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 (~€339)
- Boston: £291 (~€339)
- Orlando: £318 (~€370)
- Miami: £321 (~€374)
- Los Angeles: £326 (~€380)
- San Francisco: £326 (~€380)
- Antigua: £327 (~€381)
- Las Vegas: £328 (~€382)
- Washington DC: £346 (~€403)
- Bridgetown, Barbados: £346 (~€403)
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 two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline 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 information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to 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 and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. 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.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
Mileage
The tickets are issued in booking class T. A roundtrip to New York should get you:
- 2,066 Award Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- 1,722 Award Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 1,722 Miles on Aerolíneas Argentinas AerolíneasPlus
- 1,722 Miles on MEA Cedar Miles
- 1,722 Miles on CSA OK Plus
- 1,722 Miles on Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles
- 1,722 Award Miles + 50 Tier Points on Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- 1,722 Award Miles on LATAM Pass
- 1,722 Miles on Korean Air Skypass
- 1,722 Miles on Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles
- 1,722 RDM + 344 MQD on Delta SkyMiles
- 1,722 Miles on Air Europa Suma
- 1,376 Award Miles + 16 XP on Flying Blue
To give you another example, a roundtrip to Bridgetown in Barbados should get you:
- 2,518 Award Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- 2,098 Award Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 2,098 Miles on Aerolíneas Argentinas AerolíneasPlus
- 2,098 Miles on MEA Cedar Miles
- 2,098 Miles on CSA OK Plus
- 2,098 Miles on Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles
- 2,098 Award Miles + 50 Tier Points on Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- 2,098 Award Miles on LATAM Pass
- 2,098 Miles on Korean Air Skypass
- 2,098 Miles on Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles
- 2,098 RDM + 420 MQD on Delta SkyMiles
- 2,098 Miles on Air Europa Suma
- 1,678 Award Miles + 20 XP on Flying Blue
Cover Picture: Ditmar Lange