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  About New York

Songs about the city of dreams, New York, have been sung by celebrated artists such as Frank Sinatra, Jay Z and Alicia Keys, Billy Joel and even Sting. But nothing compares to the real deal that the city is. Touted to be the financial hub of the world, New York City is nestled on top of the Hudson River and has a cluster of five boroughs.

Best time to visit New York

There is no specific good time for a visit to New York. The city is always bustling with life and enthusiasm that is so contagious that no season can take it away from a traveller. Right from the crisp breeze of the early fall to the snowy merry winter, the city is so alluring that it befits the title that has been given to it by the world. At any time during the year, the streets of New York are always packed with New Yorkers and festivities. The months from September to November is probably the one time the hotel rates skyrocket. However, considering how it is fall and the temperatures are agreeable, often people don't mind spending extra bucks. In fact, the temperatures vary between 12 degree Celsius to 23 degree Celsius, which is quite pleasant. Besides, the city also comes with a slew of festivals and events such as the New York Film festival, Lighting at Rockefeller Centre, New York City Marathon, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and Haunted Halloween Carnival. Everything about the city is just too lovely and worth exploring.

Christmas and New Year's in New York is an experience that simply cannot be missed. Sadly though, the vacation time comes with exorbitant hotel prices. Getting cheap accommodation in New York, especially during their festive season, is definitely going to be tough. From December to February, the flight tickets to New York are also expensive. However, it shouldn't be missed so as long as you are able to save up on some money, the trip is worth every penny.

The warm months from March to May are also quite appealing as the city celebrates St. Patrick's Day Parade and even holds various other festivals. In fact, the city's venerated Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET) also hosts the Hollywood and fashion industry's stalwarts at the Met Gala. The city also faces light showers during these months. Booking a cheap hotel room in New York City in these months is also possible.

Places to visit in New York

You would most certainly need a map and a guide book to peruse through while you stroll around New York City to visit some of their tourist attractions. Before engaging in their foodie delights or nightlife, you should most certainly visit some of their intriguing tourist sites. From sites for an art patron to a history enthusiast, there is an attraction for all types of tourists. When in New York City, the first thing that you should certainly take up is to check out Central Park. Sprawled across 843 acres of land in the middle of a bustling city is this haven of tranquillity. It is in proximity with Guggenheim Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History, you can further extend your day trip within the city. These places will pique your interest not just because of the historical relevance but also thanks to the pop culture references in movies and TV shows. The Rockefeller Centre is another iconic location in New York. Do visit the Top of the Rock Observation Deck to get a bird's eye view of the city from atop

Touted to be an architectural pilgrimage is the St. Patrick's Cathedral, a must-visit structure which is quaint instead of chaotic. The Empire State Building, located in midtown Manhattan, is a total crowd-puller for its cultural relevance and contribution to making the Big Apple a hot spot. Other New York City landmarks include the Statue of Liberty, New York Public Library, Times Square, Chrysler Building, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Fifth Avenue, Coney Island, Brooklyn Bridge, Bronx Zoo, Metropolitan Opera House, etc. These places have defined the New York City stature in the United States as well as the world

Things to do in New York

The top-most things to do in New York City is to explore their food. The city's thriving food culture beckons you, and you cannot decline the offer. Aside from the delicious meal voyage, don't forget to swing by some of the breweries too. Take a tour if necessary but do check out some of New York City's best beers and breweries. You can also take up Ice Skating as one of the activities to do in the city. If you're loaded enough and have reserved a ticket to watch plays on Broadway, do not miss it. Perhaps Cats or Hamilton? They will blow your mind!

Food and Restaurants in New York

New York City's staples, pizza and bagels, and the top sellers when it comes to food in the big city. They take their pizzas and bagels rather too seriously, especially since they need to compete with Chicago in the race for best pizzas. While both are at neck and neck when it comes to pizzas, their styles certainly define them to be apart. NYC favours pizzas with thin crusts and fewer toppings with layers of tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese. You'll find the best of New York-style pizza at Joe's Pizza and Grimaldi's Pizzeria. These two places will not disappoint. As for the doughy delights popularly known as bagels? Head straight to Bagel Bob's, Ess-a-Bagel and Tompkins Square Bagels to get the best ones. Don't fill your heart and stomach with just their staple meals. Expand your taste buds and introduce them to international cuisine, which you will find here aplenty. The Big Apple does offer exemplary dining experiences that don't limit to good pizzas and bagels.

With multitudes of flavours and international cuisine at your perusal, it is advised that you make your reservations ahead of time. New York City restaurants are known to be notoriously crowded and expensive. To treat yourself with some multicourse meals, head to Eleven Madison Park, located at the heart of Manhattan. You can further expand your list to places such as Le Bernadin and Daniel for exquisite fine dining experience. If you have budgetary constraints but want to indulge in some fine dining scene, you can check out Scarpetta, Butter, Marc Forgione along with some celebrity chef-founded food joints and eateries. Aside from posh dining experiences, the city also boasts a plethora of breweries and bars. In fact, to soak in the best views of New York, make reservations at Pod 39 Rooftop, 230 Fifth and Top of the Strand. You'll be delighted to know that these places have views of the towering skyscrapers, Empire State, Chrysler buildings and more.

How to reach New York (Transportation)

Flight connectivity to New York from India is excellent. The state has about four important airports such as New York John F. Kennedy airport, New York Newark, Stewart International and New York LaGuardia, all located in perfect locations. There are regular flights flying to New York from India as there is a high demand for the state and even the city. In fact, major Indian cities such as Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, have flights to New York, some of them even direct. Turkish Airlines has direct flights to New York from India. Despite the convenient flight duration, often people do not resort to purchasing direct flight tickets to New York. Thanks to the expensive ticket prices to New York, people often opt to choose a cheaper alternative. There are many international route alternatives taken to reach New York from India. Depending on which route is chosen by you, the flight ticket prices to New York are determined. They usually stand approximately at 60K to 70K for a one-way trip.

It takes close to 16 hours to reach New York from India. The distance from New York and New Delhi is around 11,765 km, and it takes close to 15 hours and 5 mins to reach the cities. From Delhi, there are direct flights to New York serviced by Emirates and United Airlines. In general, airlines such as Air India, Etihad Airways, etc., also have dedicated flights to New York from India. Travelling is not a concern for New York because there are many available flight options. In fact, a majority of important international cities are connected to New York because it is the financial hub of the world. Not to mention how it also is the 'city of dreams'.

Flights to New York from India are usually expensive because it is one of the most popular cities with an array of regular travellers visiting from around the world. However, a little bit of scouting on the internet might lead to you getting your hands on some cheap flight tickets to New York. The international route to New York taken by the airlines as well as the layover/connecting flights should be taken into consideration here. Usually, the flights with longer durations are comparatively cheap.

  About Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic which follows a trading name of Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited and Virgin Atlantic International Limited, is a British-owned airline that has its headquarters in Crawley, England. The airline was founded in 1984 under the name British Atlantic Airways, by Randolph Fields and Alan Hellary with flight connectivity between London and the Falkland Islands. However, the name was changed to Virgin Atlantic Airways as Fields sold his shares in the company. A disagreement between Fields and Sir Richard Branson regarding the management of the company resulted in Fields walking out of the airline. In the same year since its establishment, the airline had its first flight from Gatwick Airport in London to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. Virgin Atlantic is owned and operated under the holding company Virgin Atlantic Limited. The same holding company also controls Virgin Holidays. The holding company has 51 percent ownership of the Virgin Group while the remaining 49 per cent is owned by Delta Air Lines, a major airline of the United States of America.

Virgin Atlantic Airways Limited and Virgin Atlantic International Limited have both received the Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licenses. The said licence permits both the airlines to accommodate passengers, cargo and mail on aircraft that comprises 20 seats or more. Virgin Atlantic's fleet is mixed with wide-body aircraft of Airbus and Boeing. The airline majorly has its operations in North American, Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and the Middle East. Its main base is at London-Heathrow Airport while its secondary hub is at Manchester in the United Kingdom. Virgin Atlantic also has seasonal flight operations from Glasgow and Belfast. The airline consists of three types of cabin, namely Economy, Premium (premium economy) and Upper Class (business class). In 2017, Virgin Atlantic expressed its intention to form a joint venture with Europe's Air France - KLM. However, in 2019, it was announced that the venture would not involve a stake in the British airline. Virgin Atlantic has witnessed tremendous losses over the years and has had to cut down operations to various international destinations, owing to the growing debts and losses.

In 2019, as part of its expansion plans, Virgin Atlantic announced that it had plans to go all out and hopefully create a second flag carrier in the United Kingdom, provided slot reforms were being considered in the airline's favour at the Heathrow Airport. With this, the airline planned to serve about 103 destinations in total with many domestic routes and international routes. They wished to add about 84 new destinations to their list of services, of which 12 catered to the domestic route while 37 are European and the remaining 35 being international routes. The 35 international destinations in Virgin Atlantic's list include Austin, Buenos Aires, Addis Ababa, Karachi, Tokyo, Cape Town, Beijing, Singapore, Bogota, Mexico City and Sydney. While the airline has already functioned in international routes catering to Cape Town, Vancouver, Sydney, Karachi and Tokyo, the remaining long-haul destinations that the airline plans to add would be completely new for them. It was reported that Flybe, UK's largest low-cost carrier regional airline, was supposed to join hands with Virgin Atlantic. However, the plans fell through as Flybe ceased operations in 2020.

Fleet size of Virgin Atlantic

As of 2020, Virgin Atlantic's fleet size stands at 35 aircraft. 22 aircraft are expected to join the fleet. The fleet comprises 17 Boeing 787-9s, 10 Airbus A330-300s and four Airbus A330-200 and Airbus A350-1000s respectively. All the aircraft operated by Virgin Atlantic are wide-body type. The airline accommodates a mixed fleet that comprises Airbus and Boeing wide-body aircraft. The Airbus A330-200s of the airline operate from London's Gatwick International Airport as well as Manchester Airport and connect to international routes of the United States and the Caribbean. There are seasonal routes connecting to Orlando International Airport in Florida, which is offered from Glasgow and Belfast International Airport. Much recently, the airline retired its Boeing 747s which catered to the seasonal flight operations to Florida. Virgin Atlantic's aircraft Airbus A330-300s, A350-1000s and Boeing 787-9s are used interchangeably on routes that fly from London's Heathrow Airport. In 2002, the airline became the first in the world to operate the Airbus A340-600.

Virgin Atlantic was supposed to add six Airbus A380-800s to its fleet, which they had ordered for in 2001. However, the order had to be cancelled for good. Instead, in 2019, at the Paris Air Show, the airline signed a deal to accommodate 20 Airbus A330-900neos to its fleet. With this move, the airline became the first United Kingdom customer for the aircraft. The airline does plan to replace its older Airbus A330-200s and -300s from the fleet with deliveries of newer models that will be joining the fleet between 2021 to 2024. Much recently, the airline retired its long-running A340-600 with its last service taking place between Lagos to London Heathrow. Simultaneously, the airline has also retired seven of its Boeing 747-400 aircraft from the fleet.

Baggage Allowance

Baggage allowance on Virgin Atlantic depends on the destination the passenger is travelling to and from as well as the ticket type. Economy class tickets allow one checked bag which should not weigh more than 23 kg and should be within the dimension of 90 x 75 x 43cm. Premium cabin class tickets' baggage allowance on Virgin Atlantic enables two pieces of baggage which cannot exceed 23 kg and should be within the dimension as mentioned in the economy class. The Upper class or business class tickets have a baggage allowance of up to three pieces of bags that should not weigh more than 32 kg. The dimensions of all the baggage should be 90 x 75 x 43cm and not more than the stated measurement. Interestingly, the airline recently made some changes to its baggage allowance policy for passengers travelling to and from Indian cities such as Mumbai and Delhi. They have allowed a free bag allowance which means passengers can carry two bags weighing 32 kg each for Upper Class. However, two pieces of bags are allowed for passengers travelling from premium class with a weight allocation of 23 kg. As for the economy class tickets, the airline has enabled two pieces of bags allowed with a weight permit of not more than 23 kg. These new rules are as opposed to the earlier ones which allowed more baggage allocation by Virgin Atlantic.

In-flight services

In-flight services experienced on Virgin Atlantic are quite exceptional. The airline brings forth some of the best seating accommodation. They have enhanced the seats with better leather and equipment such as a personal lamp, entertainment system, better overhead bin space and seats that recline with better legroom too. Depending on the cabin class chosen by the passenger, the facilities do change. However, the comfort measure remains constant in all the cabins. Virgin Atlantic's in-flight services also include in-flight meals which are inspired by global cuisine.

Popular routes and top cities for Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic caters to a handful of domestic routes and international routes. In fact, in terms of domestic routes, the airline doesn't have a strong game as it only caters to London and Manchester. Barring these two hubs, the airline doesn't have any destination flying within the United Kingdom. As for international routes, it is well-connected with North America and parts of Asian destinations. The airline doesn't have a magnanimous presence in a lot of destinations internationally. They have also terminated services with a slew of cities owing to the loss-making management structure. As of 2020, the airline caters to cities such as Antigua, Shanghai, Havana, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Delhi, Tel Aviv, Lagos, Johannesburg, Tobago, London, Belfast, Manchester, Atlanta, Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC. While the airline did have hopes to acquire more recognition and presence in the domestic market by tying up with Flybe, the deal didn't take off, and neither did Virgin Atlantic's plans to make a bigger UK reach.

Why travel by Virgin Atlantic?

Virgin Atlantic has been facing significant losses and important issues over the years. However, the airline is known and recognised for offering quality service and hospitality. Virgin Atlantic has grown into a favourable airline for passengers who wish to travel to destinations in the United States of America from London and the United Kingdom. The airline has also worked on improving much of its in-flight services and facilities that further enhance the experience of travellers. On the airline's official website, they have enabled booking a Virgin Atlantic flight without any conundrums. Following the same, the airline has also made web check-ins possible with up to date details concerning the flight status of the passengers. Virgin Atlantic's flight schedules are also added on the website along with constant updates. These facilities actually help passengers make the airline a viable option. Virgin Atlantic's flyer clubs also have some of the best amenities in the airport lounge as well as while booking the flight tickets.