Virgin Atlantic

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Passengers Stranded 4 Hours on Tarmac

At least three people fainted in hot conditions, they say

(Newser) - Virgin Atlantic Airways passengers say they were kept on a hot plane without food or water for more than four hours at Connecticut's Bradley International Airport. Passengers told CNN that last night's ordeal began when they were diverted to Bradley because of bad weather during a flight from London to...

Brit Flights Will Bar 'Flu-ish' Passengers

Docs blast 'nonsense' plan to keep ill off airplanes

(Newser) - British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will refuse to check in passengers with symptoms of swine flu unless they have doctors' notes saying they're healthy, reports the Times of London. Passengers with runny noses, headaches, or sore throats will be told not to board their flights. The new policy has outraged...

Virgin Soars as BA Posts Record Loss
 Virgin Soars 
 as BA Posts 
 Record Loss 
EARNINGS REPORTS

Virgin Soars as BA Posts Record Loss

Branson's airline doubles profits year-on-year

(Newser) - Virgin Atlantic announced today that its annual profits had nearly doubled to $109 million, while its rival British Airways posted a record annual loss of $638 million. According to the Times of London, Richard Branson's airline increased its market share and drew substantial revenue from its premium services. Virgin, which...

'Sexist' Airline Ad Riles Up UK TV Viewers

Virgin Atlantic defends spot; standards board says it's 'humorous'

(Newser) - A Virgin Atlantic TV ad featuring female flight attendants strutting through Heathrow Airport while harried male passengers ogle them is not sexist, Britain’s advertising watchdog has ruled. The ad, celebrating Virgin’s 25th anniversary, drew 29 complaints, reports the Telegraph. Critics cried stereotyping; the independent Advertising Standards Authority said...

Jumbo Jet Flies on Veggie Oil
 Jumbo Jet Flies on Veggie Oil 

Jumbo Jet Flies on Veggie Oil

Boeing 747 powered by biofuel

(Newser) - A Boeing 747 powered by a mixture of aviation fuel and vegetable oil flew on a two-hour test flight which is being hailed as a technological and ecological milestone. The Air New Zealand passenger jet was powered in part by oil from the jatropha plant, reports the BBC.

UK Cabin Crews Knock Passengers Online

Virgin and British Airways workers land in trouble for Facebook comments

(Newser) - Virgin Atlantic has fired 13 cabin staffers for mocking passengers and joking about engine safety on Facebook, the Guardian reports. The online messages quipped about cockroaches on planes and referred to passengers as "chavs," a British term for "white trash." The airline publicly chided the...

Planes Sent Toward Storms to Test Air Traffic Controller

FAA investigates Fla. incident in which 4 jets sent miles off course

(Newser) - The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating an incident in which four Orlando-bound passenger jets were rerouted on Saturday in an effort to train a new air traffic controller. The Daily Mail reports the jets were directed into an area where thunderstorms were raging and that one, a Virgin Atlantic plane,...

Virgin Tests First Biofuel Plane
Virgin Tests First Biofuel Plane

Virgin Tests First Biofuel Plane

Jet flies on coconuts and babassu nuts

(Newser) - A Virgin Atlantic jet powered partially by a coconut- and Brazilian babassu nut-based biofuel made it from London to Amsterdam today in the first commercial flight to do so, the BBC reports. Virgin topdog Richard Branson hailed the flight as "pioneering" in the development of "fuels of the...

Racing to Fly With Biofuel
Racing to Fly With Biofuel

Racing to Fly With Biofuel

Air New Zealand, Virgin Air plan green commercial flights

(Newser) - Kiwis are planning to launch the first green commercial flight in about a year, the BBC reports. Air New Zealand promises to fly a 747 with 1 of 4 engines running on a kerosene-biofuel blend, but Virgin Atlantic may beat them to it with a bio-flight in early 2008. "...

2 Airlines Fined $300M Each for Price Fixing

British Airways and Korean Air both cooperated with the Justice Department

(Newser) - A US judge has fined British Airways and Korean Air $300 million apiece for conspiring to fix prices. Both carriers had their fines reduced—British Airways could have faced a fine as high as $900 million—after pleading guilty and cooperating with the Justice Department investigation into a global price-fixing...

NY Storm Delays New Airline's First Flight

Low-cost Virgin America is billionaire Branson's domestic US entry

(Newser) - Highlighting the difficulties of the US domestic market, inclement weather delayed today's first flight of Virgin America, the airline backed by impish British billionaire Richard Branson. The airline, which aims to provide first-class amenities at budget-friendly fares, operates from its San Francisco hub to Los Angeles and New York's JFK...

Flying in Style: 10 Best Business Classes

BusinessWeek lists the best upper-atmosphere experiences

(Newser) - With amenities like fully reclining seats, foot-massage parlors, and food that defies even the highest-flying expectations, airline business classes are more like mobile spas then just a way to get from point A to point B. BusinessWeek gives you the 10 best.
  1. Singapore Airlines
  2. Cathay Pacific
  3. Qatar Airways
  4. Malaysia Airlines
...

Budget Carrier Vows New York-London for $13

(Newser) - Air fares as low as $13 across the Atlantic are being promised as Ryanair, Europe’s biggest low-cost carrier, challenges the major players—British Airways and Virgin Atlantic—to a price war. Other budget airlines, like Southwest and JetBlue, are expected to jump into the fray, the London Times reports.

Stories 21 - 33 | << Prev