TORONTO — Virgin Atlantic launched its new daily service between London and Detroit on Thursday with — what else — a little in-flight Motown.
Virgin chair Sir Richard Branson was onboard for the performance by cast members from Motown: The Musical and couldn’t resist a little dancing in the aisle.
“Our brand made its name in the music business, so has Detroit,” Branson wrote Friday on his blog.
“Both of us have been through a lot of changes, but it’s great to be able to bring Virgin back to the city at a time when it seems to be on such an upward trajectory.”
Virgin Atlantic is the first British airline to serve Detroit since British Airways pulled out in 2008. (Delta, a Virgin Atlantic codeshare partner and minority shareholder, also offers daily flights between London and Detroit.)
To celebrate, Virgin packed the flight with British journalists and entrepreneurs as well as airline employees.
Round-trip fares this summer are currently priced between $900 and $2,125 USD in economy class. Flights on Virgin Atlantic’s Airbus A330-300 leave Detroit at 10:23 p.m. and arrive in London at 11:05 a.m. and leave London at 2:25 p.m. and arrive in Detroit at 5:55 p.m.
Virgin Atlantic does not operate direct flights to Canadian destinations.
In 2001, the airline suspended daily service between Toronto and London after only a few months, citing stiff competition and fallout from the 9/11 attacks. Virgin Atlantic stopped flying between Vancouver and London last October.
In April 2011, Virgin America suspended service between Toronto and California after less than a year.
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