Delta, Virgin Atlantic Add 50 Daily Seats Between Seattle and London, Launch Portland-London Service

SEATTLE, May 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- London calls, and joint venture partners Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Virgin Atlantic are answering by adding more than 50 daily seats between Seattle and London as well as adding service from Portland International Airport to London-Heathrow.

Beginning March 26, 2017, Virgin Atlantic will fly between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and London-Heathrow, replacing the flight currently operated by Delta. This marks Virgin Atlantic's first flight in Seattle, offering customers a greater number of seats on its most fuel-efficient aircraft – a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. With this change, customers will have the opportunity to enjoy Virgin Atlantic's  innovative service, including  its Premium Economy product featuring a new Wander Wall for snacks and socializing, chauffer limo service, its iconic bar and fully flat-bed seats for Upper Class customers, and a uniquely British food and beverage service. Upon landing into London-Heathrow T3, Upper Class customers can refresh and refuel in Virgin Atlantic's Revivals Lounge before heading to London for meetings. Prior to departure, select customers can work, relax, and dine in Virgin Atlantic's award-winning Clubhouse.*

Virgin Atlantic's 787-9 Dreamliner has 31 Upper Class, 35 Premium Economy and 198 Economy seats.

"We are looking forward to broadening our presence on the West Coast of America by introducing the Virgin Atlantic experience to customers in Seattle," said Erik Varwijk, Virgin Atlantic's Executive Vice President of Commercial. "It is because of our joint venture with Delta that we have been able to optimize our routes and touch down in Seattle next summer using our newest, most fuel efficient Boeing 787-9 aircraft with additional capacity. In less than a year, customers flying between the Pacific Northwest of the U.S. and the U.K. can delight in all that Virgin Atlantic has to offer – from our Premium Economy cabin to our airport Clubhouses and uniquely British onboard service."

"In more than two years of partnership, Delta and Virgin Atlantic have built a network centered on the needs of customers. For Seattle, that means adding 50 daily seats between Sea-Tac and London," said Mike Medeiros, Delta's Vice President–Seattle. "Seattleites will appreciate Virgin Atlantic's Premium Economy product and its pioneering, authentic brand, while enjoying the same high level of service they've grown accustomed to on Delta's London flight."

Virgin Atlantic's Seattle to London-Heathrow service will operate as follows:

Along with the swap in Seattle, Delta will launch seasonal service from Portland to London, Portland's first and only flight to the U.K. The flight will be operated four days per week from May 26, 2017, through Oct. 29, 2017 using a Boeing 767-300ER aircraft. Home to four Fortune 1000 companies, Portland's growing economy outpaces the U.S. average, and London service will complement Delta's existing long-haul international service to Amsterdam and Tokyo for Portland's business customers. Portland is also a popular tourist destination for travelers from Europe.

Delta's Portland to London-Heathrow service will operate as follows:

Delta's joint venture with Virgin Atlantic gives customers more options and a seamless experience between the U.S. and U.K. Together, the airlines continuously evaluate their joint trans-Atlantic network to match the right aircraft to the right destinations. Seattle was one of the first trans-Atlantic services to result from the joint venture when it began in March 2014.

Beginning March 25, 2017, the airlines' joint summer 2017 schedule will include a total of 42 peak daily nonstop flights between the U.S. and the U.K. Of these, 28 flights will operate between London-Heathrow and popular U.S. destinations such as Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta and Washington, and 14 flights will operate between Manchester, Glasgow, Belfast, London Gatwick and Edinburgh to popular U.S. destinations.

Delta is the largest global carrier at Sea-Tac and Portland International Airport and has more than tripled flights at its Seattle hub since 2012. This summer, Delta will offer more than 150 peak-day departures to more than 40 destinations from Seattle, offering Delta and Virgin Atlantic's London customers connecting opportunities throughout the U.S. and Canada. Every Delta flight from Seattle features jet service with Delta One/First Class and Delta Comfort+ seating and free entertainment options via Delta Studio as well as Wi-Fi service on nearly every domestic aircraft operating in the contiguous U.S. The airline will open a new Delta Sky Club located between Concourses A and B in late 2016.

Delta has also invested $15 million in its facilities at Sea-Tac, including its Delta Sky Club and lobby renovations, Sky Priority services, new gate area power recharging stations, expanded ticket counters and enhancements to the international arrivals area. Delta's significant investments in Seattle have driven changes across the competitive landscape – from product enhancements, to facility improvements, to financial benefits and community investment.

*Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses are open to Virgin Atlantic Upper Class customers, Flying Club Gold members and Delta Diamond, Platinum and Gold Medallion® members.

About Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines serves nearly 180 million customers each year. In 2016, Delta was named to Fortune's top 50 Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fifth time in six years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for an unprecedented five consecutive years. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 330 destinations in 61 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 800 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading transatlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than 15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of dollars in airport facilities, global products and services, and technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the ground. Additional information is available on the Delta News Hub, as well as delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub, Google.com/+Delta, Facebook.com/delta and Delta's blog takingoff.delta.com.

About Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic was founded by entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson 30 years ago after he decided the UK aviation industry needed shaking up and style injected back into it. On 22nd June 1984, Virgin Atlantic's inaugural flight to Newark took place, on an aircraft filled with personal friends, celebrities and the media.

The airline has pioneered a range of innovations setting new standards of service. For example, Virgin Atlantic was the first airline to introduce the Premium Economy product, include a bar in every aircraft for Upper Class customers, offer seatback TVs on every seat in every cabin, develop a fully flatbed seat and fly a commercial aircraft on biofuels. Despite Virgin Atlantic's growth, the service still remains customer driven with an emphasis on value for money, quality, fun and innovation.

Today, Virgin Atlantic flies to 33 destinations worldwide, including locations across the United States, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Virgin Atlantic currently has a fleet of 39 aircraft, which is comprised of Boeing 747s, Boeing 787s, Airbus A340-600s and A330-300s.

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SOURCE Delta Air Lines