[Anonymous]

[Bucksnet]

Following the announcement that Delta and Virgin are going to offer a LHR-JFK shuttle service from terminal 4, are Virgin going to move their whole Heathrow operation there or just the JFK flights?

If it’s just JFK then Virgin will be operating from 3 different terminals, but it would make sense to leave T3 altogether. This would free up a lot of space in T3 which would allow MH and QR to leave T4.

[LeTigre]

I am also puzzled.

The BT news item quoted Delta CEO as saying “from terminal four to London Heathrow”, which wouldn’t indicate a shift to LHR T4, as he appears to be referring to JFK T4.

A clarification on this from the editor of the article would be most welcome.

[Bucksnet]

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/delta-plans-us-shuttle-service-with-virgin-atla

“Delta plans a shuttle service between New York’s JFK T4 and London Heathrow Terminal 4, the airline’s CEO revealed today.”

Seems like terminal 4 at both ends.

[ImissConcorde]

This is from the Virgin Atlantic website …..
“Delta and Virgin Atlantic will explore options to co-locate in the same terminal at London Heathrow. A solution has not yet been finalised. In the near term, each airline will continue to operate from its current terminal.”

[Tom Otley]

It’s a mess – I’m re-writing it now and adding in some further clarifications on other matters.

[Irons80]

AA and BA seem to be able to coordinate from different terminals both from LHR and JFK, so it probably wouldn’t be the end of the world. However, VS and DL would have less flights over the day.

[Tom Otley]

OK, sorry for the confusion, which if I’m honest, is continuing, since I’m trying to understand whether (a) food will be offered in the JFK Lounge as a meal before the flight so passengers can then enjoy the maximum time for sleep in the air and (b) if it is being offered, whether it is free or for a charge.
With regards to the Terminal Confusion at the LHR end, that was my fault. Listening back to the quote, the T4 bit elided so it became T4 at both ends, when my understanding is that Delta will move out of T4 into T3 if the JV gets regulatory approval (although even that isn’t certain).

[LeTigre]

Thanks for clearing that up.

That sounds far more logical, though may be irritating for the other skyteam members in LHR T4. I fully expect VS short haul will join eventually, partly cause T1 won’t survive and partly cause split terminals must cost VS quite a bit. T3 will surely be overcrowded though, if 9+ daily DL, 13ish VS, 5 QR, 2 MH plus more all move in.

Btw, if VS have 4 daily JFK and DL 3 daily, then that is not far from BA/AA who operate around 11 (?).

[Bucksnet]

T3 hasn’t got the space for Delta to move there!

BA and the rest of oneworld need to consolidate in T3 and T5, which means others need to move out.

Virgin needs to move to T4 either as an unaligned airline, or as a Skyteam member/partner. This is the purpose of T4.

[MarcusUK]

I cannot see Delta moving out of LHR T4 when the Skyteam group is all based in there, and its associates. It works well there, better than any other Terminal at LHR, and the services in the Skyteam lounge are one of the best at LHR.

If Virgin want the tie up they should move over, but if there is enough space for ALL flights of theirs, that is another question. Etihad also are now having closer links with Delta at LHR and AMS, CDG, so they move into the Skyteam terminals, as at LHR T4.

[Tom Otley]

I think Delta will move to LHR T3.

Granted the Skyteam are in T4, but I believe the calculation is the amount of connecting traffic between DL and the other Skyteam members compared with the benefit of DL and VS being in the same terminal.

[LeTigre]

Yep, and all things considered, even with DL, QR, MH, etc. all joining T3, when you factor the move of SAS, SIA, Air China, EVA, ANA, Thai, Turkish and more to T2; there will be space. That’s like 40 movements a day just from what I know.

But what worries me is: how on Earth is the clubhouse going to cope?

[Author]

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