Virgin Atlanta, I mean, Virgin Atlantic, is getting a new CEO…
In this post:
Corneel Koster replaces Shai Weiss as Virgin Atlantic CEO
Virgin Atlantic has announced that Corneel Koster will become CEO of the airline as of January 1, 2026, replacing Shai Weiss, after his seven year tenure in the role.
Koster rejoined Virgin Atlantic in 2019, as Chief Customer Officer, and expanded his role to Chief Operating Officer in 2020. As it’s described, “he has been instrumental in running a safe and reliable operation, leading frontline teams and delivering Virgin Atlantic’s renowned customer experience.”
Koster has been in the airline industry for three decades, and held senior operational and commercial roles at Virgin Atlantic and its partners, including Aeromexico, Delta, and KLM.
Weiss is credited with steering the company through the COVID-19 pandemic, completing a full transformation, and delivering record performance in 2024. He joined the airline as Chief Financial Officer in 2014, later serving as Chief Commercial Officer, before becoming CEO.
Here’s how Virgin Atlantic Founder Richard Branson describes this management change:
“Shai has done an outstanding job over the past seven years. I’m grateful for his vision, passion and commitment to creating brilliant experiences that have made the airline stronger and raised the bar across the industry. I’m delighted to welcome Corneel as CEO. He embodies the Virgin spirit – bold, curious and ready to shake up the status quo. We look forward to this exciting new chapter.”
Here’s what Virgin Atlantic Chair Peter Norris had to say:
“In the last seven years, faced with exceptional headwinds, Shai has done a remarkable job steering the airline through the pandemic and its aftermath. While we’re sad he’s decided to stand down, he has done an excellent job leading from the front in service of our people, customers and the communities in which we operate, setting Virgin Atlantic on a clear path towards future success.”
“We are delighted that Corneel will be picking up the baton, having been such an integral part of the leadership team. As a true customer champion, he understands what sets Virgin Atlantic apart as we continue to challenge the status quo in the years ahead. We thank Shai for his contribution and leadership, and we wish Corneel and the team every success in this next exciting phase.”
Meanwhile here’s what Corneel Koster had to say about his new role:
“I’ve long held a very special place in my heart for Virgin Atlantic, so it’s an incredible privilege to take up the role of CEO. We’ve always done everything in our power to give our customers and our people the best experience in the skies, delivered with a smile and the special challenger spirit that Richard instilled in us from day one. I’m determined we carry that spirit forward.
“I’d like to thank the Virgin Atlantic Board for their trust and confidence and to thank Shai for his leadership and his friendship. I’m proud to lead our talented teams into our next chapter. We will deliver value for our customers, people, shareholders and the communities we serve, while ensuring that Virgin Atlantic remains the airline that dares to do things differently.”
My take on Virgin Atlantic’s management changes
Let me say that I love flying with Virgin Atlantic, and it’s a fantastic brand with friendly people and a fun vibe. That being said, it’s not exactly a great business, for three primary reasons:
- Being an exclusively long haul airline, with no short haul routes, is kind of challenging in terms of building a proper network
- It’s even tougher to be in this position when your hub is at an airport where you don’t have a dominant position, and you’re number two in the market
- Virgin Atlantic is 49% owned by Delta, and in many ways, the airline almost seems to be run in a way that helps Delta maximize profitability, rather than one that helps Virgin Atlantic maximize profitability (it’s why the airline is often referred to as “Virgin Atlanta”)
We always hear how profitable Delta is, and London Heathrow is such an important aviation market. Despite that, Delta rakes in massive profits, while Virgin Atlantic struggles to break even.
For example, Virgin Atlantic’s “record” 2024 consisted of the carrier earning a £20 million profit, its first time being profitable in many years (the carrier was losing money even before the pandemic).
I’m not too familiar with Koster, though generally I’m a fan of operations and product people leading airlines, rather than just finance people. To state the obvious, product and customer experience people generally care about… the product and customer experience.
Admittedly it’s hard to know how to judge Koster’s performance, since he has been leading product while Virgin Atlantic continues to have uncompetitive herringbone seats in business class on the backbone of its fleet. That will finally be changing in the coming years, and I imagine if he had a choice, he would’ve changed it earlier. But still…
I don’t see Koster’s appointment as doing anything that’s going to rock the boat. I think Virgin Atlantic will essentially continue to operate largely under Delta’s control, with the focus being on serving Delta across the Atlantic, rather than developing a fully independent plan to maximize profitability. At least the airline isn’t appointing someone straight from Atlanta.
I am curious, as I’m not too familiar with the management politics at Virgin Atlantic… I assume that Weiss has been pushed out, and that this wasn’t just him choosing to move on?
Bottom line
Virgin Atlantic has appointed a new CEO as of the beginning of 2026. Corneel Koster, the company’s current Chief Operating Officer, will become the CEO, replacing Shai Weiss. It’s interesting to see a change at the top, though I wouldn’t expect anything to change radically, given that he’s from within the Virgin Atlantic ecosystem.
What do you make of Virgin Atlantic’s new CEO?
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.
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...
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.)
*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...
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.
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...
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.
"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.
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.
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...
*ba dum tss*
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