Virgin Atlantic axes Hong Kong flights, permanently

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

• John T says:

  6 Oct6 October 12:22

  I wonder if Virgin will launch flights to ICN next year when they join SkyTeam.

  • Rob says:

    6 Oct6 October 13:09

    Seems a bit silly given Korean Airlines is in the alliance already. More likely to do a codeshare.

• ADS says:

  6 Oct6 October 12:53

  EY12 – choose your day carefully, it looks like it’s still a 787 on Tuesdays and Fridays !

  The difference between the ME3 capacity at Heathrow is huge
  EY – four 787s/A350s
  QR – three A380s, four B777s and a B787 to LGW
  EK – four A380s and another A380 to LGW

  • Sam G says:

    6 Oct6 October 15:54

    EK has Stansted as well & at least 1 of their Gatwick flights is on the 600+ seater 2 class A380 model, lots of seats!

    EY moving more towards local traffic and filling seats with connections where it makes sense, rather than being a full on connecting carrier competing with the other two

• Joshua Critchley says:

  6 Oct6 October 13:06

  With the Chinese takeover and destruction of any pretension of a difference from CCP China, Hong Kong is now a dangerous place to do business. This is why so many major western companies are de-emphasising their presence there and moving to Taiwan, Singapore, Japan, or Korea.
  So it’s not rocket science that as HK has lost relevance that virgin follows the money.

  • Mr(s) Entitled says:

    6 Oct6 October 13:27

    Only problem being Virgin haven’t followed the money to any of the destinations mentioned.

    • Joshua Critchley says:

      6 Oct6 October 13:43

      Virgin don’t need to. KLM, Air France, Korean and China Airlines all serve them.,
      Asia and back now takes up a lot of time on aircrafts. Why bother when fares to the US are higher and they can use a $300m Airbus there instead to carry us bankers back and forth, racking up free miles on the banks shareholders.
      It’s surprising how some people don’t realise that when an easy to redeem on route probably isn’t the most profitable (it all) and then comment with surprise when it get axed. Don’t have to work in banking to see that!

      • Mr(s) Entitled says:

        6 Oct6 October 16:05

        Easiest route to redeem on is London to New York and that is reputedly the worlds most profitable.

      • Rand says:

        6 Oct6 October 17:14

        … but bankers don’t necessarily choose VS for transatlantic business travel. VS is not the first (or second, or even the third choice) for me on LHR-NYC biz trips.

        • Rob says:

          6 Oct6 October 19:43

          I’ve chosen it for an NYC trip next month which a third party is paying for!

        • Oliver says:

          6 Oct6 October 19:47

          Bankers may prefer professional and sophisticated service in business class, don’t feel like virgin is targeting this kind of market, they want to be your mates and buddies. Don’t think virgin is the top business travel option for companies in East Asia as well.

      • Toto says:

        6 Oct6 October 22:36

        HK is still a great city! It’s only the strict quarantine rules that turned the taps off in the past 2 years, but many recruiters I spoke to in the region are saying business buzzing there again.

        Not sure what you mean by Chinese takeover? It was “handed back” to China in 1997 after the British “took it” by force to facilitate its Opium trade in China at the time
        Speaking as a HK native

    • Oliver says:

      6 Oct6 October 15:44

      Virgin would rather follow gender identity and lgbtq+ than money, they seems always want to be just a niche market brand, focus on young and teasing fun.

      • David says:

        6 Oct6 October 18:06

        Oliver sounds like fun.

        • Oliver says:

          6 Oct6 October 19:29

          Well as a 20s gay man myself, i am certainly having lots of fun, but I don’t need virgin to tell me with their PC gesture.

      • Anouj says:

        6 Oct6 October 18:37

        Bore off Oliver

        • Oliver says:

          6 Oct6 October 19:30

          Nah, i am having fun tonight actually

      • His Holyness says:

        6 Oct6 October 19:06

        *LGBTQIA2S+

        • G says:

          6 Oct6 October 19:42

          Here here oliver, 20s gay man here as well 🙂

• NorthernLass says:

  6 Oct6 October 15:16

  I’m in the process of moving most of my points collecting from BA to VS so it’s disheartening to see Virgin exercising such bare faced scumbaggery in respect of passenger rights. I’m mainly interested in MAN-JFK and ATL so not bothered about HKK but they do advertise themselves as treating people well so I hoped they were a bit better than BA!

• Lady London says:

  6 Oct6 October 15:49

  Is there any reason to think the large Delta shareholding in Virgin has been driving Virgin’s dropping of their Asia routes?

  • memesweeper says:

    6 Oct6 October 17:11

    Could be. Virgin “feed” Delta, and vice versa, in the states; not much chance of selling a through-connection in Asia.

    Maybe they will “look east” again when they have a full complement of planes and are properly profitable. I certainly hope so.

    • Dougzz99 says:

      6 Oct6 October 19:21

      Have Virgin ever been properly profitable? Are they ever likely to be?

      • Rob says:

        6 Oct6 October 19:40

        No and ?

  • Mark says:

    6 Oct6 October 22:16

    They dropped several non-US services just after Delta acquired their 49% stake – Tokyo, Sydney and Vancouver included if I remember correctly. I doubt that was coincidental. As @memesweeper says the feed is valuable to Delta for their domestic services, loss making far East routes less so.

• NorthernLass says:

  6 Oct6 October 16:25

  I also just looked at cash prices on VS for MAN-JFK for various dates next year and there doesn’t seem to be anything under £1500 return in economy! Is anyone seriously paying that?

  • NorthernLass says:

    6 Oct6 October 16:28

    Though looking again, weekend prices are a lot lower than this, I wonder what’s pushing them up so much on weekdays?

  • Dougzz99 says:

    6 Oct6 October 19:24

    Without any real analysis I’m starting to think that the early purchase of tickets is not really the way to go any more. Just had a further look at Tampa car rental for November/December and the prices are much more realistic than previously. I’ve just cancelled maybe the 6th or 7th reservation and made yet another.

    • Lady London says:

      6 Oct6 October 21:01

      I’ve been waiting for that news @Dougzz99. I’ve several car rentals I’d like to do but am simply not prepared to pay the prices that were quoted in the summer! I’ve noticed a couple of ads for long term hire as well.

• Tony1 says:

  6 Oct6 October 17:59

  Spoke to Amex on an unrelated matter, asked about the £200 credit. Told it was an error and will be taken back “soon”. Asked for MR Points as “sad”, told no. Oh well. Back to trying for a PP lounge this week.

• D says:

  9 Oct9 October 09:36

  £200 reversed last night and “Incorrect travel amex reversal” shown. Assume the actual credit will appear tomorrow.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.