Can I just ask the the hell Richard Branston is up to?
I read in Air International, that he was practically given Sabena, but still turned it down quoting “Virgin Express will seek to explore it’s own options in this market” 🙁 WTF
That’s just the same as what he said here with Ansett! He has a unique opportunity to save two icon airlines and chooses not to cause he wants something else! x( Hello, what about all the job losses? These people had lives and were happy to work in their respected jobs.
For him just to play games like this is seriouslydenting my respect for him, I now refuse to fly VirginBlue here in Australia or support anything he does! Personally I think he’s in line for the Coverted A/hole of the year, won many years in a row by Billy Gates (that shows you how harsh I think of him ATM)
Any comments?
May you find more mercy in Hell, cause you won’t get it from me!
By: monster500 - 4th February 2002 at 11:28
RE: What the Smeg Is R.B. up to?
he was offerd ansett for a $1.00
i can see why he did’nt want it with the near 2billion dollar debt.He is a clever business man not a fool thats why he has made money and is succesful.
By: Comet - 4th February 2002 at 09:19
RE: What the Smeg Is R.B. up to?
If there is to be another “national” airline in Belgium, then we don’t want Branson running it. What kind of a name is Virgin Express anyway for a “national” airline?? Virgin trains are bad enough, Virgin shouldn’t have too much say in anything.
Fly with proper Belgian airlines.
By: Ja Worsley - 31st January 2002 at 12:45
RE: What the Smeg Is R.B. up to?
Ok I admit I might have been a gnats wing on the harsh side, and that I know nothing of the situation over there in Belgium.
Still it doesn’t explain his refusal to step in and help Ansett, Virgin Blue (as it is known here), isn’t a big profit earner, and his offer to only take on 400 people out of 17000 people is a bit on the under side!
He was willing to take half the fleet of a/c, but only 400 people, that to me doesn’t seem to good!
Thank God for the Tesna group!
In dying for your emperor you will receive everlasting glory. Yeah right!!!
By: Sauron - 29th January 2002 at 17:39
RE: What the Smeg Is R.B. up to?
I agree with KabirT. Why in the world would Branson want to compromise a profitable buisness in a vain attempt to salvage what others could make work. Why support failures?
Regards
By: dan330 - 29th January 2002 at 17:36
RE: What the Smeg Is R.B. up to?
I think your being a bit harsh on him here. If he was “practically given Sabena” then there must be a good reason why he rejected it. You can’t blame him for not taking over the airline just to save jobs, jobs that would eventually be lost in the near future if it was not profitable!
Also, a while ago, didn’t he admit to making a mistake in buying Virgin Express (Euro Belgian Airlines) saying that he should have started a new airline from scratch instead?
Add all this to the fact that Virgin Atlantic may not be doing brilliantly right now considering their main market is in the US and you can perhaps see why he rejected the offer.
You could actually say the same for any airline worldwide, so why pick on Richard Branson?
By: KabirT - 29th January 2002 at 16:01
RE: What the Smeg Is R.B. up to?
Well first of all its Richard Branson not Branston.
“Virgin Express will seek to explore it’s own options in this market”
Well…nothing wrong with it….Virgin is sticking to its own gameplan and simply not going out of the way.
I think Virgin is not taking the risk like Swissair did, taking a stake in Sabena, to which Swissair paid dearly. Mr. Branson is doing a great job raisinig Virgin and he wont let it go down in the drain by investing somewhere where he is not sure of profits.
Coming to the point of people loosing there jobs. If he or in fact any CEO of an airline goes saving airlines, specialy in situation like those at present, you will see those CEOs with begging boles in there hands wildly searching here and there for money, a CEO of an airlines wont like to work in the marketing segement of another airline, would he? Just because he went like superman saving other airlines. They wont go caring and saving airlines just because people there enjoy there work!
Sir Richard Branson is doing a great job raising Virgin! Ja Worsley i think you are totally mistaken that Sir Bransons step of not saving Sabena was wrong, give it a thought, he wouldnt be like to be seen with a begging bowl, would he?
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January 29, 2002 at 3:15 pm