Virgin Atlantic To End Austin, Texas Flights

Virgin Atlantic has announced changes to its route network with the axing of flights towards Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Saying Goodbye To Austin

Following persistent softening in corporate demand, especially in the tech sector, Virgin Atlantic believes it has been given no choice but to suspend flights towards Austin from London Heathrow.

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

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

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. A commencement of service to Austin came on May 25, 2022, with a four-times-weekly service.

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

Operated by the Boeing 787 with commencement just over a year a handful of months ago, it highlights how much can change in a short space of time.

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

Interestingly, for Virgin Atlantic month-on-month, they were significantly outperformed by British Airways for passengers carried too, paired with softening demand, it no longer was an attractive option.