Virgin Atlantic Flying Club - Virgin to Seattle?

Saw this VS flight come in this afternoon to Seattle. Proving flight for a new route?

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/VIR9905/history/20120714/1212Z/EGLL/KSEA

I bet you are right. Their webpage has this: "Virgin Atlantic is always looking at new route opportunities. Our current wish list of new routes includes Melbourne, Bangkok, Toronto, Rio and Seattle!"
It would be a nice addition for Seattle-area flyers.

It would be a nice addition for Seattle-area flyers. I know VS has looked hard at SEA for years but always thought the premium traffic was soft and/or they didn't have the right aircraft to make it work. Note also that NW tried SEA-LHR for a few months before the DL merger but failed even with aggressive pricing and AS/QX feed helping on the SEA end. Would love to have an alternative to BA though.

I believe it was a charter for Chelsea Football Club, don't get your hopes up!

I believe it was a charter for Chelsea Football Club, don't get your hopes up!

Sounds plausible with a game this Wednesday. But an A340 for just a football culb? Do they really bring that many people with them?

Would be nice to have some competition for SEA-LHR against BA.

But an A340 for just a football club? When it has to fly 5000+ miles, yes.

Sounds plausible with a game this Wednesday. But an A340 for just a football culb? Do they really bring that many people with them?

Would be nice to have some competition for SEA-LHR against BA.

Thank you for saying plausible, I didn't rumour, that's what it was.

When did this land? Pretty sure I looked up at the sky early this afternoon and saw a large Virgin plane coming in (I live on the flight path, so the planes go right over my apartment). At first I thought it was Hainan, but the tail certainly looked Virgin.

It landed at 242pm PT Saturday according to the FlightAware link above.

They indeed arrived in Seattle on a Virgin Atlantic (chartered) Airbus aircraft: http://www.thevssource.com/

Sounds plausible with a game this Wednesday. But an A340 for just a football culb? Do they really bring that many people with them?

Would be nice to have some competition for SEA-LHR against BA.

They don't travel light - it's not just the team but a wider squad plus the management and coaching staff plus support like physios and club media people and probbaly even someone to wash and iron the kit! Probbaly a few player personal assistants too no doubt.

Also a security issue - it's hard to run away from any annoying and persistant fans if they are on the same plane !


When the NFL teams fly over to the UK they do the same /

I know VS has looked hard at SEA for years but always thought the premium traffic was soft and/or they didn't have the right aircraft to make it work. Vancouver was added just a few months back: "...a new route from London Heathrow. The new service will commence on 24th May 2012 and will operate four times a week...initially the service will run throughout the summer up until 27th October 2012...as the airline’s 34th worldwide route." If Seattle is not added as a route in the next few years at least Vancouver can be seen as a nearby option for fights to London.

http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/us/allaboutus/pressoffice/pressreleases/news/vancouver.jsp