Cargo teams at Virgin and Delta set for transatlantic boost

Shawn Cole (L) and Dominic Kennedy (R)

The cargo teams at partners Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines are hoping to benefit from an increase in flights between the UK and US next summer.

The extra flights will see Delta add Gatwick as a destination for the first time when it adds flight from Boston in May 2020.

Delta’s return to Gatwick will mark the first time the airlines have both served the airport since their partnership began in 2014.

Also in May, Virgin Atlantic will launch a daily flight to New York-JFK from Gatwick. Together, the airlines will offer up to four daily flights to three US cities next summer from the Crawley airport..

“Customers shipping cargo to the UK from the northeast US will benefit from a choice of up to 18 daily flights between Boston and New York and the two London airports, plus Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow,” the airlines said in a statement.

In March, the partners will increase capacity between New York-JFK and London Heathrow.

Delta will increase its services to three daily frequencies, with Virgin Atlantic operating five.

This includes a daytime slot from JFK-Heathrow for the first time, operated by Delta, complementing the daytime Boston-Heathrow and JFK-Heathrow services currently offered by Virgin Atlantic.

Virgin Atlantic’s Heathrow-JFK flights will also be the first route served by the airline’s new Airbus A350 from September 2019, which will offer a cargo capacity boost.

Virgin Atlantic is also set to increase flights to west coast hubs, as it ups frequencies from Heathrow to Seattle from seven to 11 per week. Los Angeles will also see services rise from 14 to 17 flights per week, with up to three services per day operating in the ummer months and will be the second route to be operated by the A350 next year.

In the north of England, Delta will return to Manchester, with a new peak-summer service to Boston effective May 21, 2020, taking over Virgin Atlantic’s current operation.

Flights will increase from the current three per week to a daily service.

Manchester will become the eighth transatlantic destination served nonstop by Delta from Boston, while flights to Atlanta, New York-JFK, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Orlando will continue to be operated by Virgin Atlantic.

Together, the airlines will offer a schedule of up to six daily flights to Manchester from six U.S. cities next summer.

Dominic Kennedy, managing director, Cargo at Virgin Atlantic, said: “This is great news for the cargo customers of both airlines and will significantly increase the choice they have to ship goods between the UK and US. As we continue to build a platform for long-term growth, our summer 2020 schedule represents another strengthening of our joint venture with Delta Cargo and will help to reinforce our position as a carrier of choice on the highly-competitive trans-Atlantic market.”

Shawn Cole, Delta Air Lines’ vice president cargo, commented: “We’re excited to be sharing this expansion with our joint venture partner, Virgin Atlantic, and to be returning to London Gatwick as well as Manchester, and growing our international network from Boston. Our new services from Heathrow will also be supported by the opening later this year of our new joint cargo terminal, which will ultimately double our cargo handling capacity at the airport and ensure we continue to meet our customers’ service expectations.”

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