Originally Posted by JW95
I think VS made a big mistake leaving LGW, as BA have since expanded, Norse, and JetBlue have entered etc. Slots at LGW will become more difficult to secure as the airport continues to recover and expand on its airline portfolio. The most obvious thing for VS to do would be to relocate their Caribbean and Orlando routes back to Gatwick if they'd want to expand - but again, slot restrictions at Gatwick may prevent this from happening. VS had mentioned when leaving LGW in May 2020 that they would be retaining their slots at Gatwick for a return in the future, but much has changed since then, and I'm not even sure VS have ownership of any slots at LGW anymore? I also agree with the comments RE. connectivity- VS maintained and managed a large base at LGW since its inception in 1984 right through to 2020 perfectly fine, specifically with their point-to-point leisure/beach flights, so unsure how excess connectivity at LHR is benefitting VS in practice on these holiday routes in terms of profit. Either way, they need to make a decision on Gatwick soon if they are serious about expanding again
In 2020 while Covid was raging and airlines were haemorraghing money... a lot of difficult and major decisions had to be made very quickly. People had ample reason to be very pessimistic about the future of aviation at the time. It has taken a long time for long-haul demand, and particularly business travel, to recover. Virgin can be thankful they are still around and in reasonably good financial health.