Virgin Atlantic hints at year-round Cape Town service

Jarvinen said there were multiple factors behind renewed demand for the route. "What is interesting here is not only the leisure demand to and from the UK in the summertime, but also the fact many companies are relocating to Cape Town from places like Johannesburg, making it more of a commercial city – not just a tourist destination – and we believe there will be more business travel.

"We launched the service for leisure, of course, but we will see how the trend evolves. To be relevant to the corporate traveller, you need to be operating year-round, so that gives us the chance to explore different options."

Virgin’s confidence in the resumption of its Cape Town route comes in part from the continued success of its Johannesburg service. “Jo’burg has always been one of our most profitable services – it’s a backbone route for our network,” said Jarvinen.

“South Africa and the UK have close family and business links, and Johannesburg is still the commercial capital of the country – with the business to leisure split standing at around 70:30. We fly there daily year-round, and we can hopefully upgrade to bigger aircraft soon from the Boeing 787/9 we currently operate.”

Jarvinen said value and Virgin’s trademark service set it apart from rival British Airways on the Heathrow-Cape Town route. “We like competition, we’re not afraid of competition," he said. "Everyone who flies with us sees the uniqueness of the Virgin experience, that’s a key thing. We represent great value across all service classes, and premium leisure is a key focus for us – with Upper and Premium standing out – and we’re always competitive with our fares.”

Without giving specific details, Jarvinen also hinted at changes to the airline’s Flying Club loyalty programme, which he said would make it “more relevant” to the group’s overall programme Virgin Red. He also said joining the SkyTeam alliance in March would be a “big step” for Virgin Atlantic.

“It will make us more relevant not just in the UK but in Asia, where many of the SkyTeam carriers like China Eastern Airlines, Korean Air and China Airlines are located," he said. :Having a number of respected Asian airlines as partners makes it easier for consumers to choose us."

Trade commitment

Jarvinen also reiterated Virgin’s support for the trade. “We’re still very much committed,” he said.

“Of course, we are always growing our direct sales through e-commerce and holidays, but this doesn’t move away from the fact the travel trade is Virgin Atlantic’s biggest distribution channel, and we don’t see that changing – we aim to keep it that way.

"We’ll continue to actively work with agencies to ensure we offer attractive fares and deals – they are a key element of what we do."