V-Flyer

Although on the front page as a news search item, we don't have a specific feature/release on this.

The Orlando Sentinel seem to though .

Virgin Atlantic, the only airline to offer nonstop flights between Orlando and London, is seeking to increase its flights at Orlando International Airport this summer by 24 percent.
...
Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman Brooke Lawer confirmed that the airline has asked for the increase, but would not give a reason or other details.

This wouldn't be an extension to the planned Glasgow flights,as I believe they are selling very well.

David

Or is this just a return of the VS049 that they have used in the past?

Interesting ... As a regular visitor to Orlando the VS flights always seem to be full these days.

The competition, the 'dark side' only use a Boeing 777 rather than a 747 on the route now, and on the route to Tampa.

Wonder if VS think that the charter operation at Sanford might have had its day ?

Every time I look at the charter flights from London they're not convenient, and more expensive !

642 flights over the summer season (however long that may be) seems a lot. Even if you take 90 days, thats over 7 flights a day - wow

David

Wonder if VS think that the charter operation at Sanford might have had its day ?

Now if SRB gets his hands on First Choice then it would make sense that the Sandford flights would be rerouted to MCO.
Thats about an increase of 25%.

Originally posted by David
642 flights over the summer season (however long that may be) seems a lot. Even if you take 90 days, thats over 7 flights a day - wow

David

Just been thinking, if my calculations are correct, how do you do 7 flights to MCO a day with 8 planes in the LGW/MAN fleet as well as the rest of the flights from the LGW/MAN [:?]

Will we see more 747's move over ie VPORT [y] or will it involve BMI planes [:w] or indeed first choice planes [?] .... answers on a postcard to ...

David

Will we see more 747's move over ie VPORT or will it involve BMI planes or indeed first choice planes

...or VK a/c?

VS.

the summer season runs from the start of may - end of october

The only MCO expansions that I know of for certain are the GLA flights and that VS075 will now be operating on Sundays, giving MAN a daily service(s) to MCO.

I also hear of a third LGW-MCO flight from on here as well so that might be the one that the Orlando Sentinel is referring to.

And as for Sanford, why anyone would want to fly to that airport is beyond me [?]

The MYT/TCX merger along with the rumour that Tim mentions about FCA would probably mean that Sanford has had its day...and about time too!

I don't really see what the problem is with SFB - It's quiet and only a max of another 30 minutes on-top of your transfer time from MCO - Given the fact you could easily be out of the airport 30 minutes soon you could be at your destination at the same time.

If you use the Greeneway (SR-417) it's a pretty easy run.

Paul

VS are, however, cancelling MCO flights for September 2007 though, as per the VS web site:

SEPTEMBER 2007 CANCELLATIONS
Due to operational reasons, Virgin Atlantic has had to cancel the following services in September 2007:

London-Orlando

There will be no Tuesday, Wednesday or Sunday VS027/028 service between 9th and 30th September 2007 inclusive. Passengers will be reprotected on VS015/016 services on the same days.

Manchester-Orlando

There will be no Sunday VS075/VS076 service between 9th and 30th September 2007 inclusive. Passengers will be reprotected onto VS075/076 flights on the preceding Saturdays.

There will be no Thursday, Friday or Saturday VS073/074 services between 6th and 29th September 2007 inclusive. Passengers will be reprotected on VS075/076 services on the same days.

Please call the contact centre if originally booked on one of the above services. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

So where the extra A/C required for more MCO flights is going to come from is anyones guess [:?]

Regards

Wonder why they've cancelled flight in September? It's not just MCO, there's a few desitinations that have been cancelled later in the year.

I was hoping they would bring back the VS49/50!

Probably something to do with the fact that some of the LGW/MAN 744s Air Operating Certificates are due to be expired over the coming months, ot its something to do with taking a/c out for refit/repaint. It will take a while to do the whole LGW/MAN fleet, especially if they're tightly diagrammed.

As for the extra flights earlier on that year, wasn't the Sunday VS075/76 service possible by ascending order...

1. Rescheduling VS077 to depart MAN at 13.30
2. Above made possible by keeping the a/c off the VS074 arrival that morning
3. To do this by cancelling the VS074P to LGW
4. Meaning that LGW-NAS flight on the Sunday is cancelled

Hope this helps

Originally posted by p17blo
I don't really see what the problem is with SFB - It's quiet and only a max of another 30 minutes on-top of your transfer time from MCO - Given the fact you could easily be out of the airport 30 minutes soon you could be at your destination at the same time.

If you use the Greeneway (SR-417) it's a pretty easy run.

Paul

Unless they've extended the runway since I was last there it's bang on the operating limit of a fully loaded 747 [:#]

I don't really see why that is a bad thing - I would say it is a good thing - Why would you prefer to wait for a 747 to be refuelled, unloaded and loaded when you can zip through that process a lot quicker on either 767 or 757?

Paul

Doesn't TCD/Excel run a 747-300 into SFB?

Alan- Yes Excel does run the 743 into SFB. MYT have in the past as well- using Air Atlanta a/c. I am not sure if they are load restricted but given the amount of seats crammed in- I doubt it.

Cancelations to MCO services in Sept is no real surprise. I flew back last September and the a/c had only about 60 people in Y and wsnt even a third full up front. Someone from VS must have read my comments on my TR at the time that questioned why VS operated two LGW services when combining them in Sept would make more sense!

SFB hasn't had its day IMHO. Icelandair have moved operations up there and all the charter carriers still serve- in fact they recently had a bit of an expansion I believe.


A merger of FCA and VS isnt that likely. What is more likely is a merger of VH and FCA. This would in effect create a new Virgin Sun. The new company would either dispose of the FCA fleet and use VS a/c and the likes of MON. Or they would move across some of the FCA fleet into the VS fleet. I would imagine IF they did merge- then we would see FCA's 787s move over to VS and 767s used as a stop gap. BUT I doubt it will happen more likely is a FCA/Kuoni merger with short haul ops sold off to MYT/TCX or Excel or Mon.

whoo! FC points to Europe then??

Originally posted by AlanA
whoo! FC points to Europe then??

Don't get too excited- I would imagine that FCA would go for someone else- remember the First Choice Group is massive and more likely to do the taking over.

Originally posted by AlanA
Doesn't TCD/Excel run a 747-300 into SFB?

They do. In 2005 and 2006 they had TF-AME/AMJ (both in TCY colours) to operate the TCY services (LGW/MAN/CWL/GLA-SFB) with TF-AMK as backup a/c. When TCY first started up they used 747-200s (TF-ABA/ABP I think).

It was also listed on Jethro's that they would be replaced this year by two 747-400s from the few that Air Atlanta acquired from ANA for cargo conversion. I believe that Air Atlanta has sold these on so the 747-300s will stay for now.

Only TF-AME is allocated to TCY duties (and the only 747-300 left) in the XL fleet for the Winter season. Whether this will increase in the Summer is likely, but we'll see.

Originally posted by VS075

Originally posted by AlanA
Doesn't TCD/Excel run a 747-300 into SFB?

They do. In 2005 and 2006 they had TF-AME/AMJ (both in TCY colours) to operate the TCY services (LGW/MAN/CWL/GLA-SFB) with TF-AMK as backup a/c. When TCY first started up they used 747-200s (TF-ABA/ABP I think).

It was also listed on Jethro's that they would be replaced this year by two 747-400s from the few that Air Atlanta acquired from ANA for cargo conversion. I believe that Air Atlanta has sold these on so the 747-300s will stay for now.

Only TF-AME is allocated to TCY duties (and the only 747-300 left) in the XL fleet for the Winter season. Whether this will increase in the Summer is likely, but we'll see.

About a year ago there was talk of TCD getting the ex SQ 744's that IB had thru Air Atlanta- where did these a/c end up?