We're getting giddy with excitement for the debut of Virgin Atlantic's first Airbus A350 service to New York. However, in the meantime, Virgin has revealed another gem of information hidden away in a press release. That's right, the British airline will begin flying the Airbus A350 to Los Angeles as its second destination.
The Airbus A350 is becoming a popular widebody aircraft. In fact, this year both of Britain's big long-haul carriers received their first Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. While British Airways is busy preparing for the first long haul Airbus A350 flight, Virgin is gearing up for its very first A350 service.
New York first
Virgin Atlantic will start off by placing a heavy focus on providing the Airbus A350 on its New York route. In fact, by December, the British carrier will be operating flights to New York four times daily using the new Airbus A350 aircraft.
However, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Before the carrier goes 4x daily on its JFK service, it still has to fly its inaugural flight. This is currently scheduled for the 10th of September, however, could be subject to change. Virgin Atlantic is set to receive four Airbus A350-1000 aircraft by the end of the year and will be placing each on the New York route as it is delivered.
City of Angels next
Earlier today, both Virgin Atlantic and Delta airlines released press releases about their transatlantic services. Both airlines sneakily revealed that Virgin's second Airbus A350 destination would be Los Angeles.
LA will also be the second Virgin Atlantic destination to receive the [Virgin Atlantic's] new A350, from next year.
Los Angeles is an important destination for the Virgin Group, as it is where both the Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit projects are based, however, this is unlikely to have played a role in the decision for the next Airbus A350 route. The route to Los Angeles is currently served twice a day by Virgin's Boeing 787 aircraft. However, with the introduction of the Airbus A350, the carrier will begin flying to the City of Angels 17 times per week in 2020.
Brand new Upper Class
The Airbus A350 will be a welcome addition on the route to Los Angeles as the aircraft is equipped with a brand new Upper Class cabin. This sees "suite" seats for every business class passenger in a 1-2-1 layout. You can read what we thought about the new seat when we saw it in April.
Are you excited to see Virgin's A350 announced for the Los Angeles route? Let us know in the comments!