Virgin Atlantic's inaugural flight arrives in YVR.
Sir Richard Branson makes his appearance with U.K. Olympic gold medalist Amy Williams.
Virgin Atlantic's Chief Commerical Officer, Julie Southern, and Founder & President, Sir Richard Branson; with Christy Clark, Premier of B.C.
Virgin made sure everyone at YVR knew that "The British Are Coming."
It is a well-known fact that Richard Branson likes to do things in style.
Keeping true to form, when the inaugural Virgin Atlantic flight from LHR to YVR arrived, Sir Richard (as he is also known) emerged from the plane carrying Amy Williams, gold medalist for women's skeleton at the 2010 Winter Olympics. Both were dressed in a special Virgin skeleton suit.
To mark Virgin's re-entry into Canada (the airline was last here in 2001 and flew between YYZ and LHR), Branson was enthusiastic about this new route saying that the timing was auspicious.
Welcoming Branson to the province was B.C.'s Premier, Christy Clark. The two engaged in lighthearted banter about going kite-surfing in Tofino the next time he's in town.
According to Clark, the U.K. is the largest source of visitors for B.C. Virgin's new service is expected to generate $21.5 million in tourism revenue and create an additional 172 jobs.
YVR is the 32nd destination for the airline and the 11th in North America. The new service will operate 4 times weekly on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.
When asked about ticket prices, Branson foresees other airlines lowering their rates to match Virgin's. "What others can't match is quality," said Branson. "People pay $2,000 to $3,000 more for Business Class tickets on other airlines when they can get the same quality on Virgin."
To promote the new service, strategically placed banners at YVR proclaimed that, "The British Are Coming." The airport ran a contest with 2 return Upper Class tickets between YVR to LHR as prizes. Shops at the airport were also offering an assortment of U.K. products for the month of May. These include a 15% discount at Virgin Books & Music for Branson's latest book, "Screw Business As Usual."
