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Tags: In-Flight Entertainment / Virgin Atlantic / Richard Branson / Pitch TV / → All Tags

Would You Watch Richard Branson's Pitch TV?

Hey, this plane is pretty nice, but you know what would make it better? That waking-up-at-3-AM-with-the-TV-on feeling. But Richard Branson's plan to have entrepreneurs pitch their new projects on Virgin Atlantic is not just an initiative to make us feel better rested; it may be the latest in recessionomic entertainment.

PitchTV, which was announced March 31 on Branson's blog, makes every passenger an instant millionaire whose attention is valuable for the would-be Vince Schlomi. Entrepreneurs can upload their pitches and have them compete for votes on the blog, with the most attention-getting video (currently there are five) getting further uploaded to Virgin Atlantic planes to add to the line-up.

There's something a little dodgy about handing your pitch over to a serial entrepreneur like Branson, even though he offers a hand up in the name of helping budding businessmen (as he once was). But is the captive audience provided by Virgin Atlantic or any other plane really the one you want to associate with your brand-to-be? Personally, we are now unable to watch "My Life On The D-List" thanks to a red-eye flight in which it was the only thing remotely interesting on on a Virgin America seat-back TV. (Kathy, it's not you.) So we're asking, what do you watch in-flight?

Related Stories:
· Calling all entrepreneurs – introducing PitchTV [Richard Branson: Business Stripped Bare]
· ShamWow pitchman Vince Shlomi arrested for punching prostitute [Chicago Sun-Times]
· 'Pitchmen' celebrates advertising as entertainment [LA Times]

[Photo: moonagewebdream]

Tags: April Fool's Day / Virgin Atlantic / → All Tags

Virgin Atlantic Suckers Us with Their 'Air Weddings' and Other Cruel Travel Jokes

Virgin Atlantic and anything with Richard Branson's name behind it has a long history of crazy announcements and parties so it's no surprised that we totally got suckered by their April Fools Joke today announcing through their email newsletter, V Married, a way for couples to get hitched in-flight.

Take over our Clubhouses for your bachelor and bachelorette parties, then take off with up to 300 guests for your wedding in the sky, complete with pilot officiator and air hostess bridesmaids.

Enjoy a champagne reception (with real champagne flutes), followed by a three course meal and speeches through the headphones.

It's all the excitement of a wedding, elopement and honeymoon rolled into one, with your friends and family along for the ride. Now all you need to do is say 'I do'.

Is it wrong that we were extremely saddened that this was just an April Fool's Joke? Can you imagine listening to the best man's speech through headphones? And everyone wouldn't need to drink as much since the altitude would help you along fater. Then again, there would be limited room for the groom to pull out his breakdancing moves and diving for that bouquet could get rather hazardous. And we'd hate to think what the bathroom wait would look like!

Keep reading for more April Fool's Day Jokes!

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Tags: Richard Branson / Virgin Atlantic / V Australia / Virgin / Contests / Travel News / → All Tags

Calling All Richard Branson Lookalikes: Win a Trip to New York

That Richard Branson sure is one cool dude. No matter what he's doing, he's always got a big smile on his face like he's having the time of his life, probably because he is. He's the archetype of the rich, international playboy, with the windblown hair, sun-bleached goatee, and eyebrows arched in perpetual delight. If that describes your look as well - or at least your attitude - Sir Richard would like to hear from you. Virgin is sponsoring the Richard Look-A-Like Competition, which will award the winning doppelgänger with a pair of Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy tickets to New York, a pair of VIP tickets to the airline's 25th birthday party, and one night's accommodations for two people.

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Tags: Airfare Sales / Laid-Off Travel / Virgin Atlantic / Virgin America / JetBlue / United / American Airlines / Southwest / SXSW Travel / → All Tags

Airfare Sales For Those Who Couldn't Get Away for Prez Week

[UPDATE: The Virgin America 25 percent off code listed below is no longer valid. Only members of the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club who receive the email newsletter will receive a special code for this promotion. Sorry for the confusion.]

The truth is some of you probably didn't go away for Presidents Week because you cleverly suspected that travel costs would be jacked up during this time. So either you vacationed before Abe Lincoln's b-day or you're still waiting for the costs to come down a bit.

The good news is there are a few special sales going on for folks traveling in the U.S. There are even specials for folks who got laid-off (Well, kinda.) However, you have to make up your mind pretty quickly as some promotions are about to expire. First up, The Virgins:

1. Virgin Atlantic's Discounts for Virgin America: The Virgin Atlantic Flying Club has offered its (Flying Club only) members 25 percent off Virgin America flights. Use code [redacted] to book flights before April 1st. Currently, the two loyalty programs--Flying Club and Elevate--are separate entities which irks Virgin fans to no end but the email promo we received hinted at a partnership between the two in the future. "[T]his special offer is just the start of our growing relationship, so watch out for more to come in the future!" Hmmm....

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Tags: Airline News / US Airways / American Airlines / Virgin Atlantic / British Airways / Ryanair / United / SAS Airlines / → All Tags

Thousands to Get the Shaft from Limping Airlines

Just as United announced that they would be getting rid of their India complaint call center in favor of keeping the jobs here in the States, other airlines have spoiled the fun by adding to the economic blow with more layoffs of their own.

According to the travel man himself, Peter Greenberg, the impact is widespread and includes US Airways, British Airways, American Airlines, United, Ryanair, Virgin Atlantic and even SAS Scandinavian Airlines. Joining the rest of us in the unemployment line will sadly be 233 from US Airways, 1,000 at United, 600 at Virgin and 800 at RyanAir, and a scarily hefty exodus of 3,000 from SAS.

There go our fantasies of being a flight attendant. In fact, who knows how this will affect the flight crew and reservation agents with seniority, as they often reap the nice paychecks that the airlines are looking to keep. Since deeper flight discounts only mean more trouble for the airlines, even though they put paying flyers into empty seats, the trend will obviously be going nowhere but downward.

Related Stories:
· US Airways, Virgin, Other Airlines Laying Off Thousands [Peter Greenberg]
· United Will No Longer Listen to Your Phone Rants [Jaunted]
· Airline News coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Cubbie_n_Vegas]

Tags: Airline Hell / Virgin Atlantic / American Airlines / Airplane Food / → All Tags

Virgin Atlantic and Others Serving Moldy Food

This open letter to Richard Branson about moldy custard (at least, we think it's custard) on a Virgin Atlantic flight from Mumbai to Heathrow last month brought up a dreadful memory from our own minds--moldy grapes on a flight from Paris to Dallas on American Airlines.

See evidence of moldy grapes above. We actually did not notice our withering fruit until well after the flight attendant had left us. But we wonder, did she even notice? And if she did, why would she serve them to us?

Now, we know we're not the only ones who have experienced expired food on a flight. So have if you've ever been served moldy food on a flight, how did you deal? Did you throw it back in their faces or did you pen an open letter to the airline's CEO? Let us know what you did in comments below.

Related Stories:
· Airline Hell [Jaunted]
· Virgin: the world's best passenger complaint letter? [Telegraph UK]

Tags: Mid-80's Travel / Virgin Atlantic / Steve Ridgeway / Videos / → All Tags

Virgin Atlantic Already Thinks 2009 Is "Depressing"

Tossing out hope for '09 so soon, Sir Richard? The mogul's right hand man and CEO of Virgin Atlantic Steve Ridgeway says the global financial crisis could make this year a tough one, despite the fact that the carrier will celebrate its 25th anniversary come June. Having to cut costs, shrink capacity and fight off British Airways when he should be planning parties? "It’s slightly depressing," Ridgeway tells Bloomberg.

Yet Virgin says its planning a batch of fare sales to help everyone forget about "the doom and gloom in the airline industry." (Details on those deals have yet to be announced.)

Better than the vague promise of low fares, though, is this new ad hyping the carrier's anniversary. Set in 1984, it's got the requisite giant cell phone, along with a Rubik's cube, incredible fashion, an awesome synth soundtrack and, is that Madonna? (We're resisting the urge to download a clone of Asteroids after seeing the arcade version in this clip!)

Related Stories:
· Virgin Atlantic Launches £6 Million Ad Campaign [UK Travel Weekly]
· Virgin Cuts Fares, May Shrink [Bloomberg]
· Despite Facebook Scandal, Virgin Atlantic Continues To Deliver [Jaunted]

Tags: Facebook / British Airways / Virgin Atlantic / → All Tags

British Airways Staff Also Slamming Passengers On Facebook

Never one to let Virgin Atlantic have all the fun, now British Airways is investigating employees after they posted criticisms of passengers on a now-depopulated Facebook group called "London Gatwick Ground Staff."

The Telegraph reports that a big complaint was passengers who put boarding passes in their mouths before handing them over to gate personnel--definitely something worth griping about. Customers were also called "smelly and annoying." (Fliers from the US got a special shout-out for their "stupid American accents.")

BA promises it "will be talking to the individuals concerned," but the airline hasn't gone so far as to say it will fire staff who made the comments. Still, as an airline that created its own social media site and maintains a Twitter account, you'd think they'd already have a policy in place regarding employee behavior online. We're thinking something like, "Do whatever you want when you're off the clock--as long as it isn't completely embarrassing."

Related Stories:
· BA Staff Attack Passengers on Facebook [Telegraph]
· 13 Virgin Atlantic Employees Who Slammed Airline on Facebook Sacked [Jaunted]

[Photo: Travel Weekly UK]

Tags: Flight Reviews / Virgin Atlantic / Richard Branson / → All Tags

Despite Facebook Scandal, Virgin Atlantic Continues To Deliver

With all the recent flap regarding Virgin Atlantic, we took a look around the web to see what exactly passengers think of the airline now that it's fired 13 people for griping about customers on Facebook. Despite the news, people still seem to think that it’s one of the ideal carriers when it comes to crossing the pond.

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Tags: Virgin Atlantic / Facebook / Richard Branson / → All Tags

13 Virgin Atlantic Employees Who Slammed Airline on Facebook Sacked, Dumped In Ocean by Sir Branson

Fancy a spot of freedom of speech with your tea and crumpets? Jolly good, just watch it when you talk about your employer. A group of 13 cabin crew staff got sacked (I love that word) by Virgin Atlantic after company officials discovered that they had posted nasty things about customers to a semi-private discussion group on Facebook. The fancy-pants airline founded by Sir Richard Branson began an investigation on October 23 after passengers and other staff members came across the postings, which hilariously referred to certain customers as "chavs" and claim that some of the company's 747s were infested with cockroaches.

It's a shame to get kicked to the curb just for bitching about your job to your co-workers, since everybody who has ever had a job has done exactly that, but this crew should have known better. Facebook might lull people into a false sense of privacy, since groups are only open to members, but those sophisticated enough to work for an airline should know by now that anything you put into pixels could easily make it into the public domain.

Somehow absent from the coverage of this event is whether their charges are true. Are Virgin Atlantic flights filled with chavs and cockroaches? Please report sightings of one or the other in the comments.

[Photo: The Vancouver Sun]

Related Stories:
· Virgin Atlantic Cabin Crew Sacked Over Web Slur [Reuters]
· Virgin Atlantic Only Comfortable With Certain Online Hatchet Jobs [Jaunted]

Tags: Virgin Atlantic / Facebook / Richard Branson / → All Tags

Virgin Atlantic Only Comfortable with Certain Online Hatchet Jobs

Big bossman Richard Branson can snipe British Airways and even set up a special website protesting his rival's proposed tie-up with American Airlines. But his employees, apparently, don't enjoy the same freedom to criticize people online: After setting up a group on Facebook to "bitch about the aircraft" they fly, Virgin Atlantic employees are under investigation for calling passengers "chavs" and complaining that VA's 747s were infested with cockroaches.

Says the carrier:

The airline has started an immediate disciplinary investigation. Virgin Atlantic does not tolerate any criticism of its passengers or industry-leading safety standards and is taking this matter very seriously.

Safety is the airline's top priority and we operate our fleet of aircraft in strict compliance with all manufacturers' and safety authorities' recommendations and regulations.

The posts have apparently been taken down, but we're trying to find some screen shots of them somewhere online. Tip us off if you know more; anonymity guaranteed.

Related Stories:
· VA Investigates Facebook Claims [Telegraph]
· VA Probes "Malicious" Staff Comments [Brand Republic]
· Virgin Atlantic coverage [Jaunted]

Tags: American Airlines / Delta / United / Virgin Atlantic / Airline Fees / → All Tags

More Airlines Cutting Fuel Surcharges

More carriers are joining the ranks of Air Canada, WestJet and Bangkok Airways, cutting fuel surcharges as the price of oil continues to decline. American, Delta, United and Virgin Atlantic have all trimmed their extra fees in the past few days.

Richard Branson's carrier is lowering the round-trip surcharge by an average of $40 depending on destination, but most tickets will still include a three-figure fee for fuel. A spokesman explains why:

Oil remains our largest cost and now represents about 35 percent of our cost base. Just five years ago it was nearer [to] 10 percent.

American and United both reduced some surcharges on flights to Europe by about 15 percent, but as with Virgin's cuts, the lower fee only applies on certain economy-class tickets.

Delta meanwhile has cut its charge on round trips to Asia by an average of $74 to $305.

Related Stories:
· Virgin Atlantic Cuts Fuel Surcharges [The Telegraph]
· US Airlines Reduce Fuel Fees [Canadian Press]
· Bangkok Airways Cut Fuel Surcharges [Jaunted]

[Photo: striatic]