Virgin Atlantic to take ‘trade-friendly’ approach to modernisation

By Nick Boulos

Virgin Atlantic’s chief commercial officer has pledged to bring the views and concerns of agents into the heart of the airline’s decision making.

Dave Geer, who was promoted to the role by new chief executive Corneel Koster, said there is “a lot happening in terms of modernising our systems and our approach when it comes to retail and selling to customers”.

“It’s a long journey but my philosophy is to do it in a trade-friendly way and actually listen to the trade and our industry partners,” said Geer, speaking to Travel Weekly in Seoul as the airline celebrated its inaugural service to the destination.

Geer recently hosted a lunch with agents to connect with them on a “more personal level” and hear their thoughts directly.

“I met with some of our leisure agents because I wanted to get feedback from them and their views and ideas as to how we can work together in the best way possible,” he added.

In terms of supporting agents with product and destinations, Geer said he is committed to premium leisure routes, which saw the launch of services to the Maldives in 2024 and the reintroduction of direct flights to Cancun last October.

This winter season will see the airline commence a thrice-weekly service from Heathrow to Phuket, offering the only direct connection from the UK to the popular Thai island.

“Doing this gradually and building demand and making sure that we raise awareness is important,” said Geer.

As well as prioritising the needs and views of the airline’s agent partners, Geer believes the success of these new routes – including Seoul, the latest addition to the network – will be achieved by building connections in an “authentic way” and allowing them to evolve organically.

“You’ve got to invest in any new market. We’ve got a sales team in South Korea who are working with trade agents and, on top of that, we’ve invested in Korean cabin crew, who will be on each flight, and introduced a tailored menu influenced by the local culture,” he said.