Virgin Atlantic to shut down UK short-haul service

rp_IMGP9161-Airbus-A340-642X-G-VBUG-Virgin-Airlines-420x236.jpg

AFP Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic will shut its short-haul domestic service in Britain, the airline said Monday, partly owing to a lack of demand for connections with its long-haul operations.

The carrier said in a statement that it will cease its so-called “Little Red” service next year.

The operation was launched in March 2013 and has since flown more than one million passengers between London, Manchester and Scotland.

“Demand has been predominantly from point-to-point customers rather than connecting traffic,” the airline added in the statement.

“High levels of connections onto Virgin Atlantic’s long haul network have always been important to the success of Little Red.”

The company said daily services between London Heathrow and Manchester will continue until the end of March 2015, while flights between London Heathrow and Edinburgh and Aberdeen will continue until September 2015.

British tycoon Branson owns 51 percent of Virgin Atlantic, with the rest in the hands of US group Delta Air Lines.

SOURCE AFP