Flybe to be rebranded as Virgin Connect following Virgin Atlantic investment
British regional airline Flybe announced on Tuesday it will rebrand as Virgin Connect in 2020, following investment by a consortium including Virgin Atlantic.
The new name comes as little surprise, given the name of the consortium is called 'Connect Airways', comprising 40% ownership by Cyprus Capital, 30% by Stobart Group and 30% by Virgin Atlantic Limited, the holding company of both the airline and Virgin Holidays divisions.
Few details of the rebranding have been revealed, though a new website for the rebranded airline has already gone live, promoting the new phase as "Europe's Largest Regional Airline".
Mark Anderson, CEO of Connect Airways said, "Virgin Connect will be passionately focused on becoming Europe's most loved and successful regional airline. It will offer travel that is simple and convenient with the personal touch. Our customers will naturally expect the same exceptional travel experience as they do with other Virgin-related brands. As part of the Virgin family, we now have a tremendously re-energised team".
The group admits the transformation will be ambitious, as passengers and staff "say goodbye to purple and hello to red".
At this point, it remains unclear how exactly Flybe will adopt the Virgin brand beyond just a linked name. Both airlines offer vastly different passenger experiences. While the acquisition will help feed regional passengers into Virgin Atlantic's long-haul services, the vast differences in aircraft types alone make for very different flights for passengers coming off a tiny Flybe/Virgin Connect ATR 72-600 and on to Virgin's flagship new Airbus A350 aircraft. We also await details of how Virgin Connect will work with the Flying Club programme.
If you have an existing booking on Flybe in 2020, there's nothing for you to do. Once the rebrand is complete, your flight may be operated by Virgin Connect rather than Flybe.
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Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month