Virgin Flights outside Uk

Does anybody feel if VS wants to expand and with the ever climbing costs of flying out of UK airports , would they ever consider also having a flight based out of another European airport --- (Dublin, please)! Honestly, it could help them expand maybe or VS just going to stick with flights from UK bases only. Maybe there are political elements that would also prevent same but with VS being an independent airline I would have thought it a possible option for them.

Dublin, maybe, but I doubt it.
Is there or has therer ever been a truly "world airline" that doesn't solely base all of its flights via one country?

Too much dilution, would lose VS's Britishness. There is still plenty of scope from the UK, both long haul and short haul, should they wish..

Dean

Yeah I suppose your right. Just feel so many of us who enjoy VS are now starting to switch to other Airlines to avoid going through Heathrow or Gatwick. I recently prices SIA to Singapore , first class and there was a huge savings to go through Paris or Frankfurt rather than Heathrow, business travellers who use VS will eventually cope this on and switch. A friend of mine who flies to Shanghai and Singapore and works for a major computer firm told me recently his firm have started to move their business away from VS / SIA via London due to the high costs going through Heathrow now using SIA or Lufthansa.

[Scrooge]

Originally posted by Wolves27
Dublin, maybe, but I doubt it.
Is there or has therer ever been a truly "world airline" that doesn't solely base all of its flights via one country?

Too much dilution, would lose VS's Britishness. There is still plenty of scope from the UK, both long haul and short haul, should they wish..

Dean

Pan AM was for a while and you could argue that United was after they took over most of Pan Am's route system.

Also TWA based aircraft in Europe for many years.

Pan Am and TWA - Does not really sound like a business module VS would wollow otherwise they maynot ne here is 5 years

Yeh many American carriers operated in Europe for years- type in UA and 727 into a.net and you will see the vast European operation they had.

Dan Air also operated heavily within Germany. BA of course were big in Africa through franchise agreements.

I think the closest we have today would be EZY/FR/Air Berlin- they all operate routes between countries that arent their base country.

Well maybe our dreams will come true - VS from Dublin to Knock Airport on a 747-400 - fully UC+ some PE.

GJ , Now thats maybe a good idea - or maybe not - but could we layout the new UC like that

[Scrooge]

Originally posted by porsche911
Pan Am and TWA - Does not really sound like a business module VS would wollow otherwise they maynot ne here is 5 years

I am sorry to tell you this, but VS is following the Pan Am business model pretty closely.

If you do a little research into the history of Pan Am you will find that while they had a vast international network they had next to nothing in the US domestic market, after the deregulation of the US market Pan Am's days were numbered, other carriers were able to compete with them on many routes where Pan Am had had sole rights, the new airlines were able to operate at a lower cost than Pan Am and hence offered lower fares.

You then have what we now call legacy carriers entering the international market in much greater force, with their massive domestic market they were able to feed their pax on to their own flights rather than Pan Am's, it doesn't take an airline long to go bust with no pax flying.

Fortunately VS has it a little easier, the UK is a small country so it does not require a vast domestic network to inter connect all it's major cities and with the main airport (LHR) still being heavily regulated VS is protected from competition.

Gulf Air operates from several countries, although to a lesser extent these days.

SAS also shares ops between Oslo, Stockholm and Copenhagen.

VS.

Originally posted by GrinningJackanapes
I wish VS would rescue Tempelhof in Berlin from obsolescence. It's such an amazing building...and a really smart layout for an airport. Too bad it's a bit of a monument to Onkel Adolf.

GJ

Totally agree GJ, it is a fabulous building. I lived in Berlin for nearly four years, flew from Templehof many times, and even did my thrice-weekly ten pin bowling in a US-run alley close to Templehof. Ahhhh great memories [y]

i dont think that there has been a world airline but low cost carriers such as ryanair and easy jey a having a/c based in mainland europ like paris and madrid and flying to places such as africa outside of there hubs