tagged w/ Sir Richard Branson
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Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic is refusing to pay the fees to Heathrow's airport operator BAA because of its "slow reaction" to last month's heavy snow.The airline says it will not pay any airport fees before the end of BAA's full inquiry, due at the end of March.Thousands of passengers (occluding your's truly) had their Christmas travel plans crushed as Heathrow was at a standstill for days, costing the airline industry millions.Virgin - one of BAA's biggest customers - and other airlines have been very critical of the length of time it took to clear planes for take-off following the disruption.But BAA said: "Heathrow's conditions of use do not provide any basis for Virgin Atlantic or any other airline to withhold airport charges."The fees Virgin are withholding are said to amount to less than £10m.Last week, British Airways said the part-closure of UK airports had cost it £50m.Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic is refusing to pay the fees to... more
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All eyes of the extreme sports world will be on the British Virgin Islands in anticipation of the inaugural BVI Kite Jam, taking place March 1-5, 2010. Five days of inter-island events including flat water freestyle, waves, sliders and racing, plus A-list parties on some of the destination's top locales will serve to highlight the destination as a kiteboarding Mecca for riders from around the globe.
"Come March, our islands will be teeming with kiteboarders from intermediates, to pros, sports enthusiasts and a stream of VIPs. We'll be the epicenter of extreme sports and the toast of the international kiteboarding community," says Myron Walwyn, Chairman of the BVI Tourist Board. "We have had extraordinary support from all of our sponsors and we're counting on the participation of some of the sport's finest athletes."
BVI Kite Jam 2010 will include visual competitions, demonstrations and technique clinics taking place in key locations throughout the British Virgin Islands -- including Sir Richard Branon's private Necker Island. The BVI, an archipelago of some 60 idyllic islands, islets and cays in the northeastern Caribbean, provides the perfect weather conditions and winds necessary for kiteboarding.
The event in March will kick off the festivities on Feb. 27, 2010 with a VIP Party at the Fat Virgin Cafe on Virgin Gorda. Additional events, competitions, parties and meals will be hosted on Bitter End Yacht Club, Necker Island, Anegada and Moskito Island for Kite Jam participants throughout the five days. Pro riders confirmed are famed German kiteboarder Kristin Boese and American Gretta Kruesi.
Guests and competitors will have the choice of staying at the Bitter End Yacht Club or spending the week onboard one of Sunsail's sailing catamarans that will follow the event around the various locations in the British Virgin Islands. Each boat has four double cabins all fitted with AC. Skippers are also provided. Alternatively, riders looking for the ultimate in luxury have the option to stay on Necker Island with up to just 24 other guests and their own staff of 60!
Stay on Necker Island for a fraction of the usual 52,000 dollars a night
Normally Necker Island is hired privately by an individual or group, but during our Kite Jam Celebration Week in February, couples or singles can book one of 14 rooms individually and share the island with others.
Necker Island will host a Celebration Week to coincide with the inaugural British Virgin Island Kite Jam supported by Sir Richard Branson and sponsored by the BVI Tourism Board. Kite boarding enthusiasts from around the globe will descend on the British Virgin Islands for races and freestyle competitions. The event will take place from March 1st to 5th, but the Celebration Week starts on the Feb. 27th. Click here to learn more.
BVI Kite Jam also strives to benefit the local community and is partnering with charities including the Virgin Islands Search and Rescue (VISAR) and Tortola's Kids And The Sea (KATS), a nonprofit water sports program.
Sir Richard Branson will be participating in the race and he has opened up is newest piece of paradise, Moskito Island, for the festivities.
Potential "KITE JAMMERS" can register online at the official BVI Kite Jam website, www.bvikitejam.com. Participation fees include accommodations on Sunsail Catamarans, lunches, dinners, festivities and more. Fee costs, additional amenities, contests and restriction details can be found on the event's website.All eyes of the extreme sports world will be on the British Virgin Islands in... more
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Sir Richard Branson hopes to build an underwater 'plane' that will be able to explore the bottom of the world's deepest oceans.
A £415,000 carbon-fibre winged prototype, called the Necker Nymph, is already being developed that can submerge to depths of 130ft (40m).
Sir Richard told The Sun: "It is very similar to an airplane flying in the sea. You can literally do a loop-the-loop."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/7099434/Sir-Richard-Branson-plans-underwater-plane.htmlSir Richard Branson hopes to build an underwater 'plane' that will be able... more
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Volunteers are awarded a trip to the Virgin Mobile Freefest, a music festival raising money and awareness for youth homelessness. Sir Richard Branson of Virgin encourages social change and activism during this time of economic challenges. Attendees donate money and time towards homeless youth for entry into the free festival. Virgin Unite focuses on the cause by benefiting StandUp For Kids, Sasha Bruce Youthwork, Bridge Over Troubled Waters, and other organizations. This video follows the journey of two volunteers whose service and generosity led to a free trip across the country to see bands such as Blink 182, Weezer, Franz Ferdinand, The Bravery, Public Enemy, and more. (Music Credit: Girl Talk and Michael Cheever)Volunteers are awarded a trip to the Virgin Mobile Freefest, a music festival raising... more
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conversation with ceo of Google Eric Schmidt, co-founder of Google Larry Page, and ceo of Virgin Sir Richard Branson.conversation with ceo of Google Eric Schmidt, co-founder of Google Larry Page, and ceo... more
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Dear Mr Branson,
REF: Mumbai to Heathrow 7th December 2008
I love the Virgin brand, I really do which is why I continue to use it despite a series of unfortunate incidents over the last few years. This latest incident takes the biscuit.
Ironically, by the end of the flight I would have gladly paid over a thousand rupees for a single biscuit following the culinary journey of hell I was subjected to at thehands of your corporation.
Look at this Richard. Just look at it: [see image 1, within the link].
I imagine the same questions are racing through your brilliant mind as were racing through mine on that fateful day. What is this? Why have I been given it? What have I done to deserve this? And, which one is the starter, which one is the desert?Dear Mr Branson,
REF: Mumbai to Heathrow 7th December 2008
I love the Virgin... more
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Two days after setting sail from New York City, British billionaire Sir Richard Branson has abandoned his trans-Atlantic speed record aboard a 99-foot ulta-modern racing yacht.Two days after setting sail from New York City, British billionaire Sir Richard... more
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I love this guy! A little nutty but whatever.
From the Report...
The mothership which will launch the first space tourists into the atmosphere was unveiled by Sir Richard Branson in California today.
WhiteKnightTwo (WK2), the carrier aircraft which will be used to launch SpaceShipTwo into orbit, 'will allow thousands of people to realise their dreams' and 'act as a catalyst to transform human access to space', Sir Richard said.
Speaking at the launch ceremony in the spaceship's hangar at the Mojave Air and Spaceport in California, the British billionaire, who will be among the first space tourists with his family, said the venture would help the world 'wake up' to the fragility of the planet and the importance of protecting Earth.
Space is 'the final frontier that is so essential to the future of civilisation on this planet', Sir Richard said.
Mothership: Richard Branson celebrates with his mother, Eve, who the craft has been named after. More than 250 customers have paid £100,000, or put down a deposit, for the chance to be one of Virgin Galactic's first space tourists.
Mothership: Richard Branson celebrates with his mother, Eve, who the craft has been named after.
'The first generation of space tourists, many of whom are with us today, will be paving the way as they marvel at the beauty of our planet and experience the freedom of weightlessness and the blackness of space,' he said.
'The rollout of WhiteKnightTwo takes the Virgin Galactic vision to the next level and continues to provide tangible evidence that this most ambitious of projects is not only for real but is making tremendous progress towards our goal of safe commercial operation.'
Sir Richard said that the first tourists could be launched into space in around 18 months' time, but there is no official launch date yet - SpaceShipTwo needs to be completed before a series of test flights and safety tests are carried out.
More than 250 customers have paid 200,000 dollars (£100,000), or put down a deposit, for the chance to be one of Virgin Galactic's first space tourists.
The 140ft WK2, which was renamed Eve in honour of Sir Richard's mother who performed the opening ceremony attended by astronaut Buzz Aldrin, is the largest all-carbon composite aircraft and is capable of reaching 50,000ft.
'If our new system could carry only people into space, that would be enough for me, because of the transforming effect it will have on the thousands who will travel with us,' Sir Richard said.
'It is quite clear from every astronaut that I've ever spoken to that seeing the planet from out there, surrounded by the incredibly thin protective layer of atmosphere, helps one to wake up to the fragility of the small portion of the planet's mass that we inhabit, and to the importance of protecting the Earth.'
But he said the spaceships would also be able to launch small payloads and satellites into orbit at a relatively low cost.
'This system offers tremendous potential to researchers who will be able to fly experiments much more often than before, helping to answer key questions about Earth's climate and the mysteries of the universe,' he said.I love this guy! A little nutty but whatever.
From the Report...
The... more
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Virgin Galactic boss Sir Richard Branson is planning to set yet another record – by becoming the first man to marry a couple in space.
The 58-year-old billionaire intends to conduct a ceremony 70 miles above the Earth on the first Galactic sub-orbital flight next year...Virgin Galactic boss Sir Richard Branson is planning to set yet another record –... more
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