Virgin Atlantic Warns of Slowing U.S. Demand
Photo Credit: Virgin Atlantic Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner plane landing at London's Heathrow Airport. Adobe Stock / Travers
Skift Take
Famed for its quirky branding and maverick mentality, historically Virgin Atlantic has struggled to turn a profit. Today’s results are a positive step, but uncertainty in the U.S. market could yet disrupt its ‘sustainably profitable’ goal.
After almost a decade of consecutive losses, Virgin Atlantic announced a pre-tax profit Monday. The British carrier reported a profit before tax and exceptional items of £20 million ($25.9m) for 2024. This is a marked improvement on its £139m ( $179.9m) loss a year earlier.
Shai Weiss, the airline’s chief executive praised the result, describing it as “a turning point for Virgin Atlantic and the culmination of our transformation.” Weiss said it was a big step forward in making the company "sustainably profitable."
However, it was comments from its chief financial officer that caught the attention of analysts. Speaking after the publication of the results, Oli Byers said trading in the January-March quarter of 2025 was “v
