“It’s the passion and commitment of our people to our customers that helps us to win.”

What’s the best thing about working at Virgin Atlantic?
“There are a lot of great things about working at Virgin Atlantic, but the greatest of all is the people. From the day I walked through the door I felt welcome, and not just in the way that you might expect a slightly nervous set of people to welcome a new boss! I think the way our people treat each other and work together is an enormous testament to them. And it reflects their attitude to our customers – they are extremely welcoming, and extremely customer focused. It’s fantastic to be around people who are so committed to their customers”

 What is driving the continued strength and success of the Virgin Atlantic brand?
“Without wanting to sounds repetitive – the people! It’s the passion and commitment of our people to our customers that helps us to win. Compared to many of our competitors, we are a relatively small airline, and we don’t have the biggest network. So our success factor has been our people, and their passion for looking after our customers. We have a 30 year history of challenging the status quo and I think that is something our passengers recognise, appreciate and identify with and this passion from our people and our customers alike is something that for me can’t be bottled.”

 What do we have to look forward to from Virgin Atlantic over the next year?
“There are a lot of exciting things happening for us in the next year. Some of them are behind the scenes, changes to our systems, a new office and other things that will have a hugely positive impact in supporting our people but may not be noticed by the customer. But there are plenty of changes that will be noticed by the customer too. For example over the course of the year you’ll see wifi rolled out across our fleet. It’s part of a £300m customer investment programme that will also see some cabin refurbishment and changes to food and beverage. And we’re excited to be increasing our presence in Manchester, with new flights from the city to San Francisco, New York and Boston. Plus in the spring will also start to fly to Seattle, from London Heathrow as part of our Joint Venture partnership with Delta. So lots to look forward to.”

 Who else are you looking forward to hearing from at The Future of Air Transport this December?
“Actually, there isn’t one specific person or section of the conference that I am looking forward to most. What I am struck by is the incredible depth and diversity of the variety of speakers and panellists. The conference should provide a vast perspective on the many issues and ideas that will affect our industry for the foreseeable future”