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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic stories: 12 news summaries

Brit Flights Will Bar 'Flu-ish' Passengers

Docs blast 'nonsense' plan to keep ill
off airplanes

Jul 20, 09 4:05 AM CDT
(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... More »

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travel • airline industry • British Airways • Virgin Atlantic • air travel • influenza • swine flu • H1N1 virus

EARNINGS REPORTS

 Virgin Soars 
 as BA Posts 
 Record Loss 

Branson's airline doubles profits year-on-year

May 26, 09 5:37 AM CDT
(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... More »

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Richard Branson • airline industry • profits • British Airways • Virgin Atlantic

'Sexist' Airline Ad Riles Up UK TV Viewers

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

Feb 11, 09 8:56 AM CST
(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... More »

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Richard Branson • airline industry • sexism • Virgin Atlantic • gender stereotypes • advertising campaign

 Jumbo Jet Flies on Veggie Oil 

Boeing 747 powered by biofuel

Dec 31, 08 6:35 AM CST
(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. More »

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ethanol • biofuel • Virgin Atlantic • Air New Zealand • Boeing 747 • coconuts • babassu nuts • jatropha • vegetable oil • International Air Transport Association

 UK Cabin Crews Knock 
 Passengers Online 

Virgin and British Airways workers land in trouble for Facebook comments

Nov 2, 08 4:16 PM CST
(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... More »

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airline industry • Facebook • British Airways • Virgin Atlantic • airline passengers

Planes Sent Toward Storms
to Test Air Traffic Controller

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

Oct 15, 08 3:16 PM CDT
(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,... More »

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FAA • airline industry • Virgin Atlantic • airline • training • air traffic controllers • National Air Traffic Controllers Association

Virgin Tests First Biofuel Plane

Jet flies on coconuts and babassu nuts

Feb 24, 08 12:35 PM CST
(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... More »

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Richard Branson • London • biofuel • Virgin Atlantic • Amsterdam • jet • Boeing 747 • coconuts • babassu nuts

Racing to Fly With Biofuel

Air New Zealand, Virgin Air plan green commercial flights

Sep 30, 07 5:45 PM CDT
(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. "... More »

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airline industry • biofuel • Virgin Atlantic • green energy • Air New Zealand

2 Airlines Fined $300M
Each for Price Fixing

British Airways and Korean Air both cooperated with the Justice Department

Aug 23, 07 6:55 PM CDT
(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... More »

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Department of Justice • British Airways • Virgin Atlantic • airline • Korean Air • price fixing

NY Storm Delays New Airline's First Flight

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

Aug 8, 07 5:37 PM CDT
(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... More »

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Richard Branson • travel • flight • JetBlue • Virgin Media • Virgin Atlantic • airline • air travel

Flying in Style: 10 Best Business Classes

BusinessWeek lists the best upper-atmosphere experiences

Jul 23, 07 11:38 AM CDT
(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
... More »

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travel • list • Qatar • Singapore Airlines • British Airways • Virgin Atlantic • Cathay Pacific • Malaysia Airlines • Etihad Airways • Air New Zealand • Thai Airways • Emirates

(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. More »

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travel • Southwest • JetBlue • Ryanair • British Airways • Virgin Atlantic • airline • air travel • Southwest Airlines

12 Stories


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