Delta CEO Blasts Heathrow Plan to Split Airline From Virgin Atlantic Partner Terminal

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian on Monday called Heathrow Airport's decision to move Delta's operations from Terminal 3, which it currently shares with partner Virgin Atlantic, to Terminal 4 "deeply disappointing and bad for airline consumers." Bastian also labeled the move "short-sighted," and the airline said in a statement that it would pursue all available remedies to reverse the decision while urging Heathrow to reconsider.

The relocation is part of a broader Heathrow plan to shift five carriers, including China Southern, LATAM, Finnair, Japan Airlines, and Delta, to different terminals over the next two years. Delta and Virgin Atlantic are transatlantic joint-venture partners, and separating them at Heathrow could complicate connecting itineraries for travelers using both carriers. Virgin Atlantic has warned passengers will "pay the price" if the move proceeds, while Virgin founder Richard Branson called the decision "ill-judged and short-sighted" and cautioned it could push transatlantic fares up by as much as 20 percent by making it harder for the Delta-Virgin partnership to compete against rivals such as British Airways.

Separately, a pullback in oil futures offered some relief for Delta and other major carriers, as fuel costs remain one of the largest expense items for airlines.