Whether it’s the Harmattan, a strong seasonal trade wind which blows the Sahara Desert over West Africa into the Gulf of Guinea, or the monsoon rains of Nigeria’s ‘Rainy Season’, Nigeria itself is never short of a challenge. In this dynamic ever-changing environment, you will find some of the most resilient, determined and industrious people in the world- all with a warm and welcoming smile. Here at Virgin Atlantic, we are exceptionally fortunate to have some of the best people in the business supporting our operations into and out of West Africa, and we estimate that we directly support in excess of 100 local careers in Nigeria just from our single daily flight. In the very early hours of the morning, while our customers are cruising at 36,000 feet over the Sahara on route to Lagos, the airport team, over thirty persons strong, are making their way in to work to offer a warm African welcome to our over 300 customers, who might be travelling to seal a business deal, see a much-missed relative or rekindle a long-lost romance. Since we started the route, sixteen years ago to the day, we have carried around three million passengers between London Heathrow and Lagos. And the contribution of our people and that of our partners has been fundamental to our success in serving the people of Nigeria, who I now proudly call my compatriots and friends.

Richard on our inaugural flight to Lagos in 2001

On a weekly basis, we offer more seats direct to the United Kingdom from Lagos than any other airline. We started our route from Lagos to London just as we started our airline in 1984 to offer new, innovative and thoughtful service. And this continues right through today, being the only airline to offer our customers free chilled water on arrival, locally inspired meals, an on board bar on every flight for our Upper Class passengers, a new economy seat and best-in-class lounge facilities both in Lagos and in London for our frequent and Premium cabin fliers. We try every day to do more for the communities in Nigeria we serve. I took the opportunity to catch-up with five people who have supported the Virgin Atlantic operation right from day one, to hear from them their best memories and the things that get them out of bed to meet our early morning arrival into Lagos!

Making memories

It’s the love and pride for Nigeria and Virgin Atlantic that is the overriding theme of the lunch. Cosmas, our ticketing and customer service agent at Lagos Airport, conveyed that it’s impossible for him to tell his life story without mentioning the times he has enjoyed working with Virgin Atlantic. His best memory being a work trip to South Africa to study and complete some important aviation exams, and meeting the President of South Africa in the process. Gloria, one of our two Service Delivery Managers, has one especially indelible memory of her time working with Virgin Atlantic; her contractions began early while supervising operations within the baggage reclaim hall, and she shortly thereafter gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Seven years later, her daughter is now at school no doubt studying hard to pursue a career in aviation like her mum! Onyeka, our second Service Delivery Manager, reflects that her favourite memory of the last sixteen years was being commended by a passenger for helping passengers get all their shopping on board quite soon after we had commenced the route. Like most new airlines to Nigeria, we had under-estimated Nigeria’s love for shopping and the consequent volume of bags, and Onyeka pulled everything together in time for Christmas so that nobody was left disappointed.

L-R: Olumide, Airport Supervisor; Gloria, Service Delivery Manager, Yemi, Driver; sam Lindfield; Cosmas, Airport Supervisor

Just to further celebrate their sixteen years of service, we gave the group the opportunity for a photo-shoot at the airport. Seen in the top photo is our very own ‘lady of luck’ Onyeka, representing both Nigeria and the United Kingdom from the flight deck of our Airbus 340-600 aircraft just after it arrived from London on the morning of our 16^th anniversary.

The best people and the best customers

As we look forward to the future, we remain as committed as ever to serving Nigeria and its wonderful community. Like the Harmattan and ‘Rainy Season’ there will always be challenges, but we have the best people to ensure that our customers always enjoy the most thoughtful, innovative and reliable service from Nigeria to the world. Our current A340-600 offers one of the quietest cabins in the sky, not to mention its expansive cargo capacity for the significant trade that is undertaken between Nigeria and the United Kingdom. With this in mind, the future of the route looks extremely bright for our customers with our continued roll-out of brand new aircraft and technological capability across the fleet. Nigeria’s population is expected to grow to somewhere between the third and fourth largest in the world by 2050 and we look forward to playing a core role in its continued evolution and success.

The post 16 years of flying to Lagos appeared first on Ruby: a blog by Virgin Atlantic.

Switching our logo to the rainbow colours for Pride month was both easy and difficult. Easy because we’re incredibly proud and supportive of our large LGBT+ workforce and everything Pride stands for. Difficult because, well – it’s our logo and as we’re about to find out, you meddle with that at your peril!

Since its design by Gilbert Baker in San Francisco in 1978, the rainbow flag has blazed a trail across the world. It has become a powerful symbol of the LGBT+ community, helping to change attitudes and break down barriers.

At Virgin Atlantic, our culture is one of respect for everyone. This is so deeply embedded in our DNA that it goes without saying. So why did we feel the need to change our logo And what did it take to make this small but significant change?

Our social media expert Jason Betts saw the opportunity to show our support for Pride and everything it stands for. The challenge was to come up with something we could use on our social channels that continued to feel fresh and relevant throughout the whole of Pride month. By creating our rainbow logo, we’re making a clear statement of our commitment to being an inclusive brand. “We’re all about embracing the human spirit and wearing the colours of things we believe in,” says Jason. “Having the rainbow logo is not just showing our support, but also recognising the high proportion of our people and customers who identify as LGBT+. I know it means a lot because I see many of our people sharing the rainbow logo on their own social feeds.”

Nerys, Jason and Nina review the design

Having come up with the idea of changing our logo, Jason talked to our brand design manager Nina Jenkins to see if she could make it happen. Nina keeps a careful watch on how our brand is portrayed and sets the rules on use of our logo. Brands are rightly very protective of their visual identity and this was the first time anyone had asked if we could change it (we won’t mention ‘Virgin Shaglantic’ eh, Nina?). She loved the idea and how it reinforces what people expect of us. That we’re open and diverse. That everyone at Virgin Atlantic has permission to be themselves.

“This is now more important than ever,” says Nina. “But for Brand Design ‘best practice’, it’s quite a big deal. Most brands wouldn’t do it. Brand identity has to focus on being consistent and disciplined. But it’s also about knowing when to do the right thing and break the rules well.” Nina worked with Nerys Hoey, one of our designers, to craft the idea and set out a few guidelines to limit its use to the duration of Pride. She then consulted with Virgin Group, who own the Virgin trademark, for the go-ahead.

“We could see the potential to lift the brightness of the colours to be more rainbow-like and radiant and still match the look and feel of the original Pride flag,” said Nerys. To adapt the rainbow for the Virgin Atlantic logo we looked at adding subtle gradients and curving the bands of colour to fit the shape of our tailfin so that the rainbow and tail fin worked together. It was vital that the Virgin script was still clear and legible. We also made sure the rainbow’s red was Virgin red and looked strong at the top of the tail fin to help brand recognition.

The result (below) can be seen on all our social media feeds. Our people and customers love the way it’s become a symbol of our inclusivity and the values we share with the Pride movement.

If you’re in London for the parade this weekend, have a truly fabulous time and keep an eye out for our Pride marchers. We’ve got a stall in Trafalgar Square and there’ll be an opportunity to win flights. Do pop along and say hello.

The post Pride in our logo appeared first on Ruby: a blog by Virgin Atlantic.

Wimbledon fortnight is about much more than just tennis. It is also a celebration of the English summer. A time when talking tennis and sipping cocktails in the warm evenings is practically mandatory.

The Perfect Serve and Flirty Love cocktails

To help our customers get into the Wimbledon spirit, we have teamed up with Lanson Champagne, the official supplier of Champagne to Wimbledon, to create two wonderful cocktails that perfectly capture the flavours of Wimbledon and the vibe of this very special time of year.

The Perfect Serve – St Germain Elderflower liqueur and Lanson Champagne service in a classic coupe glass with ice.

Flirty Love – Crème de Mure and Lanson Champagne garnished with a blackberry, ice and fresh rosemary sprig

The cocktails will be available in all of our global Clubhouses for the duration of Wimbledon fortnight.

We marked the start of Wimbledon fortnight and our Perfect Serve promotion by serving the cocktails as boarding drinks on the VS141 to Los Angeles this morning. Paulina, one of our Clubhouse bartenders is seen here preparing the boarding drinks with the Cabin Crew and Pilots onboard our Boeing 787 to Los Angeles.

The team onboard flight VS141 to Los Angeles getting ready to welcome our customers

The post The Perfect Serve – Wimbledon cocktails with Lanson Champagne in our Clubhouses appeared first on Ruby: a blog by Virgin Atlantic.

Nik Glennon-Farris

Have you ever noticed that whenever you travel there always seems to be a person, wearing a suit and carrying a walkie-talkie that seems to be everywhere at once? That’ll be the Duty Manager, and at Gatwick, Nik Glennon-Farris is that man. Nik has worked for Virgin Atlantic for over 20 years. He started off at Heathrow, first as a clubhouse agent, and then caring for our VIPs and celebrities before moving to check in and onto airport management.

We went to meet him at our new North Terminal home as he got his team ready for the busy summer months ahead.

What does a day look like?

No two days look the same for Nik, with each bringing new challenges and new people. However, he’ll begin each morning by having a conference call with everyone servicing our flights that day: our operations team, engineers, caterers, security, check-in agent, Virgin Holidays, Cargo, our handling agent Swissport and our Clubhouse team.

Nik Glennon-Ferris at the North Terminal check-in kiosks

The goal of the briefing is to make sure everyone’s ready and motivated to carry out our great customer service to all who come through the terminal doors. Nik walks from gate to gate, making sure the flights are running smoothly and helping with any issues as they arise. Multitasking is a key part of the job description; he has to be ready for anything that could happen. When the flights have all departed, he then needs to analyse Gatwick’s performance for the day, before preparing for the following day’s flights.

Our new home in the North Terminal

It’s a few months now since we moved into our new home. Despite saying a tearful goodbye to the South Terminal, the feedback from both customers and our people has been fantastic. The dedication and long hours involved in moving to our current location have definitely proved worthwhile. “This light and spacious check in area is a fantastic way for customers to start their holiday, and a brilliant working environment for our team”, says Nik. With outstanding facilities and short walks to the gates, our On Time Performance has improved enormously, along with our Net Promoter Score (customer satisfaction rating).

Nik, with his colleague Vicky Jones, keep everyone on the ground cool by handing out ice cream and water during the recent hot weather.

What makes Gatwick so special?

Nik is incredibly proud of his Gatwick team and their consistently high customer ratings: “The secret of our success is that our people really bring their personalities to work, bounce off of each other, and have a bit of fun and look after one another,” he says.

As with any airline, the biggest challenge is keeping everyone happy during the occasional delay. It’s not unusual for Nik and the team to take a different approach: he’s even been known to nip down the shops and buy 400 cookies to surprise our customers. The entire team are passionate about connecting with customers and making sure their holiday begins as soon as they arrive at the airport, rather than once they touch down at their destination. It’s an approach that explains why we often see so many familiar faces at check-in.

Our Gatwick North Terminal check in area

Looking forward to summer

Summer at Gatwick is our busiest time of year, with lots of travelling families. Nik and his team are stress reduction experts, who along with volunteers from our offices will be on hand to answer questions and help give you the best start to your holiday.

The post Gearing up for the summer with Nik our man at Gatwick appeared first on Ruby: a blog by Virgin Atlantic.

Downtown Atlanta skyline at dusk © tableatny / Flickr Creative Commons CC by 2.0

If your travel plans include a trip to the Deep South this summer, the sizzling city of Atlanta is hosting a packed calendar of shows, festivals and kid-friendly events. Here’s a few cool ways to make the most of the season…

Cinderella Della Circus

Running until 23 July, Cinderella Della Circus kicks off the 2017-2018 Family Series at the Center for Puppetry Arts; Atlanta’s famous puppet museum which was opened in 1978 by none other than Kermit the Frog. This year’s performances blend circus skills with the magic of puppetry, and feature a host of folk and fairytale characters, along with handcrafted marionettes and shadow puppets. Tickets include entrance to the Worlds of Puppetry Museum, which houses the largest collection of Jim Henson puppets and artifacts in the world.

Fourth of July – Centennial Olympic Park

Celebrating the Fourth of July in Atlanta with fireworks in Centennial Olympic Park © William Brawley / Flickr Creative Commons CC by 2.0

It’s the largest fireworks display in the southeast United States, so don’t miss your chance to celebrate Independence Day at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park in Downtown. This year the entertainment line-up includes headline sets from the likes of Bobby Brown and CeCe Peniston, followed by a spectacular fireworks show at 9.45pm. Gates open at 6pm and the entire event is free – just try and get there early to secure a good viewing spot.

Atlanta Ice Cream Festival

Try delicious sweet treats from Jake’s Ice Cream, one of the Atlanta Ice Cream Festival sponsors © Counse / Flickr Creative Commons CC by 2.0

Beat the sweltering summer heat by spending the day at the seventh annual Atlanta Ice Cream Festival in Piedmont Park on 22 July. Despite the name, this one-day event is not your normal US-style food frenzy. While it does include an ice cream eating contest, it also offers free health screenings, yoga sessions and loads of energetic family activities like hula hooping, jump rope and a frisbee toss – so you can burn off all those extra calories before you leave.

The Decatur Barbeque, Blues & Bluegrass Festival

This wildly popular barbeque, blues and bluegrass festival is now in its 17th year, with this summer’s shindig taking place on Saturday 12 August. Held at Harmony Park in suburban Atlanta’s Oakhurst neighbourhood, the gathering has evolved into a multi-stage event with more than 6,000 attendees and seven hours of live music. Feast on classic southern barbeque fare from Georgia’s best pitmasters and beers from New Belgium Brewing, and settle in for a day of great tastes and tunes.

Piedmont Park Arts Festival

Piedmont Park is home to the city’s annual arts festival © Chris McClanahan / Flickr Creative Commons CC by-SA 2.0

Also held in Piedmont Park, this free two-day visual arts festival on 19-20 August features a nationwide line-up of eclectic artists and makers, from glass blowers and metalworkers, to painters, jewellers and photographers. Presented by the Atlanta Foundation for Public Spaces, expect live music, demonstrations, food and drink vendors, a kids’ play area and a dedicated pavilion for emerging artists.

Virgin Atlantic operates flights to Atlanta from London Heathrow. Visit our new Atlanta destination guide for more ATL tips and ideas.

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The post Top things to do in Atlanta this summer appeared first on Ruby: a blog by Virgin Atlantic.

Why are we more likely to cry on a plane? Could it be that travel is nearly always an emotional experience? Are we, with so much time at our disposal, more inclined to watch weepy films? Is it because you have just said goodbye or are looking forward to new adventures? Maybe it’s the immersive experience of watching with headphones and not sharing your screen? Medically it is well documented that the lower air pressure of an aircraft can cause changes in your mood, personality, behaviour and cognitive functioning. That might well have something to do with it. The truth is nobody knows for sure. But one thing is certain. Whatever the reason, a chat between friends will confirm that movies unlikely to bring you to tears on the ground often have you welling up at 30,000 feet.

This is why we have introduced special notifications before weepy movies to let you know that you’re about to see a tearjerker. With emotions running 38,000 feet high the notifications reassure you that crew are on hand to help.

Heart-wrenching blockbusters such as Lion, Moonlight and Bridget Jones’ Baby are among the most popular films we’re showing on board this summer – however, the highs and lows of the movies have led to a few sneaky tears on board.

The lighthearted warnings appear before a selection of 13 movies, and advise customers to have their tissues ready and press the call button if they need a shoulder to cry on. It’s the second time we’ve added the emotion notices – we also introduced them in 2011 to coincide with a particularly heart-wrenching collection of films.

Carly Swaine

“It’s well-known that emotions are heightened on a flight, and we often spot customers shedding a tear over a movie,” said Carly Swaine, a member of our cabin crew. “Many of our customers are jetting off on adventures such as round the world trips, honeymoons or visiting distant relatives so it’s not surprising that movies create stronger emotions in the sky. There are a few real tearjerkers on board at the moment so the notifications help reassure customers that it’s fine to let their feelings show, or to call the crew for a cup of tea.”

Our top five tearjerkers on board this summer are:

1 Bridget Jones baby

2 Moonlight

3 Sing

4 Collateral Beauty

5 La La Land

Content which is unsuitable for children or nervous flyers also displays a warning, and all movies feature a BBFC classification rating.

The post Why are Virgin Atlantic introducing emotional warnings on flights? appeared first on Ruby: a blog by Virgin Atlantic.

Virgin Atlantic Airways (our airline) and Virgin Holidays (our holiday company) are now working more closely than ever before, and that includes on our Change is in the Air sustainability programme – where our teams are pioneering ways to reduce our environmental impact, improve our supply chain and support communities around the world.  We have just published our joint 2017 Change is in the Air Sustainability Report and here are some of the highlights.

This year’s report includes our most comprehensive carbon footprint to date, for both sides of the business. While we know that aviation is a part of modern life that brings many social and economic benefits, we’re also clear it brings environmental challenges, not least in the form of carbon emissions. From our carbon footprint, we know that aircraft emissions are by far the largest part of what we do, across both parts of the business, which is why carbon and fuel efficiency is still our number one environmental priority.

For our Head of Sustainability Emma Harvey, our 2017 results show encouraging progress, which she puts down to the many efforts of our teams, some great external partners, and a very collaborative (as well as competitive!) industry. We caught up with Emma and asked her about some of the highlights, starting with those carbon results and actions.

Emma Harvey

On carbon…

Over the last nine years, we’ve reduced our total aircraft CO₂e emissions by 22% — from 5,218,451 tonnes in 2007 to 4,082,195 in 2016. This is mirrored by reductions in two key efficiency measures: CO₂ per Revenue Tonne Kilometre (- 17%) and CO₂ per passenger km (-22%), with all three measures having reduced 8% in the last year alone. These substantial savings are largely due to our multi-billion dollar fleet investment and making sure we use the right aircraft on the right routes to maximise passenger numbers – as well as a whole host of fuel saving initiatives such as single engine taxiing, real-time weather technology to help pilots make smarter route choices, and rigorous weight management of all products on the aircraft.

“By far the biggest, single thing we can do to reduce our carbon emissions is to invest in new, more efficient fleet – that is, swapping out older, less-efficient aircraft for much more efficient, twin-engine ones – and that’s what we’ve been doing for a number of years now. First to come were our A330s, and most recently we’ve been settling in a number of 787s. It’s these 787s that made the biggest difference to our results in 2016 and led to the 8% drop in the last year alone. It doesn’t end there. From 2019 we’ll begin introducing 12 new A350s into service. Once our fleet renewal programme is complete, we’ll have one of the most efficient, long haul fleets in the sky”.

The new Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA)

“I love that our industry is proactive and collaborative when it comes to sustainability. A great example is the recent Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA), agreed by UN body ICAO and nation states in October 2016 – after many years of active support from our sector.

“In fact, in 2008 Virgin Atlantic was one of a small number of airlines that established small industry group Aviation Global Deal (AGD) to campaign for a scheme such as this. I wasn’t at Virgin Atlantic at the time, but I’m told AGD’s ideas were viewed as completely ‘left field’ to begin with. Thankfully our industry body IATA did a fantastic job of advancing the thinking, bringing airlines from around the world into the negotiations. Fast forward eight years – and a huge amount of work later – and a historic, global, sectoral deal was achieved – a massive breakthrough. Naturally, we’re delighted – it’s going to raise billions of dollars for credible carbon reduction projects around the world, and I’m proud that we were one of the early movers.”

Low carbon fuel with LanzaTech

We’ve also continued our ground-breaking partnership with clean tech company LanzaTech to create low carbon fuel by recycling carbon from waste industrial gases and other sustainably-sourced waste streams. “We’re really excited by the progress this programme continues to make,” says Emma. “In 2016 LanzaTech produced its first 4,000 gallons of jet fuel, and also secured US funding for the first demonstration-scale unit, which is being designed right now. Next steps are to advance towards full-scale commercial production and we’re seeking UK government support to do just that. Low carbon jet fuels are at a tipping point and with help from governments and others, we could see affordable, low carbon commercial jet fuels in the not-too-distant future. This would be huge progress as we’re talking 70-80% carbon savings compared to traditional fossil kerosene.”

But sustainable travel is about much more than carbon reductions alone. Here are some of the other projects that our businesses have been working on…

Kathryn Asplin

Sustainable inflight food

Our In-Flight Services team has continued to make excellent progress in our partnership with the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA), helping to ensure the 5.5 million meals served on board each year meet key principles of: fair working conditions and pay for factory and farm workers; humanely farmed meat and dairy; sustainably sourced fish and seafood; and reduced deforestation-risk products (like removing palm oil and soy). Gate Gourmet UK – who serve more than 50% of our flights (all those leaving the UK) – now comply fully with all these sustainable product standards, and our caterers have continued to advance in all areas. For example, all menus on our flights out of the Caribbean now use rapeseed oil, saving 100 tonnes of palm oil per year.

Kathryn Asplin, our sustainability specialist said: “Improving the sustainability of our airline catering operation has been a truly collaborative effort involving our inflight services teams, the SRCA and our global caterers. All the caterers we work with improved their scores in 2016 and I know that everyone is really keen to keep the momentum going and continue driving this programme to even greater things.”

Virgin Holidays

In 2016, our Virgin Holidays team updated our position on working with tourist attractions featuring captive whales and dolphins, by pledging to work with existing partners to improve the welfare of captive animals and by committing to not sell any new attractions which include captive whales and dolphins. We’re also working to support the creation of sanctuaries for animals currently in captivity, and provide more choice for our customers in the form of responsible wild whale and dolphin watching experiences.

Make do and mend – reducing aircraft waste

Stringent rules prevent long haul airlines recycling anything that has touched meat or dairy products, however we have focused on areas where we can make changes, like high value recyclables. In 2016 over one million of our amenity kits were recycled with 55% reassembled into new amenity kits and waste materials going to a variety of new lives. For examples, the sponges from our headsets may soon be surfacing the floor of equestrian centres, while some of our waste plastics are made into garden benches.

Non-profit partnerships

On the airline side of things, we’ve continued our long-standing, much-loved partnership with WE (formerly Free the Children). In 2016 customers donated over half a million pounds in spare change on board flights and our people raised an additional £159,000. This has been used to support communities in locations around the world address the causes of poverty such as lack of clean water, food, schools, healthcare and incomes, and to help them become more self-sufficient. It’s also been used to support WE’s inspirational schools programme in the UK and the US, encouraging, enabling and supporting young people to get involved and make a positive difference to the world. On the Virgin Holidays side, we continued our commitment to the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship by donating another £200,000 to provide training, mentoring and job creation to young entrepreneurs based in the Caribbean.

How can you help?

We asked the team for their top tips for travelling sustainably:

Pack lighter – by only packing what you need, you’ll reduce your weight onboard. The lighter the load, the less fuel we burn and the less carbon we emit. It’s an ideal way to reduce your own carbon emissions. Removing outer packaging from items before you travel also helps, and reduces the burden of waste in other countries, which may not have the same recycling opportunities as back home.

Be prepared – where possible, carry a lightweight reusable water bottle and refill it before you board instead of buying or using bottled water. Carry a reusable shopping bag with you too for your souvenirs.

Offset your flight – we’ve partnered with The CarbonNeutral Company, who support communities around the world via meaningful environmental projects, such as cleaner, cheaper, safer renewable energy. If you offset your flight with us, you’ll really make a difference around the world.

Go explore – Grab a map and walk or cycle instead of taking a taxi. You’ll be amazed what you’ll discover!

Choose a sustainably-certified hotel – lots of hotels are now making special efforts to ‘be green’, so watch out for independent, sustainably-certified options.

Live like a local – eat, drink and shop locally. Use local forms of public transport too. You’ll reduce your carbon footprint, help support the local economy and learn so much more about the country you’re visiting.

For more information and a video summary of the report, visit Change is in the Air  

The post How low can we go? – our 2017 Sustainability Report appeared first on Ruby: a blog by Virgin Atlantic.

Bixby Bridge on the Central Coast of California © Visit California/Myles McGuinness

California’s Highway 1 is arguably the best road trip destination in the US. The sinuous highway hugs the Pacific for more than 650 miles, past misty redwood forests and secret coves, above wildflower-strewn cliffs which tumble down to the shore.

One of the most legendary stretches of Highway 1 is the section between Los Angeles and San Francisco, but recent landslides on the Central Coast have closed a portion of the route for up to a year. Despite this setback, the vast majority of the road is still open for business, while the subsequent diversion throws up a host of lesser known attractions in what the authorities are terming the ‘Best Detour Ever’.

Our map below shows the inaccessible portion between Ragged Point and Big Sur Ranger Station. Zoom in for a closer look at the inland re-routing along Highway 101. Driving this route takes about the same amount of time as driving Highway 1, even allowing for the sections where you’ll need to double back on yourself.  So don’t think twice about changing your plans – just prepare yourself for an unexpected adventure.

Ready for your road trip? All restaurants, art galleries, campgrounds, hotels and gas stations are open as normal, as well as everything listed below:

From the south

If you’re starting from Los Angeles you’ll find Highway 1 open all the way to Ragged Point, around 15 miles north of San Simeon. Highlights along the way include:

• Morro Bay State Park, known for its birdwatching opportunities and the large volcanic plug located offshore
• Classic California seaside towns like Morro Bay, Cayucos and San Simeon
• Piedras Blancas State Marine Reserve, site of an elephant seal breeding rookery overlooked by a boardwalk and viewing areas
• William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach; a protected sandy cove with a wooden fishing pier, picnic sites and barbecue grills.
• Hearst Castle; a National Historic Landmark and previous residence of newspaper baron William Randolph Hearst

Surfers at the pier in downtown Cayucos © Visit California/Chris Leschinsky

From the north

The section of Highway 1 below Monterey and Carmel-by-the-Sea is accessible all the way south to Big Sur, including all of the famous landmarks and state parks below:

• Bixby Creek Bridge, Big Sur’s best known symbol and probably the most photographed site on the West Coast
• Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, famous for its wildflower meadows, hiking trails and whale watching opportunities
• Garrapata State Park, renowned for its coastal hiking, redwood groves and outstanding views of the Pacific Ocean
• Point Sur Light Station Historic State Park, open for guided tours which run on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays (additional moonlight tours are also available)
• Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, open for limited use, including Big Sur Lodge, first come first serve camping, and access to several hiking trails including Redwood Deck, Nature Trail, River Path, Warden’s Path and Liewald Flat Trail

Central Coast, Point Lobos State Reserve © Visit California/Hub

Highway 101

The inland detour through the rolling hills of the Central Coast opens up a range of new sights and attractions:

• Highway 46 travels through glorious wine country as it links Highway 1 to Highway 101 – stop off at one of the many wineries, vineyards and distilleries
• Paso Robles was recently named ‘Best Wine Country Town’ by the influential Sunset Magazine
• The 1797-founded Mission San Miguel Arcángel off Highway 101 is one of California’s best preserved adobe missions
• The free Camp Roberts Historical Museum is the largest Army museum in California
• Along the Salinas River, San Lorenzo County Park offers 90 campsite spaces, picnic areas, playgrounds, volleyball courts and walking trails
• In the Santa Lucia Highlands, the Hahn Estate offers a memorable tour and wine tasting experience overlooking the Salinas Valley
• Twenty minutes from Highway 101, Pinnacles National Park is the United States’ newest national park, established by President Obama in 2013
• The National Steinbeck Center is a museum dedicated to the life and work of Pulitzer Prize-winning author John Steinbeck, located in his boyhood hometown of Salinas

Pinnacles National Park © Daniel Hartwig / Flickr Creative Commons

Virgin Atlantic operates daily flights to Los Angeles and San Francisco from London Heathrow. For up to date information on the status of Highway 1, visit the official tourism website at Visit California.

The post California’s Highway 1 closure: All you need to know appeared first on Ruby: a blog by Virgin Atlantic.

And so started our incredible story. It was 33 years ago today, on the 22nd June 1984, that our very first flight – VS1 – departed Gatwick for Newark. What a day that was. Alongside our first ever customers were Richard and his family, plus a load of 80s celebrities, pop stars and journalists, and 60 crates of champagne. The rest, as they say, is history. Here’s a few mementos from that headline-making day:

The Guardian front page 23 June 1984

Our first ever cabin baggage tag

Our ops team didn’t have much of a problem working out the flying schedule that day. We only had one aircraft – G-VIRG, Maiden Voyager. From day one it boasted an unusual feature in the form of ‘The Painter’; a drawing of a man who is precariously perched on his painting platform after dropping his paint pot down the side of the aircraft. This caused quite a stir back then. Quirky paint schemes didn’t exist in the stuffy world of aviation. Eventually, The Painter was removed from the tail after a few incidents where other aircraft had mistaken him for damage to the tail and reported it to the control tower.

A newspaper article describes how the inaugural passengers watched a filmed version of the take-off shot from behind the pilots’ heads. When the ‘pilots’ turned to face the camera, they were revealed to be cricketers Viv Richards and Ian Botham.

This year we’re celebrating by baking cakes! Just search social media for #cakesonaplane to see some of the great cakes you’ve all been baking. We’re busy judging the entries now and will be announcing the winners soon.

The post Happy birthday to us: 33 years old and counting… appeared first on Ruby: a blog by Virgin Atlantic.

Pandora: The World of Avatar © Disney

There’s always something groundbreaking happening in Orlando, but the city is really surpassing itself in 2017. So far we’ve seen the opening of two extraordinary new attractions at Disney World and Universal Orlando, with much more fun and entertainment on the horizon. Here’s a look at what’s just launched and what’s coming up over the next couple of months…

Volcano Bay at Universal Orlando

The much anticipated Volcano Bay water park is now open at Universal Orlando Resort. Anchored by the lava-spewing, 200-foot-tall Krakatau volcano, the park is home to a collection of mind-bending rides – including an aqua coaster, drop slides, body slides, raft rides and whitewater rapids – as well as a shallow lagoon, a winding river, and two age-appropriate play reefs with gurgling fountains and geysers.

Not only is this tropical island-themed attraction the first new Universal park in 18 years, it also has a wearable ride reservation system which eliminates that bugbear of all theme park enthusiasts – standing in a neverending queue. Simply tap your wristband against a kiosk to hold your place in a ‘virtual line’, and return to your chosen attraction when you feel the wearable vibrate. You can also use it to buy drinks and snacks or rent lockers.

Pandora: The World of Avatar

Opened at the end of May 2017, Pandora: The World of Avatar is Walt Disney World Resort’s latest and greatest attraction. Inspired by James Cameron’s 2009 sci-fi epic, the 12-acre ‘land’ is set within Disney’s Animal Kingdom and celebrates the awe-inspiring power of nature through an otherworldly landscape of floating mountains, mystical birdsong and bioluminescent plants.

Stars of the show are Pandora’s two rides, which blend theme park wizardry with cutting edge production design. The results are seriously stunning and well worth the not inconsiderable waits, which are mostly eased by an innovative ‘pre-ride’ experience. First up is the Na’Vi River Journey; a magical boat trip through a bioluminescent rainforest in search of the Na’vi Shaman of Songs. But Pandora’s masterstroke has to be the higher-octane Avatar Flight of Passage simulator ride – surely now among the greatest such rides in the world – which offers the chance to fly on the back of a mountain banshee and soar over a lush landscape of forests, mountains, caves and oceans.

Orlando by bus

Launched by City Sightseeing on June 1st, Orlando now has its first hop-on hop-off bus service. The Theme Park Capital of the World becomes the eleventh city in the open top bus company’s US line-up, with more than 100 other destinations represented across the globe.

Orlando options include one to 14-day combo tickets, which connect the main attractions of the city via a 22-stop tour, from Universal Orlando and Disney Springs to I-Drive 360, Pointe Orlando and Pirate’s Dinner Adventure. Alternatively, use City Sightseeing’s daily ‘Theme Park Express’ for simple access to both Disney and Universal theme parks. Choose the Universal Express or Disney Express, or purchase a combo ticket if you’re planning on visiting both. You can also hit the malls with a minimum of fuss – there’s a dedicated shopping route which covers Premium Outlets and the Florida Mall, as well as Gatorland adventure theme park. Adult tickets start from £22 for a one day pass and from £16 per child, with higher savings available the more days you purchase.

Circo Orlando

Coming soon to International Drive is the high-end Italian restaurant Circo Orlando, part of the Le Cirque restaurant brand. Complete with sky high views of the theme parks, the 10,500 square foot Circo will seat up to 300 and occupy the penthouse position on the new I-Drive Hollywood Plaza retail development. Check out the patio and retractable glass roof – the perfect spot for watching Disney World’s fireworks shows. Opening late summer 2017.

Andretti Indoor Karting & Games

Launching at the end of summer 2017, Andretti Indoor Karting & Games is a mammoth entertainment complex featuring state of the art electric go kart racing, 3D multi-player and classic arcade games, and a fully immersive 7D dark ride experience where riders use lasers to compete against each other for the highest score.

Located on Universal Boulevard near Universal Orlando, the flagship facility will also include Florida’s first curved Sky Rail zip line as part of its Sky Trail ropes course, along with an unbelievably realistic pro race car simulator and an upmarket boutique bowling lounge with 12 sleek race-themed lanes.

Check out our Orlando destination guide for more information and tips on Orlando and Central Florida.

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