Virgin Atlantic Appoints Corneel Koster As New CEO, Replacing Shai Weiss

It seems Shai Weiss didn't make a statement about this, so that also makes me think he was forced out.

He's made a positive statement on Linkedin

Couldn't help but notice the irony in Branson's statement about Shai Weiss having "raised the bar across the industry" while also, you know, discontinuing the bar...

Weiss did perhaps as much as could be done given VS' network.

Remember that VS lost far more money before it cozied up to DL; Branson is still the largest owner of VS and he realized he needed a network carrier on one half of VS' network and he got that in DL.

VS still has a large average aircraft size and has to fly to some places where DL cannot do much for them even in the US - like SFO and IAD. They also carry high volume, lower fare traffic to Florida.
And then a big chunk of VS' network is to destinations east of London. DL can put together help through common DL/VS/SkyTeam partnerships but VS still carries alot of low fare volume.

I would not be surprised if we see some significant changes to VS' network - esp. east of LHR in the next few years.

I'm sure the Delta unionized pilots would fight it but Delta should just stop flying to the UK. Let Virgin Atlantic handle all those routes. I feel like Delta tried this around 2015 or 2016 when Virgin Atlantic expanded to hubs like Detroit. If the price is equal, Virgin Atlantic business-class is better than Delta One.

"And then a big chunk of VS' network is to destinations east of London."

Not so much anymore. They have definitely pivoted away from the Far East, and more towards the US. Tokyo, Shanghai, Hong Kong and Sydney have all been discontinued from their route network. They've opened routes to India instead, but this is largely to serve connecting traffic from the US through LHR.

Which DeltaOne? (Part of the issue, right?) Also, which Upper-Class for that matter. For instance, the DeltaOne Suites (with or without the door) are basically the same on Delta's a359, a339, and 764, as with Virgin Atlantic's a35K, a339. Where it gets interesting is on Delta's 763 (which everyone loves to hate; sorry, Tim), and Virgin's 789 and a333 (1-1-1), because, yes, between those two, I'd take VS, if they were flying to where I wanted to go (but, if Delta had the nonstop from the USA, I'd prefer them over a layover at LGW or LHR.)

*ba dum tss*

*Except for the 787 and A330ceos.

I still fly Delta a lot to avoid the VS 787 Upper Class.

VS works because it has a strong UK POS. It can make routes like LAX-LHR work, while Delta cannot. That's also why there's no reason for VS to fly DTW-LHR a useless route for Brits that would rather fly to the US destinations they actually want to go to.

Delta simply has a higher profit threshold so the opportunity cost for using an aircraft for a route that VS can fly is higher.
VS and DL work together on TATL flights just as AF and KL do - DL has the lion's share of flights to/from DL hubs and AF/KL/VS having more flights to coastal cities, some of which are DL hubs and some of which are not.

and DL does not largely use the 763 to LHR while the 764 seat still suffers from the same fuselage width limitations that of any 767. DL's Delta One seat on the 339 and 350 is a better seat than VS' 789s or even its older generation seats on the 35K.

In the winter, VS has 5 flights/day to India, several to Africa and is adding to the Middle East - minus TLV. Up to half of the number of VS TATL flights are to destinations east of LHR even w/o the limited number of flights to E. Asia.

Virgin Atlantic is all perceived style and no substance. They have a nearly unusable route network, no short haul feed at their only hub, and an incredibly inconsistent on board experience. What made the old VS great was their marketing swagger, the LHR Clubhouse, and bleeding edge onboard experience in Upper Class. That's pretty much all gone. They are just a glorified scheduled charter carrier from LHR.

Other airlines have tried and failed to turn VS into a silk purse. Just ask Singapore Airlines. I don't see DL anything that DL is doing to improve on the status quo

VS is Delta’s back door entry into LHR, nothing more. DL’s investment is limited to 49% due to Euro law as a foreign carrier. It got the investment at a steep discount compared to what Singapore originally paid.
As long as VS breaks even, DL is happy.
Should Delta want out for any reason, AA or UA or a Middle East carrier would jump right in at the right price for access to LHR.

VS is currently rated No: 16 in the World Rankings (up on place and 2024). The fact is that NO U.S. Airline come anywhere close to VS’s customer satisfaction rating is quite contradictory to what you claim DTWNYC. You are obviously allowing your American bias to cloud you judgement, yes?