New spring routes are go

Heathrow once more has a direct link with the Channel Islands. Virgin Atlantic has announced flights to Tel Aviv in Israel. And as spring timetables usher in a flurry of new routes, we round up the rest of the season’s new arrivals.

Guernsey

Flybe (Terminal 2)
Daily from 31st March 2019

You’re now just an hour away from the warmest and sunniest climates in the British Isles.

Guernsey offers natural beauty that just begs you to explore it, and an emerging culinary scene for you to discover.

Explore Guernsey

Embrace the outdoors! If it’s your first time in the Bailiwick, why not join one of the many guided walks or cycle tours available.

Guernsey is the perfect size for cycling or walking and there’s no better way to immerse yourself in the island’s spectacular beauty. You’ll also find plenty of wartime fortifications, some of which double as museums.

Island-hopping

It isn’t just Greece that offers island-hopping opportunities. Jump on a ferry in St Peter Port and find a desert island break in Herm, a trip back in time on Sark or dramatic coastlines in Alderney. Alternatively, go wildlife-spotting in remote Lihou – westernmost of the Channel Islands – by crossing the causeway at low tide.

A little farther – but still only an hour by ferry – is Jersey, with its golden beaches and cosmopolitan capital, St Helier. The most southerly of the Channel Islands blends the best of England and France, and it’s perfect for a day trip.

Wild Guernsey

Spring arrives four weeks earlier in Guernsey than on mainland Britain, so March is a great time to visit as the island’s flora and fauna burst back into life.

Birdwatchers can expect to see peregrines, guillemots, puffins and storm petrels. And if you really want to get close to the action, why not try a puffin-watching kayak trip?

Walkers will appreciate the island’s clifftop paths dotted with wildflowers, its vivid gardens, and – if you time it right – bluebell woods and orchid fields in full flower.

Gourmet Guernsey

Seafood, dairy, beer and cider loom large in Guernsey, and islanders were making their own small-batch artisan produce long before that was a thing.

Local specialities include Golden Guernsey goat’s cheese, bean jar (a kind of pork cassoulet), and a fruit bread known as gâche. The crab and lobster are highly rated, too.

Get to Guernsey

Flybe’s Guernsey service departs Heathrow daily at 17:20, arriving in Guernsey at 18:25. Return flights leave Guernsey at 14:40. Services are operated by 78-seat Bombardier Q400 turboprop aircraft.

For fares and more information, see Flybe.com

• Guernsey guide on Heathrow.com  

Tel Aviv

Virgin Atlantic (Terminal 3)
Daily from 25th September 2019

Virgin will link Tel Aviv with the US from September, as well as increasing your choice of direct flights to Israel’s sunshine city.

The new route will offer connections to Virgin and Delta’s transatlantic network, with destinations including New York, Seattle, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Why visit Tel Aviv?

Tel Aviv’s mild Mediterranean climate, golden beaches, renowned nightlife (it’s often called “the city that never stops”) and amazing variety of food and drink offer plenty to the holidaymaker.

Its distinct neighbourhoods range from the ancient port of Jaffa to the Bauhaus architecture of White City to the post-industrial hipster hub of Florentin.

The whole western edge of the city is one long beach. Whether you’re looking for sunbathing, watersports, beach bars, music festivals, peace and quiet or hip crowd haunts, you won’t be disappointed. There’s even a beach library.

Jerusalem, Masada and the Dead Sea are all day-trippable, while Petra in Jordan makes for only a slightly longer excursion.

When do flights start?

Virgin flights to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion, operated by three-class Airbus A330 aircraft, reach Tel Aviv in just over 5 hours. Daily departures from Heathrow are at 13:30 until 26th October, then at 16:00 from 27th. Tickets are on sale now.

Tel Aviv is also served from Heathrow by British Airways and El Al.

• Tel Aviv guide on Heathrow.com
• Israel guide on Heathrow.com

Spring timetable round-up

Here’s the rest of the airline news from Heathrow, from new destinations to extra departures.

• Flybe adds extra flights to Edinburgh from 22nd April. That means six flights a day (five on Saturdays).
  
• Flybe also adds Newquay to its Heathrow schedules from 31st March.
• British Airways adds Osaka, Japan, and Valencia, Spain, from 31st March, as well as increasing frequency to Seattle and Santiago.
• Also on 31st March, Virgin Atlantic launches flights to Las Vegas
• American Airlines connects Heathrow with Phoenix, Arizona, from 31st March.
• In April, British Airways begins flying to Charleston and Pittsburgh.
• Also in April, Air China flights to Chengdu begin
  And new summer British Airways routes are Bastia, Corsica (25th May); Preveza (Lefkada), Greece (26th May); Montpellier, France (11th July); and Ljubljana, Slovenia (12th July).
• Finally, British Airways services to Islamabad, Pakistan, start on 2nd June.