NEW: Virgin Atlantic launches flights to The Maldives and Turks & Caicos
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In exciting news for Virgin Points holders, and indeed holders of the Virgin Atlantic credit cards who have 2-4-1 or upgrade vouchers to burn, Virgin Atlantic has announced a new route to The Maldives.
It is also lanching a new route to the Turks & Caicos Islands.
Tickets are NOT bookable yet but will be soon. Services start in Winter 2023.
Virgin Atlantic to The Maldives
Flights will operate 3x weekly from London Heathrow.
The first flight will be on 22nd October 2023 (I might need to pull rank on Rhys for the press trip ….). Tickets will be available from 30th November 2022.
It will be operated with a Boeing 787-9, which means that you will get the old style ‘coffin’ Upper Class seat. The configuration is 31 Upper Class, 35 Premium and 192 Economy.
Virgin Atlantic to Turks & Caicos
Flights will operate 2x weekly from London Heathrow.
The first flight will be on 15th November 2023, with tickets bookable from 11th January 2023.
It will use a Boeing 787-9 with the same configuration as above.
These new routes add to the Virgin Atlantic island portfolio which includes recent launches to the Bahamas (December 2021), St Vincent and the Grenadines (October 2021) and the upcoming return to St Lucia.
Virgin Atlantic now guarantees Virgin Points availability
Following the (impressive) changes to Virgin Flying Club availability made this year, there is now guaranteed availability for Virgin Points on all flights.
Virgin Atlantic now guarantees 12 award seats on EVERY Virgin Atlantic flight.
This comprises:
- two seats in Upper Class (review here of the Boeing 787 seat)
- two seats in Premium (review here)
- eight seats in Economy
The snag is that Virgin Atlantic is opening up booking for the Maldives on the very edge of the booking window.
Virgin Atlantic opens up booking 331 days ahead, so when seats become available to The Maldives on 30th November 2022, only the first couple of outbound flights in October 2023 will be bookable. There will not be a huge reward seat dump on Day 1 because the flights are too far ahead.
Turks & Caicos will be different. The flights are tagged onto the existing Montego Bay service so reward seats will be shared.
Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic, commented:
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to add these two exotic new routes to our flying portfolio. Nothing sets our hearts soaring like a new destination to explore, so, with two about join our network, there’s only really one question. Where to first?
“The Maldives has always been an incredibly popular destination for Virgin Atlantic Holidays customers, which is why we couldn’t wait to give them the opportunity to travel to the idyllic location in style onboard Virgin Atlantic aircraft.
“We’re delighted to begin flying to the Turks & Caicos islands, as we continue to grow our Caribbean portfolio, offering more choice for our customers to explore these beautiful islands and enjoy some winter sun.
“We know our customers will be over the moon with the introduction of these new destinations, both offering something unique for travellers looking to either simply relax or explore a new corner of the world.”
It’s great to see Virgin Atlantic expanding beyond North America. Let’s see if 2023 also sees some new Asian routes too.
How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (April 2024)
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.
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold 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
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 40,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 40,000 Virgin Points.
The Platinum Card from American Express
40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review
Small business owners should consider the two American Express Business cards. Points convert at 1:1 into Virgin Points.
American Express Business Platinum
40,000 points sign-up bonus and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review
American Express Business Gold
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.
(Want to earn more Virgin Points? Click here to see our recent articles on Virgin Atlantic and Flying Club and click here for our home page with the latest news on earning and spending other airline and hotel points.)
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