THE CONVERSATION
Vice President Global Sales, Virgin Atlantic
Luke Goggin
Luke Goggin, Virgin Atlantic’s new Vice President Global Sales, outlines the airline’s commitment to the corporate market
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ince joining Virgin Atlantic, It’s been a whirlwind three months for Luke Goggin. He's been immersing himself in “Virgin Atlantic life”, spending “quality time” with the airline’s global sales team, sampling the in-flight experience of both Virgin Atlantic and joint venture partner Delta, and making his first visit to the infamous Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, enjoying a barista-made flat white, or two. “Before joining, the thing I was most excited by was the focus that Virgin Atlantic has on its people,” he says. “Lots of organisations say this but it’s been amazing to experience that Virgin Atlantic truly lives by that philosophy. It’s in everyone’s DNA, which makes it an amazing place to work.” Virgin Atlantic’s close relationship with Delta has meant Goggin has already clocked up some air miles making two trips to Delta's head office in Atlanta to get acquainted with the Delta leadership team. “Together we are 100% clear,” he explains. “We remain focused on the business travel industry. We will continue to invest our time and resources on this valuable channel and we will continue to work incredibly hard to build and maintain valuable partnerships right across the business travel ecosystem.” The two airlines are coming up to their 10th anniversary as JV partners next year and have more transatlantic flights than ever. Together they now fly 38 times a day between the UK and the US, including 11 flights a day between the UK and New York.
“Along with our friends at Delta, Air France and KLM, we now represent more than 25% of all transatlantic flying – and there’s more to come in 2024,” says Goggin. So, what is Virgin Atlantic’s strategy in the corporate market? “It’s an interesting time in the airline world,” says Goggin. “While some airlines are downsizing their engagement with the industry, we are doing the opposite and focusing in on our business travel partners and business customers. We’ve seen a strong business travel recovery that's been building all year and it seems that where we are now is looking like a new normal. Our customers tell us they’re upbeat about travel volumes for the fourth quarter and into 2024. “Across the board we see strong share from our key customers, which is a testament to our fantastic operational performance out of London Heathrow, our amazing new fleet, with an average age of just six and a half years.” Earlier this year saw the launch of Virgin Atlantic for Business. “Over the past 12 months, we’ve doubled the size of our
While some airlines are downsizing their engagement with the industry, we are doing the opposite and focusing in on our business travel partners”
corporate account team, upweighted our internal support teams and provided our partners with new tools and information to specifically support business travel,” he says. The airline has also established a Corporate Advisory Board, a collective of 15 corporate travel buyers, which connects quarterly to review and feedback on initiatives, "ensuring Virgin Atlantic stays focused on the issues that matters most to the sector". “I get my energy from people and really enjoy working with my team, our customers, and partners and all my stakeholders across Virgin Atlantic, Delta and our Joint Venture partners. My aim is to bring my own energy and focus to all of these relationships and do everything I can to help our teams and airline stay focused on our relationships across the business travel industry. We have such an amazing story to tell and I’m looking forward to working with all my contacts to bring that to life," says Goggin. “We are incredibly hungry to grow our market share and we come to work every day to make that happen. There is a great energy across the team.” This winter Virgin Atlantic launches routes to Dubai, The Maldives and Turks and Caicos, and in March 2024 it launches a new daily service to Bengaluru, its third destination and fourth daily service to India. “Bengaluru is a great addition to our network for our corporate customers, being the tech hub of India and one of the largest corporate markets in the country,” he says.
10 THEBUSINESSTRAVELMAG.com
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07/11/2023 15:23