Virgin Atlantic Announces A New Caribbean Route

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Virgin Atlantic may still be fighting for its very existence (alongside a host of other airlines) but that hasn’t stopped it from announcing a new route between the UK and the Caribbean that, all being well, it plans to launch next summer.

With the world feeling like a pretty bleak place right now and with the travel industry still coming to terms with the current crisis, it’s nice to be able to write about something positive and upbeat – Virgin Atlantic says that it will launch a new non-stop route between London and St Vincent & the Grenadines next summer.

I have to confess that although I knew that St Vincent and the Grenadines are in the Caribbean, I didn’t really know what part of the Caribbean they were in (although I could have had a reasonable guess) so, for anyone in the same position as me, here’s a map:

This is how Virgin Atlantic describes its newest destination:

With deserted white sand beaches, St Vincent offers the quintessential Caribbean getaway. The island also serves as the gateway to the Grenadines, a collection of magical islands with hidden cays and yacht-filled harbours. Waiting to be uncovered are chic private islands, coral reefs and dramatic volcanic landscapes offering the perfect escape for those in search of a luxury break, eco-adventure, scuba diving or sailing voyage.

If the islands look anything like some of the images Virgin Atlantic has shared…

…this looks like it could be a great place to de-stress and to catch up on some reading.

The new Virgin Atlantic service to St Vincent and the Grenadines is scheduled to launch on 21 June 2021 and will be operated by the airline’s Airbus A330-300 aircraft featuring the following cabin layouts:

• 31 Upper Class seats
• 48 Premium Economy seats
• 185 Economy Class seats (Economy Delight, Classic, and Light)

The service will operate 2x/week and although Virgin Atlantic doesn’t appear to have announced what days the flights will be on or what the flight timings will be, we shouldn’t have long to wait before more information is public – the press release that Virgin has put out indicates that the route will go on sale from 24 November.

As things stand, St Vincent & The Grenadines are on the list of nations that the UK government considers being low risk in terms of Covid-19 transmission rates and, as such, there is currently no need to self-quarantine in the UK when you arrive from the islands. Still, that’s only the position right now and things may look very different come June 2021.

Anyone thinking of visiting St Vincent and the Grenadines should know that, currently, travelers from the UK must arrive with a negative PCR test taken by a certified or accredited laboratory within 5 days of arrival. Customers will also be retested on arrival and must quarantine for five days in a tourism authority approved hotel.

None of this may be relevant by the time Virgin Atlantic’s service launches, but I thought it was worth mentioning in case this blog post inspires anyone to consider visiting St Vincent and the Grenadines before next summer.

Bottom Line

Virgin Atlantic says that it plans to launch a twice-weekly service between the UK and St Vincent & the Grenadines from 21 June 2021. No further route details have been forthcoming but with the flights going on sale in just three weeks’ time, we don’t have long to wait to see the full picture.

Featured image courtesy of Virgin Atlantic