London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) has ordered Delta Air Lines to move to a new terminal, a decision that Delta’s CEO says is “short-sighted, deeply disappointing and bad for airline consumers.”
The Atlanta-based carrier is currently located in Heathrow’s Terminal 3 alongside its partner airline Virgin Atlantic.
Now, Heathrow Airport Limited, the company that owns and operates London’s biggest airport, has decided to relocate Delta to Terminal 4 while Virgin Atlantic remains in Terminal 3.
Delta executives say the move will complicate the streamlined partnership the two carriers currently have at LHR.
“Separating our operation undermines years of investment and disregards the tightly integrated customer benefits that we offer in our co-located terminal,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said.
Delta and Virgin Atlantic have been partners for more than a decade through a codeshare agreement launched in 2013.
Since then, the carriers have served millions of passengers out of Heathrow’s Terminal 3, giving customers easy access to connect to both airlines in one location and sharing amenities like Virgin’s lounge that grants reciprocal access to premium Delta fliers.
The move to Terminal 4 is scheduled to happen in 2028, but Bastian vowed to fight the airport’s decision.
“We are committed to preserving the seamless travel experience for which Delta and Virgin Atlantic are known and will pursue all available remedies to correct this decision,” Bastian said.
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