Virgin Atlantic will join SkyTeam and become first UK member airline

Virgin Atlantic, in a not entirely anticipated move, will be joining the SkyTeam alliance on March 2, 2023.

Although technically unaligned, Virgin Atlantic had already long counted Delta Airlines, a founder and one of the most prominent members of the SkyTeam alliance, as a major shareholder.

The American carrier holds 49% of Virgin Atlantic’s shares, while the remaining 51% is in the hands of Richard Branson’s Virgin Group.

Virgin Atlantic has also been part of a joint venture with Delta Airlines and Air France-KLM, another major component of the SkyTeam alliance, since 2019.

The four carriers cooperated closely on a number of matters, such as code-sharing, frequent flyer programs and integrated bookings. Also, and very importantly, Virgin Atlantic provided valuable access to a large number of slots at highly valued, access-restricted London-Heathrow (LHR), which serves as the main base for the British airline.

Virgin Atlantic and Delta had been working closely together in the lucrative North Atlantic for a very long time. Both carriers sought and obtained antitrust immunity from the US Department of Transportation back in 2013.