Talking airline business with Virgin Atlantic VP, Paul Charles

 

[caption id="" align="alignright" width="101" caption="Paul Charles, Virgin Atlantic"][/caption]

My prediction last month that Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, is not on the brink of collapse seems to have proven true. The airline recently announced its financial results – which turned out surprisingly positive, given the tatters the rest of the industry currently is in. Premium passenger numbers were up 22% and profits up a whopping five times compared to the previous year. So I decided to speak with their VP of Corp Comms, Paul Charles (a former BBC TV and Radio presenter!). Here are his responses to questions about how Virgin Atlantic is dealing with the industry crisis so well.
Beating the current crisis
How has the current Wall Street crises affected Virgin Atlantic, especially load factors on London-New York flights?

Load factors have actually not dropped, thanks to Virgin Atlantic’s advance planning – we saw this coming two years in advance. New plane orders were deferred, bank balance was bolstered over time and the latest earnings have only demonstrated the sound planning further. Moreover, the fact that Virgin …