New Routes, More Choice Across the Atlantic with Delta and Virgin Atlantic

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Aug 25, 2015, 11:21 ET

ATLANTA, Aug. 25, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) and Virgin Atlantic Airways will offer customers two new routes across the pond with the introduction of Delta's nonstop service from Salt Lake City to London Heathrow and New York-JFK to Edinburgh, Scotland, beginning in May 2016.

The routes add to the value that the Delta-Virgin Atlantic joint venture provides customers through an aligned route network offering more frequencies, competitive fares and harmonized service. The Department of Transportation's 2013 grant of anti-trust immunity to the Delta-Virgin joint venture makes this new service possible.

"For the second summer in a row, Delta will be launching new routes that give customers more options when flying between the United States and the U.K.," said Nat Pieper, Delta's Senior Vice President – Europe, Middle East and Africa. "Delta and Virgin Atlantic are committed to offering an extensive network on the trans-Atlantic, and our new flights from London and Edinburgh will offer more connections to destinations throughout the U.S. and beyond."

Delta's seasonal Salt Lake City to London Heathrow flights will operate as follows:

Flight	Departs	Arrives
DL50 / VS4020	Salt Lake City at 8:10 p.m.	Heathrow at 1:10 p.m. (+1 day)
DL51 / VS4019	Heathrow at 2:15 p.m.	Salt Lake City at 6:07 p.m.

Delta's New York-JFK to Edinburgh flights will operate as follows:

Flight	Departs	Arrives
DL488 / VS4026	New York-JFK at 8:15 p.m.	Edinburgh at 8:40 a.m. (+1 day)
DL489 / VS4027	Edinburgh at 10:30 a.m.	New York-JFK at 1:01 p.m.

Starting May 1, 2016, Salt Lake City will be Delta's eighth U.S. destination from Heathrow and the only nonstop service between London and the Mountain West. As the largest airline operating in Salt Lake City, Delta offers connections to more than 50 destinations throughout the Western U.S. and into Canada.

Daily nonstop service between New York-JFK and Edinburgh will begin on May 26, 2016, offering customers in the U.K. up to 60 convenient onward connections from JFK. Delta's new service from Scotland's capital city joins Virgin Atlantic's three times weekly summer seasonal service from Glasgow to Orlando.

Passengers travelling in the Delta One cabin on both the Salt Lake City to Heathrow and New York-JFK to Edinburgh flights will enjoy full flat-bed seats and a range of personalized dining options. Additionally, all passengers will have access to on-demand in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi connectivity throughout the aircraft.

Launched on January 1, 2014, the Delta and Virgin Atlantic partnership creates an expanded trans-Atlantic route network, enhancing competition between the UK and North America. The joint venture offers customers connecting in the United States seamless access to more than 200 destinations across almost 600 routes, as well as frequent flyer reciprocity and global lounge access.

Delta Air Lines serves more than 170 million customers each year. Delta was named to FORTUNE magazine's top 50 World's Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired airline for the fourth time in five years. Additionally, Delta has ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for four consecutive years, a first for any airline. With an industry-leading global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer service to 332 destinations in 63 countries on six continents. Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline fleet of more than 700 aircraft. The airline is a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's leading trans-Atlantic 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, New York-LaGuardia, 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.