Virgin Atlantic Airlines Ltd. or Virgin Atlantic, as is popularly known is a British airline co-owned by Richard Bransons' Virgin Group (51%) and Singapore Airlines (49%). Virgin Atlantic operates long-haul routes between the United Kingdom and North America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and Australia from its main bases at London Heathrow and London Gatwick. Virgin Atlantic also has a smaller base at Manchester Airport. The company holds a United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence, which permits Virgin Atlantic Airlines to carry passengers, cargo, and mail on aircraft with 20 or more seats.
Virgin Atlantic Airlines Ltd. was born when Randolph Fields (an American born lawyer) and Alan Hellary (ex-chief pilot for Laker Airways) jointly set up the British Atlantic Airways as a direct successor to Laker Airways. The name was subsequently changed to Virgin Atlantic.
Fields met Richard Branson in Central London during which he proposed a business partnership between Branson and himself to get his fledgling airline off the ground.
On June 22, 1984 Virgin Atlantic operated its inaugural scheduled air service between London Gatwick and Newark Liberty using a single, leased Boeing 747-200 (G-VIRG) formerly operated by Aerolineas Argentinas. In the coming years, Virgin Atlantic started flying to multiple places around the world like Miami, New York, Tokyo, Los Angeles, Boston, Orlando, Luton Dublin and Viscount. However, all of these routes were withdrawn around 1990.
In December 1999, Virgin Group sold 49% of the airline's holding company to Singapore Airlines for $600.25 million. Virgin Group still owns the remaining 51%.
In August 2002, Virgin became the first airline to use the Airbus A340-600. Virgin Atlantic carried 4.6 million passengers in 2006, placing them at the seventh position amongst UK airlines.
Virgin Atlantic volunteered one of its Boeing 747's for a test of bio-fuels in aviation. In February 2008, the aircraft flew from Heathrow to Amsterdam, with no passengers - 20% of the power for one engine was provided by a plant-based bio fuel, although the airline stated that it would use bio fuels based on algae in future.
Presently, Virgin Atlantic Airlines operates Upper Class and Economy Class which is segmented into Premium Economy; a full fare separate economy cabin and Economy covering all other coach/economy fares.
Virgin Atlantic's fleet comprises of both Airbus and Boeing aircrafts. Boeing 747-400s are used on all routes from Gatwick and Manchester. Boeing 747s and Airbus A340s are used interchangeably on routes from Heathrow. Virgin Atlantic has ordered some Airbus A340-600 and Airbus A380-800 aircraft and Boeing 787-9 on order, which will be delivered around the time of the London Olympics in 2012.
Rio de Janerio, Seattle, Vancouver, Bangkok and Melbourne have been listed as the possible destinations where the new aircrafts of Virgin Atlantic will fly. The long range aircrafts are proposed to fly non-stop to Perth, Australia and Honolulu in Hawaii as economical airlines for the first time in the history of Virgin Atlantic.
Virgin Atlantic is also in negotiations with both Boeing and Airbus over an order for ten high-capacity, fuel-efficient, long-haul, wide-bodied jets for the airline's Gatwick-based fleet. This could potentially be either a new order for the Boeing 747-8 or an order for additional Airbus A380-800s. The decision is expected in May 2008.
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Virgin Atlantic offers 3 types of cabins for the passengers
Economy: Every seat has its own seatback TV with a choice of channels and latest movies, comedy, sports, drama and kids shows. Some of the flights even have each seat also comes with its own video games console with up to 35 games.
Premium Economy seats are bigger and wider and there's a separate cabin Premium Economy seat, with an increased seat width of 21 inches (equivalent to many other airlines' business class). The Premium Economy travellers are also given priority boarding and priority disembarkment facilities.
Upper Class Suite has includes facilities like complimentary chauffer driven car transport. Inside the flight, every seat is a suite - with an extra large table, private power source, and guest seat for meeting or entertaining with a convertible seat which turns into a flat, super-wide bed complete with a duvet and turn down service.
Click here to know more about the services offered in Virgin Atlantic.