It all started with Richard Branson getting stuck in Puerto Rico – he was trying to get the British Virgin Islands, but because there were not enough people to fill the plane, the airlines decided to cancel the flight. Branson was desperate to get to the islands, because there was someone waiting for him there. So, he decided to hire a plane and on a borrowed blackboard, he jokingly wrote Virgin Airlines, and a fee of $39, for a one way trip to the British Virgin Islands. Within minutes, he had a full flight, because there were others who had also been planning on travelling on the flight that had been cancelled.
As the passengers disembarked at the British Virgin Islands, one of them told Branson that if he just took a little care and added a few more services, he could actually have a good business on hand. Even though Branson laughed it off at that point of time, he had been left a little bothered by the lacklustre attitude most airlines had towards its passengers. He was someone who had to travel constantly, because of his work with Virgin Records and every time, he was troubled by the substandard service, bad food and lack of entertainment. He called Boeing and asked them if they had a second hand 747 for sale; however, he did cover his bases, telling them, that if the airlines did not take off within the year, he would return the plane. With that, the foundation for Virgin Atlantic had been laid and today, it is a name to be reckoned with in the aviation industry.
When the decision to start Virgin Atlantic was taken, there was a lot of planning that needed to be done in a very short amount of time. The most talented engineers and the most experienced pilots were hired, but the cabin crew that was hired was mostly freshers, because the team wanted a fresh approach to things. Because Branson was from the entertainment industry, he knew that he could use those skill sets to liven up the airlines. Soon, the airplanes had bars in the upper classes, the option to use limousines for airport transfers and inflight entertainment. As a matter of fact, this was the first airline to introduce inflight television screens, in 1991 and this was present through all the classes.
The very first Virgin Atlantic flight took off on June 22nd, 1984 from Gatwick to Newark and in November of the same year, there was a flight from Gatwick to the Netherlands. In the years to come, several new routes were added including those to New York, Tokyo and several other cities in the United States of America. Today, the airline operates flights to almost every part of the world, including the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. While the primary base of the airlines is at Heathrow and Gatwick, there are also bases in Manchester, Glasgow and Belfast.
However, things were not always hunky dory for the airlines – there came a time, when the airlines was in such severe debt conditions that Branson had no choice but to sell Virgin Records. The money gained from the sale was used to revitalise the airlines, and luckily for Branson, the record industry started to see a decline really soon. Similarly, business rivals in the airline industry tried to create trouble for Virgin Atlantic, but when a legal battle ensued, it was VA that emerged victorious.
These days, Virgin Atlantic has dedicated slots in airports across the United Kingdom, United States and Australia. In addition, VA is also involved in trying to develop clean fuels, along with partners such as LanzaTech. Here are just some of the other interesting attributes of Virgin Atlantic and Sir Richard Branson:
- Branson broke the transatlantic speed record via powerboat
- He became one of the first people to cross both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in a hot air balloon
- He invested in several other airlines, all over the world
- Branson and his Virgin brand also operate a high speed rail system in the United Kingdom
- With Virgin Galactic, Branson aims at reaching the deepest depths of the ocean and the outer frontiers of space!
All this started with the simple desire of Branson to reach a woman who was waiting for him on the British Virgin Islands – a woman who would later become his wife!