Delta Makes a Big Move Into Europe

Last week, Delta Air Lines closed on the acquisition of 49% of British carrier Virgin Atlantic. By teaming up with Virgin Atlantic, Delta has tripled the number of flights it offers from New York to London's Heathrow Airport. This is particularly important because the New York-Heathrow route has an exceptionally high proportion of high-paying business travelers.

This deal is part of a broader push by Delta to gain market share in New York, especially among corporate fliers. Delta was previously a distant third in the New York-London market, behind AMR -- which has a joint venture with British Airways, providing frequent service to Heathrow -- and United Continental , which flies from its Newark hub to Heathrow. The Virgin Atlantic tie-up levels the playing field for Delta.

In the following video, Motley Fool Industrials bureau chief Isaac Pino talks to contributor Adam Levine-Weinberg about what this deal means for Delta and how it will affect the competition among America's top three airlines.

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The article Delta Makes a Big Move Into Europe originally appeared on Fool.com.

Adam Levine-Weinberg is short shares of United Continental Holdings and is long Sept. 2013 $33 puts on United Continental Holdings. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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