Why no VS flights to South America?

[richxby]

I was just wondering like you do, with the new Virgin routes to Oz, Cuba, Bahamas etc planned why they had never mentioned South America?

What do you think about them flying to Rio, Sao Paulo, Mexico, Buenos Aires etc?!

There's not that much competition on the routes and I'm sure they could get good loads, maybe they can't get enough slots? I dunno, could just picture a big VS A346 flying past sugar loaf mountain lol over Copacabana hehe!

[scroggs]

Because even Virgin has limits to its rate of expansion. One step at a time, please - we're working hard enough as it is!

[uy707]

Moreover, together with being limited in size, the South American market has following specificities in terms of revenue distributions, just like Russia, CIS and North Africa.
-Rich and wealthy happy-few, who get their own transports more often
-Laborers and working poors
In between is an emerging middle class, not yet big enough to sustain lots of competitors on a daily basis.
Perhaps, Virgin appears sometimes thinking the way of car manufacturers. For instance Renault is introducing the Logan, a $ 5.000 less 4-door sedan built in Romania, into the afore mentioned markets + North Africa.
And too bad for Richxby, lots of european airlines shifted their Brasilian services from Rio to Sao Paulo, Delta is now planning the same, by swaping its current ATL-GIG into a second daily ATL-GRU service.
Alain

[Bagso]

Don't knock it...

We have one rather pathetic service to Orlando Ex Manchester....

That said the airlines that currently operate Ex Manchester long haul are making shedloads of money, so if the the likes of Virgin ever come knocking there will not be any slots left !

[uy707]

Ok
But most of the airlines operating in the Sanford-Manchester corridor are part of consolidated travel companies and an overwhelming majority of passengers usually buy something else such as car and flat rentals in addition to the flights.
Should a given travel company parts with its Florida operations, they are great chances the associated airline would redeploy its fleet members accordingly.
On the otherhand, Virgin is a standalone 101 % commited to genuine scheduled year long flights, and accordingly with virtually NO right to make any market misjudgement.
Alain