IT’S UP, up and away for Kent residents next year after travel chiefs unveiled details about new air links with Virginia.

Cosmos, the Bromley-based travel operator, has launched a flights and holidays programme that will link Kent International Airport (KIA) and Norfolk International Airport.

The first eight-hour flight takes off at 1pm on May 2, ushering in a new era in transatlantic travel.

Operators also hope to capitalise on the 400th anniversary of the first white settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607.

Flight-only prices start at £329, with holiday fly-drive packages starting at £349 per person and seven-day resort breaks from £449.

The ambitious programme, which includes breaks in North Carolina, is a welcome boost for KIA after the collapse of low-cost scheduled operator EUjet last year.

It is also a gamble for Cosmos which has not previously promoted Virginia and North Carolina as holiday destinations.

Nearly 10,000 seats will be available between May 2 and October 24 on Boeing 767 or Airbus A330 aircraft operated by Monarch Airlines, a Cosmos subsidiary.

But Terry Williamson, managing director of Cosmos Holidays, is confident that the new venture will succeed and be repeated in future years.

Speaking at the launch in the airport terminal, he said the convenience of using KIA rather than the congested terminals at Heathrow and Gatwick would be attractive to passengers.

He expects two thirds of bookings to come from people within a three-hour drive of Manston, with the rest coming from the American side of The Pond.

He said: "I’m convinced we can get to the level of traffic we need but clearly we need public support.

"It’s an opportunity to perhaps see a destination that many of them have never seen before and we’ve made it as competitively priced as we possibly can.

"The customer experience of going through a regional airport is significantly better than going through the main London gateways these days."

Carolyn McCormick, managing director of the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau in North Carolina, flew over specially for the launch event. She said the area had many attractions for Kent visitors.

It had a marvellous coastline and many historical links with Britain. "A big warm welcome awaits Kent people in North Carolina," she said.

The service will also boost inbound tourism, with the county’s attractions, hotels and restaurants being urged to prepare for an influx of Americans next year.

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