Delta and Virgin Atlantic, which have a joint operating agreement on flights between the U.S. and UK are tieing the knot a little tighter and adding a destination.
Starting next spring, Virgin Atlantic will take over Delta’s Seattle-to-London service to London, using a 787-9 that will add nearly 50 seats to the capacity. At the same time, Delta will use its freed-up plane to open Portland, Oregon’s first direct service to London.
The joint agreement, formed in good part to compete with the long-standing close partnership of American Airlines with British Airways, will then have 42 flights a day between U.S. and UK, including 28 to London Heathrow. The others serve Manchester, Glasgow, Belfast, Edinburgh and London Gatwick. On the U.S. end, destinations include Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta and Washington.
