil G says:

  4 Jun4 June 16:48

  As long as FCO advice remains essential travel only, no one is insured either

  • pauldb says:

    4 Jun4 June 17:53

    It may be an anomaly but I believe my HSBC policy will still cover me, even if it book a new trip, for medical emergencies including repatriation. Just not for if I book now and want to cancel/abandon.

  • Alan says:

    5 Jun5 June 00:11

    That’s the key bit for me – whilst FCO advice remains I can’t see much travel happening. Even when it is lifted it sounds like most insurers are excluding COVID-19, so it could be an extremely expensive trip if you fall ill.

• Anna says:

  4 Jun4 June 17:36

  I’m confused about why Virgin are re-starting their operations when BA seems to be in the process of cancelling many of their July flights. Or is that the point?!

  • marcw says:

    4 Jun4 June 17:47

    It´s probably also a marketing strategy. Nice positive press release for the press in the current BA staff issue.

    Perhaps they also hope that by mid july the ban to visit the US will be lifted (I don´t think so, but…).

    • J says:

      4 Jun4 June 19:49

      Who’d want to go to the US right now?

      • Lady London says:

        4 Jun4 June 20:08

        Some States are doing well like Germany. Others more like the UK. It varies greatly. Population density and contact with families abroad seem to be factors that might explain some differences.

        • J says:

          4 Jun4 June 20:58

          Was thinking more about other events and the lunatic in the white house.

        • Sanders says:

          5 Jun5 June 00:46

          Health is the important factor

  • Gumshoe says:

    4 Jun4 June 21:18

    BBC News reports there was a meeting today between airlines and the government about the new quarantine rule.

    VS (and Easyjet) turned up. BA refused to.

    Surely no coincidence that VS today confirmed the resumption of flights to MCO next month, flights that are currently banned by the US.

    I can only assume that VS has been given assurances about the US reopening its borders by July 20th that haven’t, as yet, been made public.

    • marcw says:

      4 Jun4 June 22:51

      Perhaps its through Delta? But then, I´d imagine BA would have the same information.. at the end of the day the JBA AA-BA-IB-AY is way more important than the DL-VS one. Maybe it´s just wishful thinking.

• SammyJ says:

  4 Jun4 June 17:44

  Any word on Manchester or the other Orlando flights?

• Gumshoe says:

  4 Jun4 June 18:32

  @Rob or @Rhys: speaking of VS, are you aware of any recent change to the rules on reward flights?

  The fare rules specifically state the YQ carrier imposed surcharge won’t be refunded if the passenger cancels. It always has been before, along with the taxes & miles (minus a £30 redeposit fee), as with BA.

  Can’t work out whether this is a sneaky and very unwelcome new development, or whether it’s always been in the rules but never enforced.

  • Rob says:

    4 Jun4 June 19:21

    Not aware of anything. I would be VERY surprised if that was the case.

    • Michael says:

      4 Jun4 June 20:42

      Rob, are you able to look into this and publish an article soon if this is correct. Thank you.

      • Rob says:

        5 Jun5 June 09:27

        Virgin can’t change its T&Cs without giving you xx days notice.

  • Lady London says:

    4 Jun4 June 20:09

    They have to refund the ‘tax’ part of the tax, by law.

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