JNB still tops for Virgin

WITH its 20th
anniversary in South
Africa approaching
in October, Virgin Atlantic
has recommitted to serving
Johannesburg daily, a route
that is achieving 92% load
factors year-round, making it
one of the most successful
in its global network, says SA
country manager, Liezl Gericke
who spoke to TNW at a recent
event.
Liezl says up to 70% of
outbound seats are sold to
corporate customers in mining
and banking. Up to 85% of
travel on the route is point-topoint
travel between OR Tambo
and Heathrow, with onward
USA connections holding huge
potential for the airline.
Virgin will continue to use
the B787-9 Dreamliner on
the route, in a three-class
configuration (Upper class,
premium economy and
economy). WiFi, at a fee, is
also available on all flights.
New arrival times of 07h55
at Johannesburg mean
inbound travellers can connect
more easily domestically and
regionally, while Virgin’s joint
venture with Delta offers
seamless connections to more
than 200 destinations via