Virgin Atlantic has had a buoyant evening for flight bookings, following the much-anticipated reopening of the transatlantic corridor. 

Bookings to the USA increased by over 600 per cent compared to the same time last week. 

Would-be-travellers were boosted by an announcement from the Biden administration earlier this week that fully vaccinated UK citizens will be able to return to the US from November. 
New York had the most bookings of any US city overnight. 

Leisure destinations were also performing well, suggesting holidaymakers are ready for a much-needed break, with Orlando flights up 11-fold, Miami nine-fold and Las Vegas eight-fold.   

Juha Jarvinen, chief commercial officer at Virgin Atlantic, commented: “Following the gradual relaxation of travel restrictions, we’ve seen demand increase to many of our global destinations, but the USA has always been our heartland. 

“We are simply not Virgin without the Atlantic, and I’m thrilled we’re finally able to return to the country that’s so important to us. 

“We’ve missed flying our customers to the USA and we can’t wait to welcome them back on board for their American adventures soon.” 

He added: “The news follows a busy weekend in flight bookings for the airline, demonstrating the positive impact the relaxation of government restrictions has had on the industry. 

“The simplification of rules on international travel, which include the scrapping of expensive PCR tests for the fully vaccinated,  are already having a significant impact on consumer confidence, resulting in a surge in demand across Virgin Atlantic’s route network.”

Flights to the airline’s sunny destinations in the Caribbean have risen 50 per cent week-on-week, with its newest route to St Vincent and the Grenadines, set to launch on October 13th, becoming the most booked Caribbean flight. 

Barbados follows closely behind, with bookings for both October half term and the Christmas break proving the most popular time to visit. 

Bookings to both Jamaica and St Lucia have also doubled.