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Virgin’s Branson says spacecraft will launch at Christmas, but staff cautious
TransportVirgin Group billionaire Sir Richard Branson may be dreaming not of a white Christmas, but a space-y one. Branson, in remarks last week during a trip to Dubai, said the first public Virgin Galactic flight would happen Dec. 25, according to The National, a publication in the United Arab Emirates. Branson has long said he’d [...]
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Virgin Atlantic pegs $107 million loss on slow economy and Olympics impact
TransportU.K. billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. posted a full-year loss of 69.9 million pounds ($107 million), hurt by higher costs, sluggish economies and a dip in business travel during the Olympic Games. The main airline division had a loss of 93 million pounds, which was partially offset by a one-time gain of 35.4 million pounds [...]
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Virgin’s SpaceShipTwo thrusts engines: Suborbital travel one step closer
TransportA spaceship bankrolled by British tycoon Sir Richard Branson made its first powered flight Monday in a test that moves Virgin Galactic toward its goal of flying into space later this year. While SpaceShipTwo did not break out of the atmosphere during the test flight, it marked a significant milestone for Virgin Galactic, which intends [...]
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Virgin Galactic space ship completes its 24th test flight in Mojave desert
DestinationsHow many test flights did the Starship Enterprise undergo before it was cleared to boldly go where no one has gone before? Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo completed its 24th unpowered test flight above Mojave Air & Space Port in eastern Kern County on Wednesday morning. It appeared to go off without a hitch. The flight, witnessed [...]
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Branson protests paying rent for his Virgin Galactic spaceport
TransportVirgin Galactic has agreed to start paying New Mexico rent on the nearly quarter-billion dollar spaceport the state built for British businessman Richard Branson’s space tourism business, but it says it is doing so under protest and without waiving its right to walk away from the project, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press. [...]
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Analysis: Do women have a place at U.S. airlines outside of stewarding?
TransportVirgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson recently became the first LinkedIn Influencer to have 1 million followers, and in the interview commemorating that achievement he touched on the role of women in the boardroom. Branson encouraged companies to strive for a true 50-50 split of men and women on their boards. The absence of women in leadership [...]
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Branson bets British Airways boss 1 million pounds that the Virgin brand will survive
TransportRichard Branson said his Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. brand is “not going anywhere” after Singapore Airlines Ltd. revealed last week that it was in talks to sell its 49 percent holding in the U.K. carrier. Reports that Branson is about to give up control of Virgin Atlantic and comments from International Consolidated Airlines Group suggesting the [...]
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Virgin’s travel branding masks financial performances that are all over the map
TransportIf Delta Air Lines eventually succeeds in acquiring Singapore Airline’s 49% piece of Virgin Atlantic Airways, and Air France-KLM chips in to buy part of Richard Branson’s stake, don’t expect Delta to apply red and blue paint to Virgin’s fuselage and tail, and simply rebrand the airline as “Delta UK.” Henry Harteveldt, chief research officer at [...]
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Ryanair strips down its cabin crew again for 2013 charity calendar
TransportAs Ryanair releases its latest calendar, we look at the most outrageous marketing campaigns involving scantily-clad cabin crew. Despite being heavily criticised for its 2012 offering, the budget airline Ryanair has launched another charity calendar featuring scantily-clad cabin crew. The airline’s 2013 calendar, sold to raise money for Polish charity TVN, features cabin crew in [...]
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Virgin Rail gets its wish to continue running West Coast line, but only for 13 months
TransportThe London to Scotland line could see three different operators in as many years after Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said his department will negotiate a temporary management agreement with Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Rail, which is expected to last between nine and 13 months. Ministers will then award a two-year interim contract, which will be [...]
