Virgin not sure it will ever fly Airbus 380s

British billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic Airways still isn't sure whether it will ever fly the world's largest passenger plane as it prepares for delivery of its first Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

''We have options for six A380s,'' from Airbus, Virgin Atlantic chief executive Craig Kreeger said. ''We have deferred those a number of times and we haven't yet decided what we will do when time comes for a terminate-the-batch decision.''

Virgin last deferred options for the superjumbo in July, pushing potential delivery to 2018, after being among the first to order the double-decker plane from Airbus in 2000.

Virgin Group has majority control of the British airline and a 10 per cent stake in Virgin Australia.

Virgin Atlantic is expecting delivery of its first 787 from Boeing in September, and plans to welcome passengers aboard starting in November.

The British airline's hesitance mirrors reluctance by other carriers that have deferred or reduced orders for the A380, which is marketed as easily accommodating 525 people. Air France-KLM, Europe's largest airline, may drop the final two of 12 planes ordered, and Lufthansa last year cancelled orders for three.

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Delta-Virgin takes up battle for New York-London fliers

Delta Air Lines has been making inroads in the dogfight over the lucrative market for business travel between New York and London, but the newly merged American Airlines Group is fighting back.

Delta is hoping to attract customers through its new partnership with Virgin Atlantic, known for its high-tech and non-traditional approach to flying, and its own boosted profile in New York, where it expanded flights and renovated terminals.

Now under new management, American is trying to bounce back from years of under-investment and market share losses, drawing from its recent merger with U.S. Airways.

The New York-London route is popular with Wall Street executives who are willing to pay for the priciest seats and who often travel at the last minute. Eager for their business, airlines are using their best planes on the route and investing in upgrades such as satellite WiFi and seats that turn into flat beds.

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BA's robust domestic loads leave Little Red trailing

British Airways claims it has not suffered market share to Virgin Atlantic’s UK domestic carrier Little Red, as the spin-off airline approaches one year of operations.

Little Red began services in March 2013 on routes between London Heathrow and the cities of Manchester, Edinburgh and Aberdeen.

But UK Civil Aviation Authority statistics for domestic scheduled operations show that Little Red’s load factor has been poor compared with that of BA.

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