Virgin Atlantic and China Eastern announce a new codeshare agreement, which boosts business and leisure connections to East Asia and greater access to destinations in mainland China.
The first stage of the agreement will provide customers booking through Virgin Atlantic to connect from London Heathrow to Shanghai (Pudong – PVG), and from there to other destinations in China on a single ticket, including Chengdu, Changsha, Qingdao, Shenzhen and Xi’an.
China Eastern customers will also soon have the opportunity to connect via Heathrow to the Caribbean and Africa, including Jamaica, Nassau, Lagos, Cape Town and Johannesburg,
China Eastern is a member of Skyteam, an alliance Virgin Atlantic joined last year. Since November, both airlines have been located at Pudong International Airport Terminal 1. Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold and Silver customers and China Eastern Miles customers can enjoy SkyPriority services, which includes priority check-in, boarding, additional baggage.
The expanded codeshare agreement also offers Flying Club customers to earn miles on every flight operated by China Eastern. This option is expected to be available soon.
Virgin Atlantic resumed operations to Shanghai on May 1, 2023, following the global pandemic, China continues to be one of the UK’s most important trading partners, and as the country’s largest city, Shanghai is one of the world’s leading global financial centers.
«China and East Asia is an incredibly important region for Virgin Atlantic and we were delighted to welcome back our Heathrow service to Shanghai last year, providing vital links to one of the UK’s largest trading partners for both passenger and cargo services,» said Juha Jarvinen, Virgin Atlantic’s Chief Commercial Officer.
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