Virgin Atlantic has announced a temporary suspension of flights to Seattle, a popular US destination, as part of its winter schedule changes. The route from London Heathrow will be halted from October 25, 2026, until March 27, 2027.
Alternative Travel Options
Holidaymakers can still reach Seattle, known as the 'Emerald City', through Virgin Atlantic's partner airline, Delta. Delta will operate daily services from Heathrow throughout the winter season.
Other Route Changes
In addition to the Seattle suspension, Virgin Atlantic will also temporarily stop flights to Dubai during the 2026 winter season. The airline hopes to resume the Seattle service in March 2027, subject to safety evaluations and demand. The Foreign Office currently advises against all but essential travel to the United Arab Emirates.
The winter schedule changes also include new daily routes to Cape Town from October 25 to March 27, with extra services on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Daily flights to Johannesburg will also be available, with three additional services on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays.
Official Statement
A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: "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."
The spokesperson added: "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. We’d like to apologise to any affected customers and will be contacting them with their options which include rebooking or a refund."
