If nothing else, this should speed up that 'exodus'
(BBC News Quote)
Jobs boost as Virgin ups flights
Virgin Atlantic is to create hundreds of new jobs with the launch of extra summer flights to the US.
The UK airline plans to recruit around 700 cabin crew, along with pilots and support staff, for its operations from Gatwick and Heathrow airports.
Virgin will fly additional planes to Boston, Washington DC and Newark, in New Jersey, from June to October.
The airline said the move would enable more Britons to take advantage of the favourable pound/dollar exchange rate.
'Growing confidence'
Sterling is currently at its strongest position against the American dollar since 1992, something that has prompted a big increase in UK visitors to the US.
Virgin Atlantic chief executive Steve Ridgway said: "These new services reflect the airline's growing confidence in the North American market and increasing passenger demand for long-haul travel."
He said: "British tourists are taking advantage of not only the good fares available to the US, but also the favourable exchange rate."
Mr Ridgway said the new US transatlantic services would bring in "around 15,000 additional US passengers, mainly tourists, into the UK over the summer".
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