Qantas now has a real threat to deal with — Virgin Australia, with its bigger, cheaper business-class seats, real meals in economy class, lounges with food and seats for everyone. With lower fares.
Richard Branson
Ansett 10 years on — myths of the collapse continue
Ten years to the day that Ansett collapsed, some of the myths about one of Australia’s highest-profile corporate collapses persist.
Virgin, after urging kids to binge drink, pulls ‘disgraceful’ ad
Richard Branson’s Virgin Wines and the News Limited-owned Moshtix have been forced to pull a disgraceful internet ad that glorified youth binge drinking, following a Crikey probe into its breach of 11 self-imposed advertising standards.
The new Virgin Australia, one brand, all markets, long, short and inbetween
Whatever the fine details, which neither Richard Branson nor John Borghetti would reveal, Singapore Airlines, and Virgin’s global management, have agreed that the name Virgin Australia is to apply to all the former Virgin Blue group brands by the end of December, reports Ben Sandilands.
RIP Virgin Blue … rebadged as the Virgin of Oz
It’s the last blue day today for the Virgin brand in domestic airlines as the myth making cranks up a notch or two for tomorrow’s launch of Virgin Australia.
Air NZ in no-lose situation after move on Virgin
If the Air NZ purchase of 14.9% of Virgin Blue is a blocking move to prevent, say, Etihad from acquiring a significant interest in the carrier, it may well be thwarted by “unintended consequences”.
Seeking Virginity: Air New Zealand buys into Virgin Blue
Air New Zealand’s pursuit of a stake in Virgin Blue comes at a time when Richard Branson, who owns 26% of the Australian airline, is working the European finance media with stories confirming that he is prepared to sell down his 51% stake in the UK flag carrier Virgin Atlantic, reports Ben Sandilands.
Is there any money in space tourism?
Last month Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic made history in the international space tourism industry. Tickets aren’t cheap (US $200,000) but neither are the costs: it’s estimated that sending things into space costs around US $20,000 per pound, writes Frances Perraudin.
Get set for discounted flights to the dark side of the moon
Tension is rising in the most unlikely of discounted flights market — rocket rides into space.
Like a Virgin, rubber ruckus takes Branson to court
Entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson has built a billion-dollar business on the back of his Virgin brand’s sexy image. A recent trademark battle has highlighted the lengths he is prepared to go to protect the brand.
How Sydney community radio station FBi sold its soul to Richard Branson
Amid the plaudits, questions persist over the commercial nature of FBi Radio’s ‘Ask Richard’ campaign, with subscribers insiders crying foul over the decision to prostrate itself at the altar of the Branson brand.
You can’t teach
entrepreneurship
Many successful entrepreneurs — Bill Gates, Richard Branson — never attended business school, yet plenty of programs still claim they can teach it. Is entrepreneurship in the blood? And, how can big businesses harness it?
Virgin Blue cuts the cost of survival
Virgin Blue is pinning its survival and expansion plan for the recession to much less cash than originally expected in the $231 million equity raising announced this morning.
Qantas’ lucky escape from a British Airways merger
Qantas’s infatuation with a merger with British Airways late last year has been shown up as the aviation equivalent of buying the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
Media briefs: Community radio to Richard Branson: help!
In today’s media briefs, a Sydney community radio station comes up with a rich fundraising strategy, HuffPo internship costs $US13,000 and Google tells newspapers to buy robots.
Kernot: Where is Australia’s social innovation?
The Rudd government has failed to grasp the enormous potential to invest meaningfully in transformative social infrastructure, writes Cheryl Kernot.
Virgin stretches its brand
Virgin hasn’t exactly kept its logo pure. That said, perhaps it doesn’t need to — after all, it has a brand identity. His name is Richard Branson.
Flannery’s new gig is far out
Environmentalist Tim Flannery has come under fire after accepting a role as Richard Branson’s “environmental consultant” on green space travel.
Dear Richard Branson: best complaint letter eva
Crikey reproduces an amusing complaint letter that is floating around the interwebs about a Virgin flight, Mumbai to Heathrow on 7 December, 2008.
BSkyB to sue the British government?
Rupert Murdoch’s BSkyB is facing losses of hundreds of millions of dollars on its stake in British free to air network, ITV, after the UK Government confirmed a regulator’s order to sell more than half its 17.9% stake, writes Glenn Dyer.
Virgin deal might steer Austar to Foxtel
Could we be about to see some movement on the Foxtel attempts to buy its Pay TV rival, Austar?
