I like Richard Branson's style.....
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingaerospace/2008717282_hazy07.html
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/boeingaerospace/2008717282_hazy07.html
At an interview at the reception, Branson expressed anger at how much the Machinist strike cost V Australia, the new international unit of his Virgin Blue airline in Australia.
His passengers were left stranded because V Australia's new 777-300ER, parked Friday on Boeing Field, wasn't available for the peak holiday-travel season down under, Branson said.
"It was a horrible mess that Boeing was on strike. We messed up tens of thousands of passengers over Christmas," he said. "We had to buy tickets on other airlines and scramble to get seats which weren't available. The financial damage in an industry where the margins are minute is catastrophic."
Boeing contracts typically include a provision that it is not required to pay airlines compensation for delays due to strikes.
"We're already thinking there's another lot of planes we want to order. Do we give it to Boeing or should we go to Airbus, which doesn't go on strike?" Branson said. "We have a choice. Do we have to come back to Boeing? If there's a danger of ever having another strike, we won't."
At this point, Branson turned to Udvar-Hazy and said Udvar-Hazy had been making the same point at dinner last night.
"You can't deal with companies that are unreliable," Udvar-Hazy said.
At the suggestion that Boeing could hardly guarantee no future strikes, Branson said he would have to examine whether Boeing has "an unreliable management/work-force situation."
"Britain was plagued by strikes 30 years ago," added Branson, who is English. "America should have got over this by now."