Virgin Atlantic reveals fifth A350 destination, additional frequencies to U.S.
Virgin Atlantic is continuing to expand its route network, adding frequencies and new aircraft. Since beginning to roll out its brand-new Airbus A350 aircraft on routes between London and New York, the airline has remained tight-lipped as to what other destinations — in addition to New York and Los Angeles — will get its newest jet.
However, on Tuesday, the carrier unveiled a slew of new A350 destinations and additional frequencies to its route network that will kick in, for the most part, in summer 2020.
With the announcement, we now know that Virgin will operate the A350 to a total of five destinations as of August 2020, as well as increasing frequencies to San Francisco and Delhi, India.
New A350 routes
On Tuesday, Virgin announced the next routes to get the A350 aircraft — an improvement over its older aircraft, especially in Upper Class.
By August 2020, the aircraft will fly to five destinations in Virgin's network, and all of its flights to Africa will be operated by the A350. Here's the planned rollout of the aircraft for Virgin:
- Beginning March 2020 — daily service from London to Johannesburg (JNB)
- Beginning April 2020 — daily service from London to Los Angeles (LAX)
- Beginning May 2020 — daily service from London to San Francisco (SFO)
- From August 2020 — daily service from London to Lagos (LOS)
Virgin first began flying its new Airbus A350 in September, with its inaugural flight between London Heathrow (LHR) and New York (JFK). And it doubled down on its New York A350 operations by announcing it would fly the route four times per day with the aircraft.
On board, passengers can expect an elevated experience in Upper Class, with the introduction of Virgin's Upper Class Suite. You can watch the TPG U.K. review in all three cabins in the video below:
The airline has a total of 12 A350-1000 on order, and it expects to finish taking delivery of them by 2021. The more fuel-efficient aircraft are set to replace the airline's aging fleet of A340-600 and Boeing 747 aircraft.
More San Francisco service
In the summer, Virgin Atlantic already flies from London Heathrow (LHR) to San Francisco (SFO) twice daily, with the exception of Fridays, when it only offers one daily service. However, that's changing in the summer 2020 season.
The new weekly flight will leave for SFO on Fridays, giving the day a second service. From May 2020, Virgin will fly the A350 on the LHR-SFO route, which will replace one of the carrier's Boeing 787 Dreamliners.
Additional and revised India operations
As part of its summer 2020 route network enhancements, the airline is introducing a second daily frequency between London Heathrow and Delhi, India (DEL). The second daily route will begin service on 29 March 2020, and will go on sale 23 November 2019.
While exact timings haven't yet been revealed, Virgin said that the outbound flight will depart from Heathrow in the morning.
In October, Virgin relaunched its route between Heathrow and Mumbai, India (BOM). Now, for the summer season, it's altering that schedule slightly. Currently, it operates on the following schedule:
- VS354 London Heathrow (LHR) 10:30 a.m. Departure → Mumbai (BOM) 00:55 a.m. (+1) Arrival
- VS355 Mumbai (BOM) 3 a.m. Departure → London Heathrow (LHR) 07:15 a.m. Arrival
However, as of the summer scheduled change, the Mumbai-bound flight will depart in the evening, as opposed to the morning.
Virgin's continuing to change its plans with the rolling out of its A350 aircraft. As of May 2020, three U.S. destinations will be connected to London by a Virgin A350: New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
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There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
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- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
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- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.
Rewards Rate
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
| 2X | Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com. |
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Intro Offer
You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after spending $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer.As High As 100,000 points. Find Out Your Offer.Annual Fee
$325Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.Excellent to Good
Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits. (Partner offer)Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.