“Come get fabulous at 30,000 feet”
Strap yourselves in, as this is set to be one fabulous flight! Virgin Airlines have announced the UK’s first ever Pride Flight which will fly from London to New York City in time for World Pride 2019.
Star of the hit Netflix show The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Tituss Burgess will host the one-off event 30,000 feet in the air, and there will be many other guests and live performances slaying aboard this unforgettable transatlantic pride parade.
The flight will be staffed entirely by LGBT+ pilots and cabin crew, and the journey will feature some fun queer on-board entertainment such as inter-seat speed dating, Drag-Queen bingo, a Judy Garland sing-along and an in-flight DJ.
The epic sky-high celebration is part of the World Pride 2019 celebration, which is being held in New York City in June 2019 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising which is often seen as a pivotal moment in LGBT+ history.
Previous host cities of World Pride include Rome, London and Toronto and the purpose of the internationally organised event is to celebrate Pride for those countries in the world where homosexuality is still illegal or repressed.
Burgess said, “At a time when we’re seeing the rights of minority groups under threat, it is more important than ever we stand up and make our voices heard. The LGBT community has made enormous strides over the last 50 years, and I’m so proud to partner with Virgin Holidays and Virgin Atlantic to mark this occasion in style and celebrate the hard-won freedoms from those who came before us.”
Global LGBT Lead for Virgin Group and Executive Vice President at Virgin Atlantic, Mark Anderson, spoke of his excitement for the flight:
“We’re not the type of company to mark an occasion like this half-heartedly and we’re going to be pulling out all the stops to ensure the Pride Flight is delivered with a large serving of Virgin flair. We take our commitments to diversity and inclusion seriously, but you can rest assured we have a lot of fun along the way. This is going to be a show-stopping, ground-breaking, one-of-a-kind experience that we can’t wait to bring to the skies next June.”
Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC and Company, also explained his excitement, saying, “Through our partnership with Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays we’re delighted to invite UK LGBTQ travellers and allies to New York City to be a part of these historic events, expected to draw more than 3 million visitors and be one of the largest LGBTQ events in history.”
This is not the first time that Virgin Holidays and Virgin Atlantic have shown their support for the LGBT+ community, having always pushed for diversity and inclusion. The company launched a three-year plan in 2016 to become one of the most inclusive companies in the travel industry by designing a programme addressing employees, customers and the destinations they serve.
A percentage of ticket sales will go towards The Attitude Magazine Foundation to advance community Pride initiatives in the UK and fundraising and raffles will take place on-board this pride extravaganza.
The flight departs from London Heathrow on Friday, June 28 2019, flying directly to New York City’s Newark airport with a flexible return date on offer.
Anyone wanting to hop aboard this queer-tastic celebration in the skies can book their seats on the Virgin Atlantic website, with economy class seats begining from £380pp.
© 2018 GCN (Gay Community News). All rights reserved.
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