Virgin Atlantic to Double its Service Between London Heathrow and San Francisco
Airline to Deploy 787-9 Dreamliner on Second Flight
A Virgin Atlantic 787-9 Dreamliner
Virgin Atlantic announced that it will increase its daily London Heathrow-San Francisco service to two flights a day beginning October 24. The service will be part of the carrier’s joint venture with Delta Air Lines.
Virgin will operate the second flight using its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. The planes are outfitted with 31 seats in Upper Class, 35 seats in premium economy, and 198 seats in economy.
The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is the second member of the Dreamliner family to be produced. Similar to the 787-8, the stretch jet uses 20% less fuel and produces 20% fewer emissions than similar-sized airplanes. The 787-9 is 20’ (six meters) longer, and has greater capacity and range.
The 787-9 can seat 16% more passengers than the 787-8. It has a range of 8,300 nautical miles (15,372 kilometers), while the 787-8 is limited to 7,850 nautical miles (14,500 kilometers).
In addition, Virgin announced on which routes it would deploy the 787-9, namely service from London Heathrow to Boston, Washington Dulles, Newark, New York’s John F. Kennedy International, and Los Angeles.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
