20 Years with Virgin Atlantic's Amanda Lerena

Next month, Virgin Atlantic will
celebrate its 20th anniversary
of flying from South Africa. For
Johannesburg-based Mandy Lerena, the
arrival of Sir Richard Branson’s iconic
airline was the start of a globetrotting,
life-changing career.
Virgin Atlantic launched their first flight
from Johannesburg on 3 October 1996,
with an Airbus 340. They now operate
a daily connection to London Heathrow
on board a brand new, state-of-the-art
Boeing 787.
Mandy is one of the longest serving
members of the South African team,
having joined Virgin Atlantic in
September 1997. Over the last two
decades, she has racked up over 200
flights, helped countless customers,
and sipped champagne on board with
many celebs including Prince Harry,
Ewan McGregor and the England cricket
team. Mandy said, “I can’t believe it’s
been almost 20 years since I first set foot
inside Virgin Atlantic’s offices. It’s been
a rollercoaster ride that I never could
have dreamt of when I applied for the
job! Sir Richard Branson has always been
my ultimate role model, so working for
his airline was a dream come true – and
twenty years on, it still is!”
Since joining as a reservations and ticket
agent in 1997, Mandy has worked her
way up through the ranks to become
Sales Manager for South Africa. Leading
a team of 12, Mandy works with some
of the largest companies in the country
to ensure they fly in style with Virgin
Atlantic to London, New York and
beyond. Mandy said, “Virgin Atlantic
has given me more ‘wow’ experiences
in 19 years than most people have in
a lifetime. One of the most surreal
experiences was an Airwolf helicopter
ride to the top of a mountain for dinner.
It had the most amazing views I’d ever
seen, and I literally felt on top of the
world!”
Mandy has been involved in many of
Virgin Atlantic’s key moments, including
launching the brand new Boeing 787 on
the route, helping to launch Cape Town,
Kenya and also flights from Nigeria.
“In my time with Virgin Atlantic, I have
travelled across continents, been given
the support to develop my career, and
made lifelong friends - and most of it at
38,000ft and 800kms per hour. I still get
so excited when I see the planes taking
off and landing into Johannesburg and
I’m proud to have been part of such an
iconic airline that has pioneered so many
positives changes in the travel industry.
We always go the extra mile for our
customers to ensure their business trips,
honeymoons and adventures get off to
a flying start.”