Virgin Atlantic Airways, Ltd. announced that Julie Southern, the company's chief commercial officer, will leave Sir Richard Branson's airline next month shortly after losing out to Craig Kreeger for the chief executive role. Ms Southern has been with Virgin Atlantic since July 2000 and was considered the most likely successor to Steve Ridgway, who recently retired after 11 years at the helm.

Delta Air Lines Inc. and Virgin Atlantic Airways, Ltd. have filed an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation seeking antitrust immunity for their new joint venture on flights between North America and the United Kingdom. The application marks a significant milestone in the creation of the joint venture. The joint venture will allow Delta and Virgin to be more effective competitors on routes between North America and the U.K., particularly between the U.S. and London, by expanding the quantity and quality of travel options for customers of both airlines. In their filing, Delta and Virgin Atlantic noted that nearly 60% of the slots at London Heathrow Airport are controlled by the American Airlines/British Airways joint venture which, as a result, dominates air travel between the U.S. and the U.K., including the New York-London market, which is the most important business market in the world. By combining Virgin's Heathrow slots and U.K. brand strength with Delta's powerful U.S. network, the joint venture will offer significant competition in the market and benefit consumers on both sides of the Atlantic. Under the proposed joint venture, Delta and Virgin Atlantic would coordinate schedules, network planning, pricing and revenue management functions, sales and other aspects of their services between North America and the U.K. Through the joint venture, the carriers would together offer a greatly expanded network at Heathrow despite slot constraints, which have limited the growth of both airlines in the U.K. -- North America market. The two carriers would operate a total of 31 peak-day round-trip flights between the U.K. and North America, 23 of which would operate at London-Heathrow. The enlarged network will benefit customers of both carriers by providing greater access to key markets, improved connectivity and convenient booking options. The airlines plan to implement code sharing, frequent flier program reciprocity and shared lounge access.

Virgin Atlantic Airways, Ltd. has appointed Craig Kreeger as its new Chief Executive. He will assume the role on February 1, 2013. He joins from American Airlines (AA), where he has held a 27-year career spanning commercial, financial and strategic roles in the US and around the globe. Kreeger, 53, succeeds current CEO, Steve Ridgway, who is retiring from the airline. Kreeger joined AA in 1985 as an analyst and was appointed Senior Vice President, Customer in 2012. Last September, Virgin Atlantic announced Steve Ridgway would retire in spring 2013 once a successor was in place.