In partnership with the Jamaica Tourism Board, Celene Duffy (Key Account Manager for APG Ireland) hosted a fam trip of key travel trade to the vibrant island of Jamaica on a four-night fam that took place last week!
Virgin Atlantic is known for its vivacious red brand identity, charismatic and inclusive service and commitment to sustainability. With no direct flights from Ireland (yet!) we can sometimes forget to check the incredible destinations of this exquisite brand when it comes to destinations for Irish travellers. This fam trip operated by APG Ireland and Virgin Atlantic in partnership with Visit Jamaica, gave a lucky group of travel agents the chance to experience their offering first hand, flying from London Heathrow to Montego Bay, Jamaica!
Jamaica is known as the tropical Caribbean paradise, with its vibrant food culture, reggae sounds and intriguing- sometimes supernatural- history, there is something for everyone between rolling mountains, tropical rainforests and stretching, sandy beaches.
Virgin Atlantic currently offers a four-times a week service to Montego Bay in Jamaica from London Heathrow, and due to a rise in demand will be offering a daily service between January 1st and March 31 every year, with the four-times weekly service continuing for the rest of the year. This expansion includes an increased year-round schedule with extra seats and is a response to the growing demand for travel to the island from both the UK tourism market and the Jamaican diaspora, according to the Jamaica Information Service. The new daily service will operate with the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, adding 258 seats per week. Flight time is nine hours, thirty minutes and there are four classes available on the plane
- Economy Light (1x10kg hand luggage) & Classic (1x10kg hand luggage & 1x23kg checked baggage)
- Economy Delight – offering 34 inches of legroom, priority boarding (1x10kg hand luggage & 1x23kg checked baggage)
- Premium – 38 inches of legroom (1x10kg hand luggage & 2x23kg checked baggage)
- Upper Class – fully flat bed with up to 6 feet 7 inches of space in length, 22 inches in width. Fast track security on departure and access to Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses (2x32kg checked baggage).
As part of the Jamaica fam, ITTN’s Katie had a fantastic experience on board Virgin Atlantic’s Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, a long-range wide body jetliner known for its fuel efficiency and passenger comfort features. The fam trip group were sat in economy, and enjoyed these comfort features with the 296 passengers on this full flight. The group experienced enhanced cabin air quality, dimmable windows, and LED mood lighting, which are put in place by Virgin Atlantic to help reduce the effects of jet lag.
The first thing that stood out to Katie and the rest of the group were the incredible staff. From Julia, who met the group before check-in with big smiles and excitement for the trip, Julia later found the below photo of the group pre-take-off photos on ITTN (below) and commented: “OMG, it was so lovely to meet you fabulous ladies and welcome you to Gate 1 London Heathrow and guide you onboard your Virgin Atlantic aircraft Lady Freedom. I hope you had a fun and smooth flight. Love Julia from Virgin Atlantic xxx” which would be the first introduction to the magnetic brand that would stay with the fam group throughout the trip.
On board, Vera provides the entertainment with a selection of movies, tv shows, audio and games to keep people entertained throughout the flight. There were new movie picks in time for Halloween- including Ballerina, 28 Years Later, Absorption and Accountant 2- with Dune Prophecy, Family Guy, Last of Us, Lioness and White Lotus also being popular group picks! The controlled windows lent a real sense of coziness and/or brightness, adjusted easily by each window-seat flyer to suit their needs. Wifi is available on the flight with options of Instant Messaging (£2.49 GBP) or Basic Surf including social media (£21.99 GBP) available for the whole flight or Premium Surf (£29.99 GBP) with premium speeds perfect for business productivity!
As the plane began its ascent over the Atlantic, hugged the east coast of America and came down past Florida over the Caribbean island, there was plenty of food on offer throughout the flight. Drinks were provided almost immediately after take-off, and reached the fam group at the back of the plane in no time at all! This was followed by a fantastic dinner compiled of crunchy and fresh salad, with tomatoes and cucumbers, bread shaped like a conch which was a lovely added design- and the choice between chicken with mash or vegetarian mac and cheese. Jacob’s crackers with mature cheddar cheese from Cathedral city and the Coconut Lab’s salted caramel and chocolate moose made up dessert. But that wasn’t all! A mini-Magnum ice-cream was also provided to each passenger, lending to the charming Virgin Atlantic brand. Before landing, passengers were also provided with Mile High Tea: a selection of two sandwiches, a warm scone, chocolate, jam and clotted cream to make every passenger feel like a princess as they began their descent.
What stood out most to me on the flight and beyond was the quality, positivity and kindness of each and every Virgin Atlantic staff member that the group came into contact with. Julia, who welcomed the group to the gate could have been a once-off but the group found that there were people like her at every step of the Virgin Atlantic experience. Bianca was another favourite, with her huge smiles and bright red hair that matched the stunning crimson uniforms of the Virgin Atlantic Crew. When Bianca came around with the drinks cart at the start of the flight and throughout, a Jamaican man sitting in proximity to the group, sighed heavily- “I’ll just take a juice, but what I’d really love is a Baileys”. Once she was finished her procession up and down the aisle, about twenty minutes later- Bianca tapped the man on the shoulder, she had gone up to Upper class to grab a full glass of Baileys! The delight of the man was palpable and he smiled broadly at her.
Later on in the week, the fam group found that same Virgin Atlantic crew were staying in the JOIA Iberostar hotel that hosted the group for its final two nights. And there was Bianca- preparing for the 9.30pm flight out of Montego Bay, happy and welcoming to see the group again! The crew were more than happy to take a photo with Celene Duffy and then the entire fam group, and the pilot and second captain were kind enough to adhere to Katie’s own request for a selfie!
Whether it’s the little things or the big ones, Virgin Atlantic will stay in the hearts and minds of these travel agents, with each and every one looking forward to sending their own customers to experience this delightful airline in the future!
