Overview

2009 marks the 25th anniversary of Virgin Atlantic's maiden flight from Gatwick to Newark in the USA, although the origins of the company are slightly older, dating back to the formation of British Atlantic Airways in 1982. BAA was originally conceived as a an airline flying between Britain and the Falkland Islands following the war of 1982, but problems with the airfield at Port Stanley meant that the airline never started this service and attention turned to linking the UK with North America. At this point Richard Branson got involved and joined with BAA's founder Randolph Fields in a business partnership to launch the fledgling airline. On June 22, 1984 Virgin Atlantic operated its inaugural scheduled air service between London Gatwick and Newark Liberty using a single, leased Boeing 747-200 (G-VIRG) formerly operated by Aerolineas Argentinas. The airline became profitable during its first year of operation, aided by sister company Virgin Records' ability to finance the lease of a relatively inexpensive, second-hand Boeing 747. From the limited launch in 1984, Virgin Atlantic, now 49 percent owned by Singapore Arlines, has grown into a major international carrier, with services radiating out from London to North America, the Caribbean, the Far East and Africa, using a fleet of some 38 aircraft with further aircraft on order. The airline was one of the launch customers for the Airbus A340 and has also ordered a number of the A380, although delays with the latter aircraft mean that it now won't enter Virgin service until 2013. The history of Virgin Atlantic is not without controversy; in its early years, there were doubts about its financial viability and there was also the period when it suffered a dirty tricks campaign by British Airways. This new book covers the entire history of the airline from its inception and gives a wealth of detail on its operations and fleet over 25 years of cross Atlantic passenger travel, as well as incidents, staff and future plans. The lively and informative text is supplemented by a wealth of fascinating photographs.

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9781857803037

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John Balmforth is a retired railwayman who worked for both Regional Railways and InterCity West Coast Main Line in pre-privatisation days. He has a keen interest in all forms of public transport and during his time as deputy Chair of the Rail Passengers Committee for the Midlands gained a keen insight into Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group's transport interests. John continues to represent passengers using all forms of public transport through his involvement with TravelWatch Midlands West. Having already written a successful book Virgin Trains a Decade of Progress, published by Ian Allan Publishing, it seemed a natural progression for him to follow up with a book telling the story of Virgin Atlantic Airlines, which is also to be an Ian Allan Publishing publication.

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