Chicago Becomes Virgin Atlantic's 10th US Gateway
Phil Davies, TravelMole, 12/5/2006
Virgin Atlantic is extending its transatlantic network with daily flights to Chicago next year.
The airline is to launch the service from Heathrow on April 23, making Chicago its 10 th US gateway and its 28 th destination worldwide.
Virgin will also introduce a second daily flight between Heathrow and Washington for the summer from April 24.
The carrier's capacity to the US will rise by around 15% with the new services next summer.
Chicago services will be operated by an Airbus A340-300, configured with 34 Upper Class Suites, 35 Premium Economy seats and 171 economy seats.
Passengers on the new route will have use of the airline's new Premium Economy seat and service on board by the end of June.
Virgin Atlantic chairman Sir Richard Branson said: "We can't wait to fly to Chicago, the third biggest destination to the US from London, with nearly 2 million passengers travelling between the two cities each year."