Delta, Virgin’s partnership reaches 10 years success mark

• Partnership has delivered an array of benefits to nearly 40m customers who have travelled across the Atlantic.

 Sade Williams/Business a.m.

The partnership between Delta Airlines and Virgin Atlantic has successfully reached the 10-year mark allowing the American and British carriers to bring the drums out for a celebration of the joint venture that saw both airlines join forces to enhance consumer benefits between the U.S. and U.K. in 2014.

The partnership has grown even stronger through the expanded joint venture with Air France-KLM launched in 2020, forming the leading joint venture across the transatlantic.

Since the partnership launched, the two global airline brands have grown their shared network, adding more routes and flights between the U.K. and in the U.S. and transporting nearly 40 million customers seamlessly across the Atlantic between the two countries.

“Since we brought together our two iconic brands, the partnership has gone from strength to strength thanks to a shared focus on customer service and making flying fun,” said Matteo Curcio, Delta’s senior vice president, Europe, Middle East, Africa and India (EMEAI).

“Back in 2014, the partnership deal was a game changer for Delta enabling us to up competition on the most popular business routes between London Heathrow and the U.S., offering customers greater choice, while providing Virgin Atlantic unparalleled access to Delta’s network across North America,” he added.

Additionally, Delta and Virgin Atlantic customers have enjoyed an increased number of benefits while travelling between the U.K. and the U.S., including:

More choice and flexibility: The airlines now operate a joint daily schedule of up to 86 daily nonstop flights in both directions between the U.K. and the U.S. – nearly 40 percent more than in 2014 – including up to 34 peak-day departures from London Heathrow to 15 U.S. gateways.

Additionally, Virgin Atlantic’s move to join SkyTeam in 2023 alongside Delta and Air France-KLM further enhanced options for customers travelling across the Atlantic, enhancing consistency with SkyTeam premium services including SkyPriority, alongside greater loyalty recognition.

New technology: A decade of investment in digital technology means customers benefit from smoother travel solutions including automated bag drop at London Heathrow, real time RFID bag tracking via the Fly Delta app, and biometric scanning at U.S. gateways.

Co-located facilities at five U.S. airports, as well as at London Heathrow, make it easier for customers to connect between the two airlines to more than 220 destinations across North America.

Product innovation: Both airlines offer four distinct product experiences with various food, drink, inflight entertainment and Wi-Fi offerings. Customers can tailor each trip to suit their needs and be certain of an excellent in-flight experience whichever airline they fly.

Upgraded airport experience: Ongoing investment in Delta’s U.S. hubs is creating state-of-the-art terminals at airports including LAX and New York-JFK, which will house Delta’s new premium lounges in 2024, while Delta One and Upper Class customers enjoy a world-class experience at the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Wing and Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London Heathrow.

Greater reciprocity: More opportunities to earn and redeem miles, making travel more rewarding.

Efficient freight handling: The airlines’ shared Cargo facility at London Heathrow is equipped to handle same-day shipments of all types of shipments, from fragile to Pharma.

“We said at the time: ‘great minds fly alike’ and that’s as true today as it was back then,” said Juha Jarvinen, executive vice president, commercial, at Virgin Atlantic.

“Our two award-winning airlines have flown millions of customers across the Atlantic and driven forward meaningful change in service excellence and responsible travel over the last decade to deliver the best travel experience for our customers,” he added.