Virgin Atlantic is continuing to offer fantastic prices for its nonstop flights from London. For only £291, you can fly to New York and Boston, while many other destinations in the USA and the Caribbean are also not much more expensive. Sadly, luggage is not included and will cost you another £70 (~€82) to £90 (~€105), depending on the destination. There’s daily availability until the end of June. You do, however, have to be quick as this deal expires today!
Worldwide travel restrictions are in place to slow the spread of Covid-19. We strongly recommend gathering detailed information about the travel and quarantine restrictions that apply to your desired origin and destination.
A good start is the International Air Transport Association (IATA) website. It provides current updates on a country’s immigration policies. Even better, the Covid-19 Travel Regulations Map is one of the most useful tools you can find.
You can fly to the following destinations:
- New York: £291 (~€340)
- Boston: £291 (~€340)
- Orlando: £318 (~€372)
- Miami: £321 (~€376)
- Los Angeles: £326 (~€381)
- San Francisco: £326 (~€381)
- Antigua: £327 (~€383)
- Las Vegas: £328 (~€384)
- Washington DC: £346 (~€405)
- Bridgetown, Barbados: £346 (~€405)
Virgin Atlantic usually operates an Airbus A330 for its long-haul flights. You will be permitted to bring hand luggage into the plane and can select your seat at check-in.
By the way, this isn’t our only great economy class deal from London:
Search & Book
Sadly, this deal already expires on November 30, 2020. Your trip has to be at least 3 days long and take place before June 30, 2021. There’s basically daily availability, so you won’t even need to look up Google Flights‘ calendar. You can simply enter whatever dates suit you best on Virgin Atlantic’s website.
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are three main reasons for that:
- The Covid-19 Pandemic
During the worldwide outbreak of Covid-19, planning international travel got more and more risky because of ever-changing restrictions. In contrast to many online travel agencies, most airlines modified their terms & conditions to become more customer friendly. Rebooking conditions are eased, change fees are waived and cancellations are much easier when there is no third party involved.
Further, by adding an OTA to your plans, you increase the risk of one service provider involved going bankrupt. Now, the airline and the online travel agency involved could vanish along with your money. - Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airlines has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward you information like flight changes instead receiving them directly from the airline. You may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem solving.
This especially applies for premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong. - Baggage Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are more and more common. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
Mileage
The tickets are issued in booking class T. A roundtrip to New York should get you:
- 2,066 Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- 1,722 Award Miles + 6,884 MQM on Delta SkyMiles
- 1,722 Miles on South African Voyager
- 1,722 Miles on Virgin Australia Velocity
- 1,722 Miles on HA
- 1,722 Miles on Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- 1,722 Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 1,376 Award Miles + 16 XP on FlyingBlue
To give you another example, a roundtrip to Bridgetown in Barbados should get you:
- 2,516 Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- 2,098 Award Miles + 8,390 MQM on Delta SkyMiles
- 2,098 Miles on South African Voyager
- 2,098 Miles on Virgin Australia Velocity
- 2,098 Miles on HA
- 2,098 Miles on Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- 2,098 Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 1,678 Award Miles + 20 XP on FlyingBlue
Cover Picture: Ditmar Lange