Virgin Atlantic cuts Austin-London route, a rare blow for the Texas city
Virgin Atlantic announced this week that it will suspend its service between Austin and London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) beginning in January 2024, delivering a rare bit of bad news for the otherwise-booming Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS).
Virgin Atlantic's London service will end Jan. 7. Passengers with tickets booked beyond that wind-down date will be offered refunds.
The move comes as part of a larger schedule shake-up for the carrier, ending a route that has been in place for less than two years.
In announcing the decision, Virgin Atlantic officials cited a "persistent softening in corporate demand, specifically the tech sector."
It's an unusual blip for Austin-Bergstrom, which has seen skyrocketing passenger traffic over the last decade, inviting a growing list of nonstop international destinations — all as the surrounding region's population has ballooned.
July was the airport's busiest month ever. And through August, airport data showed total 2023 passenger traffic was up 39% from just five years ago. Passenger traffic between January and August for international flights was up 121% from 2018.
However, Austin has run into some challenging economic forces of late, particularly in its prominent tech sector.
Earlier this year, economic data collector CivMetrics found the city to be the fifth worst in the U.S. for layoffs, trailing only Seattle; San Francisco; Redmond, Washington (home to Microsoft); and San Diego.
Those conditions figured into Virgin Atlantic's thinking in cutting the Austin-London route, the airline revealed.
"Demand in the tech sector is not set to improve in the near term, with corporate demand at 70% of 2019 levels," Juha Jarvinen, chief commercial officer, said in a statement.
Austin's remaining transatlantic service
Despite the loss of Virgin Atlantic, Austin isn't left without European service — or even flights to London, for that matter.
Sure, the absence of Virgin Atlantic will mean 17% fewer transatlantic seats during the first quarter of 2024 versus the same period in 2023, according to data from Cirium schedules.
However, British Airways still offers daily nonstop service to Heathrow that it launched back in 2014. That's on top of Lufthansa's nonstop service to Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) and KLM's service to Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS) that began last year.
"AUS is grateful to the incredible Virgin Atlantic team for launching this ambitious route. We hope to welcome them back one day," airport officials said in a statement to TPG on Tuesday while noting the airport's existing transatlantic service "to London and beyond remains intact."
Virgin Atlantic adds more Miami-to-London flights
Meanwhile, Virgin Atlantic isn't just reducing service between the U.S. and Europe.
As part of its schedule shake-up, the carrier announced plans to scale up its service between Heathrow and Miami International Airport (MIA) to 14 weekly round trips for the summer 2024 season.
The airline said the changes are meant "to capitalize on continued robust customer demand for premium leisure travel."
The comment tracks with trends noted by U.S. airline executives in recent months, with carriers like Delta Air Lines and United Airlines noting robust demand for premium-cabin seats among leisure travelers, even as business travel — though improved — has been slower to fully recover in the wake of the pandemic.
Related reading:
- When is the best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare?
- The best airline credit cards
- What exactly are airline miles, anyway?
- 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
- Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
- The best credit cards to reach elite status
- What are points and miles worth? TPG's monthly valuations
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees