Virgin Atlantic and Delta add new Gatwick to Boston and New York JFK flights to stifle JetBlue

Virgin Atlantic sent out a very weird press release on Thursday.

It announced that Virgin Atlantic and its joint venture partner – and major shareholder – Delta are launching new services from London Gatwick to Boston and New York JFK in 2020.

This is what the press release didn’t say:

Who is actually operating the flights – Virgin or Delta?  There is an implication that it is Delta but the announcement is not clear

When will the routes start?  All we are told is ‘Summer’ 2020

Are they seasonal or year-round services?

What are the flight times?

What aircraft, and which versions of the Delta or Virgin business class seat, will be used?

But apart from those tiny facts, it was all perfectly clear ….

The announcement appears to be a spoiler.  US low cost carrier JetBlue is expected to announce transatlantic services from the US to London next Wednesday, presumably into Gatwick.

Norwegian already flies to Boston and New York from Gatwick, and British Airways has a New York service.  Who knows?  Perhaps BA will also announce a Gatwick to Boston service next week and really turn the screws on JetBlue.

How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Virgin Points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

You can choose from two official Virgin Atlantic credit cards (apply here, one has a bonus of 15,000 points):

Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard

The UK’s most generous free Visa or Mastercard at 0.75 points / £1 Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

15,000 points bonus and the most generous non-Amex for day to day spending Read our full review

You can also earn Virgin Points from various American Express cards – and these have sign-up bonuses too.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold is FREE for a year and comes with 20,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 20,000 Virgin Points:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with 30,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 30,000 Virgin Points:

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Virgin Points. 

(Want to earn more Virgin Points?  Click here to see our recent articles on Virgin Atlantic and Flying Club and click here for our home page with the latest news on earning and spending other airline and hotel points.)