Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) and Virgin Atlantic Airways (London) today outlined details of a new joint venture flight schedule beginning summer 2014, aligning their services and offering more flight choices for travelers on both sides of the Atlantic.
The two airlines are putting the customer at the forefront of their partnership with the new schedule that starts March 30, 2014, combining their slots at London Heathrow to offer maximum customer convenience, particularly for business travelers.
Beginning, April 2, 2014, Delta will move its arrival and departure terminal for several important business markets to join Virgin Atlantic in Heathrow Terminal 3. This includes its London to New York-JFK, London to Boston, and new London to Seattle/Tacoma services and means the two airlines will co-locate on all its New York and Boston flights to London Heathrow. The move will allow for convenient connections and a seamless customer experience for customers flying with Virgin and Delta, including access to Virgin Atlantic’s award winning Clubhouse for all business class passengers.
Delta, in cooperation with Virgin Atlantic, will also operate a second daily service between London Heathrow and Detroit Metropolitan Airport effective June 1, 2014. The service will be particularly appealing to corporate customers needing an early morning arrival into London while offering more schedule choice for customers between London and the U.S. Midwest.
This additional flight will complement Delta’s previously announced new West Coast route between Seattle/Tacoma and London Heathrow, which will launch on March 29, 2014.
Virgin Atlantic is also making significant schedule changes. It is moving its VS1 Heathrow to Newark service from a late afternoon departure to a morning departure. This flight will be particularly attractive to business travelers: it will allow ‘same-day meetings’ to be held in the New Jersey area, while an earlier departure on the return flight means passengers can be in central London for the start of the working day.
This service is part of nine daily flights between London Heathrow and the New York area by the joint venture partners. The new schedule will include departures every 30 minutes during the early evening peak and then hourly until 10.30 p.m. from New York-JFK to London Heathrow and a spread of seven daily flights from London Heathrow to New York-JFK, including two late afternoon and early evening departures. It also includes two conveniently timed departures to and from Newark.
Virgin Atlantic has also retimed its Heathrow to Boston service to depart two hours later in the afternoon. This offers more flexibility for the two airlines’ customers with Delta’s Heathrow to Boston service departing in the morning. Virgin Atlantic’s evening departure from Boston will also move two hours later, giving greater schedule choice to travelers.
In September, Delta and Virgin Atlantic welcomed the decision by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to approve the carriers’ joint venture by granting antitrust immunity on routes between North America and the UK. This ruling confirmed the clear consumer benefits of the partnership, enabling the airlines to deepen their cooperation, offering more flight choices for travelers on both sides of the Atlantic and improving the travel options for business customers in the New York to London market.
Top Copyright Photo: Michael B. Ing/AirlinersGallery.com. Delta’s Airbus A330-223 N855NW (msn 621) arrives in Los Angeles.
Delta Air Lines: 
Virgin Atlantic Airways:
Bottom Copyright Photo: Eddie Maloney/AirlinersGallery.com. Virgin Atlantic Airways’ Boeing 747-443 G-VROS (msn 30885) lands in Las Vegas.
Filed under: Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic Airways Tagged: 30885, 621, 747, 747400, 747443, A330, A330200, A330223, Airbus, Airbus A330, Airbus A330200, Boeing, Boeing 747400, Delta Air Lines, G-VROS, LAS, Las Vegas, LAX, Los Angeles, N855NW, Virgin Atlantic Airways