• Virgin Atlantic Airbus A350-1041 (2)
    Virgin Atlantic
    IATA/ICAO Code:
    VS/VIR
    Airline Type:
    Full Service Carrier
    Hub(s):
    London Heathrow Airport
    Year Founded:
    1984
    CEO:
    Shai Weiss
    Country:
    United Kingdom

In less than two and a half months, Virgin Atlantic's first revenue-generating A330neo (A330-900) flight will lift off from London Heathrow on October 12th. Its destination: Boston. It is loaded and bookable, although it could change.

Boston will be one of five routes to see the new type this winter season, all from Heathrow. It'll join Tampa, Miami, New York JFK, and – with just two one-off flights – Atlanta.

Four A330-900s needed

Virgin has ordered 16 A330-900s for delivery between 2022 and 2026. Based on its current plans for this winter, it'll need four aircraft. They'll each have 262 seats: 32 in Upper Class (two retreat suites, 30 Upper Class seats), 46 in premium (2-3-2), and 184 in economy (2-4-2).

They'll have four fewer seats than the A330-300s they'll replace. Of course, the critical difference is 11%-13% lower fuel consumption, improving route economics, and 50% less noise. In July, Simple Flying looked at the A330-900's Upper Class offering.

Virgin Atlantic A330neo
Atlanta will see just two visits from the airline's A330neos in the coming winter schedule. Image: Virgin Atlantic

First flight: October 12th

According to Virgin Atlantic's latest schedule upload and reflected in its booking engine, London Heathrow to Boston will see its first commercial A330-900 flight. It'll be on Wednesday, October 12th, not long before winter schedules kick in. It'll replace 264-seat A330-300s, meaning two fewer seats per departure.

  • London Heathrow to Boston: VS11, 17:30-20:15
  • Boston to London Heathrow: VS12, 22:15-10:00+1
Virgin Atlantic's A330-900 network this winter
Virgin Atlantic will serve several destinations with its new A330-900s this winter. Image: GCMap.

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Five routes planned this winter

Between October 12th and March 25th, the last day of the Northern Hemisphere aviation winter season, the following will all see Virgin's A330-900s. They include Tampa, a brand-new route for Virgin and Heathrow, which was to use A330-300.

  1. Boston: A330-900 from October 12th (on VS11/VS12), operating alongside the A330-300/B787-9; 6x weekly A330-900 from early December, 1x by A330-300
  2. Tampa: A330-900 from November 3rd (on VS129/VS130), sub-daily but rising to 1x daily from November 27th; exclusively by the A330-900
  3. Miami: A330neo from November 11th (on VS5/VS6), initially alongside the A330-300, then 1x daily A330-900 from December 5th
  4. New York JFK: A330neo one-off on November 7th (VS9/VS10), then 1x daily from March 6th (VS3/VS4)
  5. Atlanta: A330-900 on March 21st and 25th (VS103/VS104)
Virgin Atlantic A330-900 Atlanta
Atlanta will, for now, have only two A330-900 flights this winter, one on March 21st. Image: Virgin Atlantic.

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Up to 4x daily flights

Virgin will have up to 4x daily A330-900 departures. That number will be next March, with just 14 days seeing that amount. On March 6th, for example, these will operate:

From Heathrow (March 6th departures from the UK):

  1. 08:55: VS3 to JFK, arriving at 12:15 local time
  2. 12:20: VS5 to Miami, arriving at 17:40
  3. 13:25: VS129 to Tampa, arriving at 18:35
  4. 16:25: VS11 to Boston, arriving at 19:20 (Virgin's winter timings)

To Heathrow (March 6th arrivals in the UK):

  1. 18:30: VS4 from JFK, arriving at 06:30+1 on March 6th
  2. 19:40: VS6 from Miami, arriving at 09:20+1
  3. 21:50: VS12 from Boston, arriving at 09:30+1
  4. 20:50: VS130 from Tampa, arriving at 10:15+1 (Virgin's winter timings)

Have you flown the A330neo yet? If so, with which airline and on what route? Let us know in the comments.