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British Airways Challenges Virgin Atlantic Over London-Vegas Nonstops

Filed under: Wings

You wouldn't think that the Las Vegas to London route would be a popular flight but it seems that rivals British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are in a battle for Vegas supremacy. The first nonstop British Airways flight from London to Las Vegas landed Sunday night at McCarran International Airport. Passengers on the inaugural flight included Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman and British Airways CEO Willie Walsh, who was making his first trip to Las Vegas. The picture above shows the water arch used to honor maiden flights.

British Airways plans to run flights on twin-engine Boeing 777s from London to Las Vegas and they are offering some pretty tempting rates. BNET reports that it costs just $276 for roundtrip economy flights from November 2 to December 20 and December 24 to March 28 if tickets are purchased this week. British Airways' London-Las Vegas flights will have 36 business seats, 24 economy plus seats and 212 regular economy seats. Virgin Atlantic has been doing this run since 2006 but British Airways has the advantage of flying out of Heathrow International Airport while Virgin flies out of the less-centrally-located Gatwick International Airport.

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Tags: british airways, BritishAirways, las vegas, LasVegas, london, nonstop flight, NonstopFlight, travel deals, TravelDeals, virgin atlantic, VirginAtlantic

Virgin Atlantic And British Airways In Price Wars

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

The heat is on between rival European airlines Virgin Atlantic and British Airways and it's the business class passenger who is benefiting. Virgin Atlantic has reduced business class fares by as much as 40% from London to destinations like New York, Dubai, Tokyo and Washington D.C. from now until the end of January on flights as far ahead as September. British Airways is also cutting their prices to keep pace. Both are hoping for a temporary boost to help prop up what have been some dismal travel statistics that have been eating away at the lucrative premium market. The discounts are aimed at the business travelers who may be paring back their travel budgets.

Other companies are also offering deals. US Airways has a January fare sale going on that offers deep discounts on some international travel. And Portfolio's Joe Brancatelli reports on deals from Jet Blue, Virgin America, Quantas and more. If you are interested in traveling, especially internationally, any time soon now is the time to book.

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Tags: british airways, BritishAirways, business class, BusinessClass, virgin atlantic, VirginAtlantic

Branson & Dubai Royals in Talks to Buy Gatwick Airport

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Sir Richard Branson, the billionaire founder of the Virgin Group, is in talks to acquire London's Gatwick Airport, the second largest and busiest airport in the United Kingdom after Heathrow. Gatwick's owner BAA Ltd., which also owns Heathrow, plans to sell the airport, valued at about $5.4 billion, due to antitrust regulations, Bloomberg reports.

The Virgin Group encompasses several companies including Virgin Atlantic airlines and Virgin Mobile. The adventurous Branson's personal fortune is estimated at $2.8 billion. He plans to form a consortium to bid for the airport, which handled 35 million passengers in 2007.

His partners on the potential deal are said to include Dubai's Royal Family, the London Telegraph reports. Obviously competitors would be worried that Branson and Virgin might gain an unfair advantage by controlling the airport, which is the sixth largest in Europe.

Tags: Airlines, Airports, Dubai, Gatwick, London, Richard Branson, RichardBranson, Virgin airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Group, VirginAirlines, VirginAtlantic, VirginGroup

Virgin Atlantic Tries Flying On Coconut Oil

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings, Green

Last Sunday, Boeing, Virgin Atlantic and GE Aviation partnered up for the first commercial aviation flight using a sustainable fuel from biomass, mixed with traditional kerosene-based jet fuel. The Virgin Atlantic 747-400 flew using a biofuel blend of babassu oil and coconut oil provided by Seattle-based Imperium Renewables. The babassu nuts and coconuts used in the fuel were harvested from existing, mature plantations and no modifications were made to either the aircraft or its engines. Earlier this year an Airbus 380 flew using a synthetic liquid fuel processed from natural gas. Boeing is planning to use findings from this flight toward helping it plan another biofuel flight later this year with Air New Zealand.

Not everyone sees this first flight as a breakthrough. Wired covers some of the backlash; some environmentalists have called the flight a publicity stunt saying that Virgin is not interested in doing anything substantial toward reducing the airline industry's carbon footprint. Also, there is a growing controversy regarding the environmental benefits of biofuels since using these crops for fuel will drive up food costs and contribute to deforestation. Luckily Branson's got another trick up his sleeve. They are looking at algae as the next biofuel.

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Tags: biofuel, boeing, expire-images:2009-2-25, green, virgin atlantic, VirginAtlantic

Virgin Atlantic Offers Onboard Offsets

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings, Green

Virgin Atlantic has become the first airline that lets you order up your carbon offsets while you are actually in flight. The airline has partnered with myclimate to offer the offsets which are available onboard and online. The offsets will benefit projects in India and Indonesia.Virgin Atlantic has committed to only Gold Standard projects which are endorsed by 49 Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) worldwide including many environmental groups. The Gold Standard credits are independently validated and only support renewable energy or energy efficiency technologies (no tree planting or gas flaring).

Virgin Atlantic has also calculated exactly how much carbon is produced for each passenger by taking into account the different weights of equipment and seats in each class of travel. Upper Class passengers pay more than Premium economy and Economy passengers because their seats and entertainment monitors are significantly heavier.

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Tags: carbon offset, expire-images:2008-11-8, green, planes, virgin atlantic, VirginAtlantic

Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class Wing

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wings

Many airlines have first class lounges but Virgin Atlantic has raised the bar at London's Heathrow airport with an entire Upper Class wing. The wing includes a dedicated security channel just for Virgin Atlantic customers helping to deliver what Virgin Atlantic promises will be the fastest check-in around. Their new ad campaign promises "limo to lounge" in just 10 minutes. The wing, designed by architects Foster + Partners has a hotel-like lobby to help deliver a more relaxed experience. The wing opens November 2.

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Tags: airport, flight, heathrow, london, lounge, virgin atlantic

Best Business Class Lounges in the World

by Sandy Maple (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Spas

Those who travel frequently often find themselves in between destinations, killing time in an airport. Whether it is a flight delay or a long layover, that downtime can be anything but pleasant. Huge crowds, long lines, and the general chaos that reigns in an airport is not conducive to working or relaxing. That's where the business-class lounges come in. A respite from the madness, these havens range from the very basic to the very luxurious - and knowing which is where can come in handy when planning your itinerary.

Each year, Skytrax ranks the 10 best business-class lounges in the world based on data that includes customer surveys and business research group interviews. The results are in and in the number one spot is Virgin Atlantic's Clubhouse at Heathrow Airport. In addition to a complete office, library, and video projection system, those looking for first class relaxation will find everything they desire. Take a cat nap on a daybed in a hideaway mezzanine, enjoy a meal in one of several dining options or have a drink at the bar. Or use the time to visit the Cowshed Spa, where you can get a facial, massage or even a tan. If all that pampering musses your hair, you can stop by the Bumble and Bumble Hair Salon.

A few North American carriers are beginning to upgrade their lounge offerings, but for now you won't find any of them of Skytrax's top ten list.

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Tags: airplane, airport, business, business class lounge, BusinessClassLounge, cowshed spa, CowshedSpa, flight, heathrow airport, HeathrowAirport, lounge, lounges, luxe, luxury, skytrax, spa, top ten lounges, TopTenLounges, travel, virgin atlantic, VirginAtlantic

Flying High: The Best First Class

by Matthew Collins (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Wings

Those of us unfortunate enough to travel on commercial airlines know the unrestrained joy that occurs when we get an upgrade. For the most part, this means leaving the cattle barn for leather clad chairs and free booze. But there are several airlines that take the experience to the next level. From gadget filled seats that coddle you in comfort to bars and massages, the world of premium class has gotten very competitive and one-upmanship is the name of the game.

Our list is after the jump.

Tags: british airways, BritishAirways, emirates, first class, FirstClass, virgin atlantic, VirginAtlantic

Continue reading “Flying High: The Best First Class”

The name's Branson, Richard Branson

by Anne Metz (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Luxury Travel & Hotels, Events, Celebrity Shopping

British entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson is about to step into a new role: acting.

Expanding the Branson empire from his Virgin brands (Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Records), Sir Richard will make a cameo appearance in the upcoming Bond movie, Casino Royale. Casino Royale will star the new Bond, Daniel Craig. Of course, Sir Richard will not be the only cameo actor in the film. According to reports, Branson will be accompanied by his 19-year-old son, Sam. Just in case you are worried about his acting abilities, keep in mind that this is not Branson's first appearance on the big screen. Sir Richard and Sam have both appeared in the film Superman Returns.

According to Branson, the film's producer Barbara Broccoli contacted him to see if he would be interested in appearing during a scene at the Miami Airport. Of course, the Branson boys won't be cameo-ing next to just any airline -- they'll only appear with Branson's own Virgin Atlantic. Talk about product placement!

Tags: Branson, James Bond, JamesBond, Sir Richard Branson, SirRichardBranson, Virgin Atlantic, VirginAtlantic

Global Flyer Flight Delayed Again

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Another delay has hit Steve Fossett's quest for the Ultimate Flight. The take off which was scheduled for today, has been canceled due to a fuel leak. According to the Global Flyer website the leak is a "fairly simple thing to fix but it will take around 24 hours because it requires fuel sealant material." Weather conditions should hold for the rest of the week and the mission is listed at code Yellow through February 11.

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Tags: global flyer, GlobalFlyer, richard branson, steve fossett, virgin atlantic

The Global Flyer's Next Challenge

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

The Global Flyer will ride again. General Aviation News reports that Steve Fossett will fly the Global Flyer again. This time he plans to set a record for the longest non-stop flight of an airplane. He will take off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center and then fly around the world and then across the Atlantic a second time. Unfortunately, the Global Flyer recently was damaged during refueling. The wing tip struck the fuel tank truck and there is damage to the wing, necessitating a repair. The "Ultimate Flight" was expected to take place in February but may get pushed back.

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Tags: flight, flight record, global flyer, GlobalFlyer, plane, steve fossett, virgin atlantic

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