[openfly]

With all the news this morning of the tie-up between VS and AF/KL/AZ and Delta and the sale of another 31% of the business to foreigners, Virgin Atlantic can hardly call itself British anymore, and fly the Union Jack on its wing tips. With only 20% left in UK hands one has to wonder its future.

I notice that Branson is still moaning about BA and the last 20 years for his woes…. nothing changes!

I’m on their mailing list and received a lengthy diatribe from VS and RB this morning suggesting how good the big tie-up is for them and the pax.

[capetonianm]

With Anglo-Spanish IAG and QR having significant ownerships, and probably other non-British entities and shareholders too, what percentage of BA is British owned?

[openfly]

True….maybe the only true British airline is Skybus from Penzance to the Isles of Scilly! ?

[FaroFlyer]

Big question is: Is it too late to have a Virgin Status Match with BA Gold, which can then be transferred to FrequencePlus?

Any ideas?

[MarcusGB]

Seems that Skyteam will have a match up with VA now being integrated into the FF programs.
Though with Delta having a large share i am surprised this has yet to have been done.

I agree that Worldwide, it is hard to still find a National Airline, that has not had foreign shares and influence in it!
Etihad / Alitalia / Air Berlin / Air Seychelles.
BA / Iberia / Qatar
Qantas / Emirates.
Virgin Australia / Etihad, Singapore / Air New Zealand.
KLM / AF / Delta.
it goes on Worldwide…

[FDOS_UK]

[quote quote=820737]True….maybe the only true British airline is Skybus from Penzance to the Isles of Scilly! ?

[/quote]

Anyone heard of an outfit named easyJet – carries more passengers than BA and Virgin combined?

[Defcon5]

Virgin will be around for a long time to come, it has too strong a presence in the UK for it to be replaced by another airline, that wouldn’t make sense.

Virgin isn’t a big airline (39 aircraft) but has done a lot in its 33 years and this is a way to help it compete against the OW and Star JV’s.

@openfly I’d take a diatribe from Mr. Branson any day of the week compared to some other airline bosses out there.

[LuganoPirate]

I agree with Defcon, the VS Brand is much to strong not only in the UK but elsewhere in the world. Ownership may be diluted to the point where it has no British shareholders but the brand will remain.

[paulkaz]

Hi MarcusGB The Qantas EK arrangement is merely a joint venture on the kangaroo route. There are no management or cross shareholding arrangements. Thankfully.

[christopheL]

“The VS brand is much to strong not only in the UK but elsewhere in the world”
I may be wrong but I’m afraid the Virgin brand is to become less famous in Northern America in a very near future.

BMI used to be a very strong brand as well. We all know what it has become …

Air France sold a pair of slots for USD 75 millions last year. They bought 31% of VS for USD 220 million which is less than 4 times the cost of a pair of slots !
How many pairs of slots do VS hold at LHR ?
I may be wrong but I wonder why DL/AF/KLM wouldn’t do the same as BA did after they bought BMI.

[LuganoPirate]

I think worldwide Virgin is a much stronger brand than BMI ever was!

[FDOS_UK]

Virgin, as a brand, has a wide and broad appeal. To compare it with bmi is unrealistic.

Virgin, the airline, could disappear tomorrow and the Virgin brand would still be strong.

[christopheL]

My point is that BMI was a strong brand within the U.K. Domestic air travel industry and BA found no reason to keep it alive as it was a competitor to them.
In the air travel Industry Virgin is a small operator on the international sector with Virgin America (soon to disappear following it’s take over by Alaska airline) and Virgin australia being focused on their respective US and Australian domestic markets.
AF and DL have a strong presence on VS main market (transatlantic) and Delta are always looking for new slots as LHR to strengthen their market share. With VS know 80% own by the AF/DL long term partners, I’m afraid the virgin brand may disappear in a near future from the U.K. Sky.

[LuganoPirate]

That’s what I was alluding to FDOS. Virgin is much more than an airline, from telcoms, to drinks, to health clubs to trains and more. I think that’s why Delta et al keep Virgin flying.

[Tom Otley]

Branson was keen to emphasise the brand would continue

In 2012 Willie Walsh bet "a knee in the groin" @virginatlantic brand would disappear in 5 yrs. We're flying strong https://t.co/S0drEm2lCP pic.twitter.com/CRauHUEVW2

— Richard Branson (@richardbranson) July 27, 2017

And our thread from that time….

https://www.businesstraveller.com/forums/topic/a-knee-in-the-groin/

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