Time marches on, and 2025 grows old. Aside from what you may see of us providing free analysis through this newsletter or interviewing the best of aviation’s leaders and thinkers on the Time on Wing Podcast, we still have a business to run.

That business is busy. Very busy. End-of-year busy. Yet to deliver this year are three detailed research reports and presentations for our bespoke clients looking for our contrarian take. We’re certainly not complaining.

But, that humble brag serves one key purpose: to provide an excuse this week for our switch from an analysis-heavy newsletter to a visualization-heavy one.

Sometimes we just like to make a map. Sometimes we like that map to look like a subway map, because the beautiful designs of Harry Beck deserve to be remembered and celebrated.

In continuing honor of Mr. Beck, we focus on an airline serving the city that cemented his legacy — London.

Virgin Atlantic starts and ends in London. There remain a few exceptions, including limited year-round service from Manchester to New York JFK and Orlando, as well as summer-only service from Edinburgh to Orlando.

What should come as no surprise to anybody is the skew of the network to the west. In a surprise to nobody, the vast majority of Virgin Atlantic’s network crosses the Atlantic.

But a new route was announced this fall, returning Virgin Atlantic to the eastern coast of the Pacific with new year-round service to Seoul beginning in March.

Rather than color each subway line by hub, we decided to highlight the year-round versus seasonal service Virgin Atlantic offers in its network. Summer routes skew into North America, while winter routes skew toward the warmer climates of the Caribbean, Cape Town, Dubai, and the Maldives.

Except for Manchester to Las Vegas. For reasons only known to the Mancuniuns, they like to visit casinos in the middle of the desert in the summer.

Of course, I can never decide if I like the dark or light map better, so I leave that for you to decide:

Each subway map is created manually using vector graphics. There is no algorithm behind these maps, just a schedule and an overly ambitious aviation nerd who thinks it can be hashed out in a few hours.

Yet, with every line I draw, I’m reminded of Harry Beck’s genius. He managed to distill immense complexity into a thing of beauty, serving the most fundamental of purposes: helping you find the best way from Point A to Point B.

Here’s to London, the transportation networks serving it by rail and by air, and to the legacy of Harry Beck.

Research published this week

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