Virgin Atlantic To End Austin, Texas Flights

Virgin Atlantic has announced changes to its route network, axing flights to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Saying Goodbye To Austin

After persistent softening in corporate demand, especially in the tech sector, Virgin Atlantic says it has had no choice but to suspend flights from London Heathrow to Austin.

A service suspension will be implemented after January 7, 2024. This is when the final service between the two city pairings will operate.

Customers booked on this cancelled service after this date will be eligible for full refunds, as well as any other possible travel changes.

Comments From Virgin Atlantic

We’ve adored flying our customers to Austin and experiencing this wonderful city of music and culture, but demand in the Tech sector is not set to improve in the near term, with corporate demand at 70% of 2019 levels. Therefore, sadly we made the tough decision to withdraw services. We’d like to thank everyone in Austin; our customers, teams, partners and the authorities for their support over the past 18 months.

Juha Jarvinen, chief commercial officer for Virgin Atlantic.

A Relatively New Flight

Virgin Atlantic’s presence in Austin is relatively fresh. Service to Austin began on May 25, 2022, with a four-times-weekly schedule.

At the time, it was Virgin Atlantic’s first new route to the United States in 7 years. Virgin Atlantic announced it would compete directly with British Airways. The vision was to give customers, therefore, another option on the route.

Operated by the Boeing 787 and launched just over a year ago, it highlights how much can change in a short time.

Airlines must continue to review their schedules, understand performance, and make necessary changes.

Interestingly, month on month, Virgin Atlantic was significantly outperformed by British Airways in passengers carried; paired with softening demand, it was no longer an attractive option.