Virgin Atlantic has announced the temporary suspension of its flights from London Heathrow to Seattle, a popular US holiday destination, as part of its winter 2026 schedule changes. The route will be paused from 25 October 2026 until 27 March 2027. The airline has also confirmed that flights to Dubai will be suspended for the same winter season, with a planned return in March 2027, subject to safety evaluations and demand.
Alternative Travel Options
Despite the suspension, holidaymakers can still travel to Seattle, known as the 'Emerald City', via Virgin Atlantic's partner Delta Air Lines. Delta will operate daily services from London Heathrow throughout the winter season, allowing passengers to explore Seattle's attractions, including Pike Place Market and the iconic Space Needle.
Increased Capacity to South Africa
As part of the schedule adjustments, Virgin Atlantic will introduce daily flights to Cape Town from 25 October 2026 to 27 March 2027, with additional services on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. The airline will also offer daily routes to Johannesburg during the same period, plus three extra services on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. This increases capacity to South Africa, with Johannesburg flights rising to 10 per week and Cape Town to 11 per week.
Airline Statement
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson stated: 'Due to evolving customer demand, we’re making some changes to our winter 2026 flying programme. We look forward to increasing capacity to South Africa with services to Johannesburg rising to 10 flights per week and Cape Town to 11 flights per week, offering customers greater flexibility and connectivity for winter sun to the region.'
'Unfortunately, we have taken the difficult decision to temporarily suspend our seasonal service to Dubai for the winter 2026 season, while services to Seattle will also be temporarily suspended for the Winter 2026 season only, before resuming in March 2027. Customers can continue to travel to Seattle with our partner Delta Air Lines who will offer daily services from London Heathrow.'
The spokesperson added: 'We’d like to apologise to any affected customers and will be contacting them with their options which include rebooking or a refund.'
Jet2 Warns of Potential Delays
In other airline news, Jet2 has issued a warning to passengers about possible delays due to strike action by Italian Air Traffic Control company ACC Roma. The strike is scheduled from 09:00 to 17:00 local time on Monday, 11 May 2026, and may affect flights arriving and departing Rome, Naples, Pisa, and Venice. Jet2 advised passengers to be prepared for longer waits and to keep contact details updated in Manage My Booking.
