Virgin Atlantic began its London/Kingston twice weekly service yesterday and immediately on arrival at the Norman Manley International Airport, the airline’s president, Sir Richard Branson, sought to justify using London Gatwick instead of Heathrow for the flights.

“There’s actually much more preference for local travellers to go to Gatwick than to go to Heathrow,” Branson said after stepping off the US$160 million 451-seat Boeing 747-400 aircraft.

“Heathrow is a business destination, and unless you got something like 70 or 80 business class seats to Heathrow, you lose 30, 40, 50 million dollars a year, as Air Jamaica found out. It just does not work,” he added.

“All our Caribbean routes are out of Gatwick, all British Airways’ routes are out of Gatwick. There’s a train to London every 15 minutes from Gatwick [and] it only takes half an hour,” he said.

Branson also addressed an Observer report last week that his airline had decided to move its Barbados flights from Gatwick to Heathrow in the slots it bought from Air Jamaica.

“We very temporarily put on some of our slots on Barbados, but it’s really to protect the slots,” he said.

Branson also said he would meet with the new Jamaican Government to iron out details of the controversial code-share agreement between Air Jamaica and Virgin Atlantic.

“Obviously, I’m stuck between a change of government and they need to decide what they’re going to do in the future, but as far as we’re concerned, Virgin is here today and it’s here to stay,” said Branson.

Virgin, which bought Air Jamaica’s Kingston/London route, and which has been operating twice per week between Gatwick and Montego Bay since last July, will fly between Gatwick and Kingston on Tuesday and Saturday each week. The buyout was occasioned by what the previous Government said was a $30 million loss by Air Jamaica each year.

Mayor of Kingston, Desmond McKenzie, was among a group of dignitaries who met the Virgin flight yesterday.

Passengers who travelled on flight VS069 to Kingston yesterday had good things to say about the airline and its service.

“Very, very good,” said Michelle Martin. “We had screens to the back of our seats, the staff was really attentive. It was on time. It was just a very good flight, very relaxing.”

Beverley Punancey and her family, who rued the absence of fruit punch on the flight, also noted the modern features of Virgin’s 747.

“The flight was okay, apart from the fact that I didn’t get my fruit punch,” added Punancey. “On Air Jamaica you get loads and loads of fruit punch [but] on this one, no fruit punch. I had to make do with Coke or apple juice and Sprite.