Ordinary Gweilo

Virgin will add a second flight between London and Hong Kong starting on 3 November.  For the first 3 months it will operate three days a week, and then it will be daily from 2 February.

The flight will leave Hong Kong at 1.20 a.m. (in the winter) and 12.40 a.m. (in the summer) and arrive in London at 7.10 a.m.  I suppose this must be because there are no spare spots for early morning arrivals.  It’s a big issue – people living near Heathrow like to be able get a good night’s sleep – but selfishly I’d like to be on my way before the rush hour starts, so the later flight will not be my first choice. 

Virgin did briefly have a 2nd service about five years ago (only 3 days a week, as I recall), but then they (quietly) abandoned it and started operating 747s instead (because of lack of demand elsewhere after 9/11), though that didn’t last all that long either and they switched to the A340-600.  Now they are also operating through to Sydney, and have talked about a service to Melbourne as well, so I guess they need more capacity.

I’m losing count of the number of flights to London (BA, Cathay, Virgin, Qantas and soon Air New Zealand and possibly Oasis).  Cheap flights, anyone?  Please?