Virgin Atlantic will be the newest carrier to join the Skyteam alliance. News has broken that their newly founded alliance relationship will become official in the next few weeks.
March 2nd, 2023, is the date Virgin Atlantic will officially be part of Skyteam. Kyle Olsen of The Points Guy reported the exclusive news following a conversation with the Virgin Atlantic CEO.
However, this isn’t the first time Virgin Atlantic and SkyTeam developments have come to light. In September 2022, we learnt through an announcement the airline intended to join the alliance.
Skyteam is home to notable airlines such as Korean Air, Vietnam Airlines, Aeromexico, Saudia and more. However, two significant companies have been left out of this list, and you’ll begin to see why.
Given Virgin Atlatic’s close relationship with Delta, such a decision to join Skyteam has been commended by frequent travellers. Because of this, it has shocked many that it has taken so long for the partnership to become official.
Virgin Atlantic said this is an important milestone following a challenging few years in the industry. By joining, they’ll be able to enhance their existing relationships with valued customers. Alongside Delta, the relationship of heightened focus is with Air France / KLM.
Virgin Atlantic passengers will eventually be able to purchase tickets on any Skyteam carrier’s flights through the website. While this is a long way out Virgin Atlantic and Skyteam executives are betting on this being a vital part of the relationship.
For frequent travellers or those into miles and added benefits, there’ll be alliance-wide inside airports, from access to lounges, fast track at the airport and much more. These, however, will be accessible to those with a flying status at Virgin Atlantic.
Moreover, the perks only continue to grow as you elevate your status. From lounges to points to upgrades, they all go hand in hand.
Exciting stuff!