“We’re not afraid of competition”

~ Words by Vickie Sam Paget, Sky Blue Content ~

There’s a new kid on the Vancouver-London block… Virgin Atlantic will kick off its new seasonal Vancouver-Heathrow service on May 26, bringing extra capacity and greater competition to the route. GSA Travel Magazine asks Chris Rossi, the company’s senior vice president for North America, why Virgin Atlantic feels it can successfully cut itself a nice slice of Vancouver’s transatlantic business…

When Virgin Atlantic launches its new Vancouver-London Heathrow seasonal service this spring, it is expecting to attract some 40,000 passengers and generate $54 million in tourism revenue for the Vancouver area.

The service embodies a 10 per cent increase in capacity from Vancouver to London Heathrow – a very progressive move in the year that London gears up to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

It’s all good news, but Virgin Atlantic is entering a market where two national carriers are already vying for customers. So what makes Virgin Atlantic so optimistic that it can get a piece of the action?

“I’m excited about Vancouver because I think it is a Virgin type of market,” enthused Virgin Atlantic’s senior vice president for North America, Chris Rossi, during a meeting with GSA Travel Magazine in Vancouver.

“We think there is room in the market for us and we’re not afraid of competition,” he explained. “I’m excited about competing; I like to compete. Not in a real aggressive in-your-face kind of way, but working for this company you have to want to compete, because it’s a tough business competing against British Airways and Air Canada or the US carriers. You have to want to compete or you’re not going to succeed.”

It’s a refreshing go-get-‘em attitude that has seen Rossi rise through the ranks of Virgin Atlantic from an agent at Boston Airport to the senior vice president heading up the airline’s North American operation. And it’s an attitude that is reflected in the ethos of the airline itself.

When asked what makes Virgin Atlantic stand apart from the competition, Rossi cites the airline’s ‘attitude’: “It’s different: it’s exciting. Flying should be an event and we try to create that. If you’re going on holiday or a business trip, the experience should start with the flight: It shouldn’t be something you have to endure.”

But where does Rossi expect to find 40,000 new passengers from?

“From the UK side it appeals to both business and leisure travellers,” said Rossi. “There is one heck of a business community here and one heck of an ex-patriot community here. We recognize the cultural ties between the two countries, specifically in the British Columbia area. There are a lot of people living here who will visit friends and family in the UK – and that business tends to happen regardless of economic conditions.

“The market size is also fairly robust, so that helps as well. Our projected load factors equate to around 40,000 people, including people who are flying on from London to other points in Europe and Africa.”

So is the airline looking at interline relationships to extend the reach of the Vancouver-London route? According to Rossi, Virgin Atlantic is currently in the preliminary stages of setting up interline agreements on both sides on the pond.

He also emphasized the importance of working closely with travel agents to establish the airline’s reputation here in Western Canada.

“It’s our job to make the agents look good to their customers, and they can have confidence when they sell us,” he explained. “My advice to the agency community is: Be as active with us as we intend to be with you so that we can both learn how each other does business in this market.

“We’re not looking to compete with the trade; we’re looking to be a vibrant partner with the trade.”

Although Rossi confirmed that the carrier does not intend to open an office in Vancouver, he did say that sales professionals will be in place to work with closely with the trade. FAM trips will be organized, booking promotions will be available and there will be special “advantageous” rates for travel professionals who wish to fly to London.

He also touched on the airline’s ambition to re-enter the Toronto-London market, following a brief service in 2001 that was cut short following the 9/11 attacks.

“Toronto to London is an obvious market for us and it’s something we’ve been looking at for years,” he explained. “There’s nothing concrete at this stage and our real focus now is to get Vancouver launched and to make it grow.

“We’d love to get a year-round daily flight from Vancouver, but you can’t just ask for loyalty, you have to earn it… So if we do the job that we’re capable of, hopefully we can grow it,” he concluded.

For more information please visit www.vsflyinghub.com.

Image: Virgin Atlantic
This interview first appeared in GSA Travel Magazine, a bi-monthly publication for Canadian travel agents.