Fly Virgin Atlantic to Cape Town via London From November 2022

Virgin Atlantic is returning to the shores of Cape Town (CPT) in South Africa.

The seasonal service from London (LHR) will restart on November 5, 2022, and run through until March 24, 2023, when the airline switches to its summer schedule.

“We’re incredibly excited to return to the fabulous city of Cape Town with daily services from November,” said Juha Jarvinen, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic.

Let’s take a look at what Virgin Atlantic’s new route to Cape Town (CPT) means for you.

Table of Contents

New 1-Stop Option for Americans Traveling to Cape Town
Final Thoughts

New 1-Stop Option for Americans Traveling to Cape Town

As it stands, there’s only 1 nonstop service from the U.S. to Cape Town (CPT). It’s operated by United and leaves from Newark (EWR) 3 times per week starting on June 5, 2022. There will hopefully be a new nonstop United service from Washington, D.C. (IAD), pending DOT authorization.

This means that if you’re elsewhere in the U.S., the most common way of heading to Cape Town (CPT) is via a stopover somewhere in Europe flying with the likes of Air France, British Airways, KLM, or Lufthansa.

Thanks to Virgin Atlantic bringing back its route to Cape Town and the airline’s extensive U.S. route network, you’ll now also have the option of flying Virgin Atlantic on a 1-stop itinerary to Cape Town (CPT) from Atlanta (ATL), Austin (AUS) (the newest U.S. city to be added to Virgin Atlantic’s network), Boston (BOS), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), Newark (EWR), Orlando (MCO), Seattle (SEA), and San Francisco (SFO).

One-stop itineraries from the U.S. to Cape Town via Heathrow with Virgin — 1-stop itineraries from the U.S. to Cape Town via Heathrow with Virgin Atlantic. Image Credit: Great Circle Mapper

The schedule for Virgin Atlantic’s once-daily flight is as follows:

Depart London (LHR) 4:20 p.m. — Arrive Cape Town (CPT) 6:00 a.m. (+1)
Depart Cape Town (CPT) 7:50 a.m. — Arrive London (LHR) 5:45 p.m.

The route will be operated by one of the airline’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft that has 31 seats in Upper Class (business), 35 seats in Premium, and 192 seats split between Economy Delight, Economy Classic, and Light Seats in economy.

Hot Tip: Getting to Cape Town from the U.S. doesn’t have to break the bank as there are many ways to fly to South Africa using points and miles rather than cash. You can even earn and redeem Virgin Points on your flight!

Final Thoughts

Virgin Atlantic’s imminent return to Cape Town (CPT) gives Americans a new option to consider when planning a trip to the South African capital.

Whether you’re in Upper, Premium, or economy, flying with Virgin Atlantic on such a long trip is guaranteed to be an experience you’ll remember for all the right reasons.