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<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="13827858" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="virgin-atlantic" source="Orion">Virgin Atlantic</keyword> received 5,000 job applications for 400 roles, its CEO <keyword id="14120174" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="shai-weiss" source="Orion">Shai Weiss</keyword> said. </li><li>Weiss told the Sunday Telegraph that Virgin's "secret sauce" meant people wanted to work there. </li></ul>Despite an ongoing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pilot-shortage-american-airlines-heres-why-2021-12">labor shortage</a> in the airline industry, not every carrier is struggling to recruit. Virgin Atlantic, the transatlantic airline founded by <keyword id="11895443" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="richard-branson" source="Orion">Richard Branson</keyword> received 5,000 applicants for 400 jobs, its CEO Shai Weiss told the <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2022/06/05/shai-weiss-virgin-atlantic-chief-pulling-airline-back-brink/?WT.mc_id=e_DM4175&amp;WT.tsrc=email&amp;etype=Edi_Cit_New_v2&amp;utmsource=email&amp;utm_medium=Edi_Cit_New_v220220606&amp;utm_campaign=DM4175">Sunday Telegraph</a>. The surge in applications contrasts starkly with the majority of the industry where firms have been struggling to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/flight-left-uk-zero-passengers-airport-delays-staff-shortages-2022-6">hire pilots, baggage handlers, and flight attendants</a> at a rate that matches pent-up consumer demand for travel. Many workers that were laid off or furloughed at the height of the pandemic have not returned.The shortage, combined with rising fuel costs and the impact of the Ukraine war, has led to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airlines-cancellations-travel-rebound-bank-holiday-weekend-2022-5">delays at airports and forced executives to cancel hundreds of flights</a>. Virgin has not yet canceled flights this summer, according to analysis by the <a href="https://inews.co.uk/news/flights-cancelled-where-most-uk-airports-worst-disrupted-travel-chaos-1665047">iNews</a> and aviation analysts, Cirium. Weiss told the Sunday Telegraph that this was due to Virgin's "secret sauce", something he credits founder Richard Branson for starting. "We've put it on steroids for the last few years," he said. "We pay fairly and competitively. In this day and age, people need to believe and they want to be a part of something," Weiss said. He did not specifically say what Virgin's secret sauce is. The 5,000 job applications came for roles that were open in January 2022, a spokesperson told Insider. The airline pays cabin crew up to £22,000 a year, according to its <keyword id="11894132" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="careers" source="Orion">careers</keyword> portal. British Airways cabin crew can earn up to £28,00, with a starting salary of £16,000. On Wednesday, Virgin announced plans to hire 300 more flight crew to service new routes, Insider previously reported, alongside an announcement that it will be the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/virgin-atlantic-airline-drops-rule-banning-cabin-crew-showing-tattoos-2022-5">first full international airline to lift its ban on cabin crew showing tattoos</a>. <h2>Weiss hopes Virgin will return to profit by 2023 after nearly collapsing during the COVID-19 pandemic</h2>Weiss, 54, who became CEO in 2019, told the Sunday Telegraph about his experience leading the firm through the coronavirus pandemic. He also discussed his plans to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/virgin-atlantic-shai-weiss-cancer-tumor-continues-to-work-2022-6">continue with his job firm despite recently being diagnosed with colon cancer,</a> for which he is undergoing chemotherapy.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/richard-branson-offers-up-private-island-to-save-virgin-airlines-2020-4">Virgin nearly collapsed</a> when COVID-19 lockdowns grounded international travel after being ineligible for UK government support. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/virgin-atlantic-jobs-747-gatwick-coronavirus-2020-5">The airline cut a total 4,300 jobs</a> and had to restructure its debt, per the company's 2020 <a href="https://corporate.virginatlantic.com/content/dam/corporate/Virgin%20Atlantic%20Annual%20Report%202020_final%20v1.pdf">annual report</a>. Weiss is targeting a return to profitability by 2023, per the Sunday Telegraph. It's not the only transatlantic airline that's finding recruitment easy. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/norse-atlantic-airways-airline-pilot-applications-despite-labor-shortage-aircrew-2022-5">Norse Atlantic Airways received more than 3,000 offers for its first 50 pilot roles this year.</a> Its CEO told the BBC that the opportunity to fly Boeing Dreamliner jets had been a major draw.

Virgin Atlantic received 5,000 applicants for 400 jobs, according to its CEO

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="14120174" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="shai-weiss" source="Orion">Shai Weiss</keyword>, CEO of <keyword id="13827858" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="virgin-atlantic" source="Orion">Virgin Atlantic</keyword>, says he has stage-three <keyword id="13717936" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="colon-cancer" source="Orion">colon cancer</keyword> but is continuing to work. </li><li>In an interview with The Sunday Telegraph, he also revealed that he had a tumor removed.</li></ul>The CEO of Virgin Atlantic has revealed he has <keyword id="6355291" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cancer" source="Orion">cancer</keyword> and had a tumor removed but will continue to run Richard Branson's airline while being treated.In an interview with the UK's Sunday Telegraph, Shai Weiss said he discovered he has stage-three colon cancer after seeking medical advice as he struggled to shake off an extended bout of tiredness after catching Covid."We've caught it in time. It's not spread to other major organs. So this chemotherapy is to ensure there's no recurrence of cancer."Weiss told the newspaper that he is undergoing a three-month course of chemotherapy to remove cancerous cells in the surrounding lymph nodes."I'm still working. But there are days I'm off. When I need to go to treatment," Weiss added. "When I'm in a bad state, not all my days are perfect, not all my days are great, and it's not all smiles."Weiss is not the first business leader to carry on working after being diagnosed with cancer. In 2014 <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/matthewherper/2014/07/02/why-thousands-of-men-like-j-p-morgan-ceo-jamie-dimon-are-getting-throat-cancer/?sh=6b83589070a4">JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon </a>revealed that he had throat cancer, and although he made fewer public appearances, he continued to run the Wall Street bank.The former <a href="https://fortune.com/2015/09/22/lymphoma-lloyd-blankfein/">CEO of Goldman Sachs, Lloyd Blankfein,</a> shared in 2015 that he had been diagnosed with lymphoma. Weiss, however, stressed that he did not feel sorry for himself: "It's just something that I've got to get through. I understand all the risks, but my efforts are focused on getting well and getting back. For myself, my family, my friends, and the company."Weiss has been Virgin Atlantic's CEO since January 2019 but joined in 2014 as its finance chief. Last week Virgin became the first<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/may/31/virgin-atlantic-allows-cabin-crew-to-display-tattoos"> UK airline to allow</a> its cabin crew to display tattoos while working.In the interview, Weiss said he continued to look forward rather than backward: "I'm a positive individual. Why would I be looking back? I'm looking forward – that's who I am."Despite continuing to work, he did not underestimate the toll his treatment would take: "There's nothing good about cancer to be categorical. Chemo is a terrible thing. It needs to attack the body – it's poison."A Virgin Atlantic spokesperson said: "We have always taken pride in being very open and transparent with our people. In early May, Shai shared with them that he was recently diagnosed with colon cancer. Following a successful operation, he is now undergoing a programme of chemotherapy and with the support of an excellent medical team, he expects to make a full and complete recovery.""Shai will continue to lead Virgin Atlantic throughout," adding "we all stand alongside him, wishing him a speedy recovery and focusing on the future together."

Virgin Atlantic's CEO Shai Weiss says he has cancer and had a tumor removed but will keep working: report

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Virgin Atlantic is operating the first transatlantic flight on a commercial airliner powered by 100% SAF.</li><li>SAF can be made from crops and used cooking oil, and is key to decarbonizing aviation.</li></ul>The first transatlantic flight on a commercial airliner powered entirely by <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/aviation-sustainable-fuel-saf-production-challenge-decarbonization-zero-emissions-planes-2023-1">sustainable aviation fuel</a>, or SAF, took off from London's Heathrow Airport on Tuesday morning.Virgin Atlantic is operating the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to New York's JFK Airport, where it's expected to arrive around 2 p.m. ET, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.flightradar24.com/VIR100/32ffbc14">Flightradar24</a>.It became the most-tracked plane on Flightradar24, with over 13,00 people following the journey shortly after takeoff.SAF can be made from crops, municipal waste, and used cooking oil. The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.iata.org/en/programs/environment/sustainable-aviation-fuels/">International Air Transport Association</a> estimates it could contribute around 65% of the reduction in emissions needed for aviation to achieve net zero by 2050.But it's also more than <a target="_blank" href="https://www.iata.org/en/iata-repository/publications/economic-reports/sustainable-aviation-fuel-output-increases-but-volumes-still-low">double the price of conventional jet fuel</a>, according to IATA.In a press release, Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss said: "Flight100 proves that sustainable aviation fuel can be used as a safe, drop-in replacement for fossil-derived jet fuel and it's the only viable solution for decarbonising long haul aviation."Speaking to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67548961">BBC</a>, Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson also admitted it was "going to take a while" before there was enough SAF for everybody to use."But you have to start somewhere," he added. "And if we didn't prove it can be done, you would never, ever get sustainable aviation fuel."Commercial flights are currently capped at a 50:50 blend of SAF and conventional jet fuel.But the bigger problem is producing enough SAF to meet demand. For example, the UK currently has no dedicated commercial SAF plants, although the government aims to have five under construction by 2025, per the BBC."There's simply not enough SAF and it's clear that in order to reach production at scale, we need to see significantly more investment," said Weiss.Critics of the flight have also said that it is little more than a gimmick."One flight on 100% alternative fuel isn't going to change the fact that <a target="_blank" href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/11/28/travel/first-transatlantic-flight-saf-climate-scn-spc/index.html">99.9% of aviation fuel is fossil fuel</a> and there's no great option for feedstock that can be scaled up sustainably," Cait Hewitt, the policy director at the Aviation Environment Federation, told CNN."The idea that this flight somehow gets us closer to guilt-free flying is a joke," she said, as cited by the Guardian newspaper, referencing a previous announcement about SAF from the UK's Department for Transport, which <a target="_blank" href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/nov/28/transatlantic-flight-sustainable-jet-fuel-virgin-atlantic-saf">used the phrase "guilt-free flying."</a>Virgin's historic flight comes after several other milestones in the SAF market. On Monday, <a target="_blank" href="https://affiliate.insider.com?h=876b7c6d347d062fda02816a99b7924d045b58a273e2d44a3c68664fb7b62300&amp;postID=6565c511bb2875d248be3727&amp;postSlug=transatlantic-flight-green-fuels-takes-off-campaigners-say-gimmick-2023-11&amp;site=bi&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.emirates.com%2Fmedia-centre%2Femirates-worlds-first-airline-to-operate-a380-demonstration-flight-with-100-sustainable-aviation-fuel%2F">Emirates</a> flew the world's first Airbus A380 demonstration flight using 100% SAF.Meanwhile, private jet manufacturer <a target="_blank" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/gulfstream-completes-worlds-first-trans-atlantic-flight-on-100-sustainable-aviation-fuel-301993029.html">Gulfstream</a> became the first ever to cross the Atlantic using 100% SAF when it flew a Gulfstream G600 business plane from Georgia to England on November 20.

The first commercial transatlantic flight powered completely by green fuels is in the air, but critics say it's a gimmick and a joke

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Virgin Atlantic Airways flew a Boeing 787 across the Atlantic in November using 100% SAF.</li><li>The world first comes as airlines push biofuels as an effective way to decarbonize aviation.</li><li>Critics are not convinced the industry can produce enough SAF by 2050 to make an impact.</li></ul>Virgin Atlantic Airways just operated "Flight100" — the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/transatlantic-flight-green-fuels-takes-off-campaigners-say-gimmick-2023-11">world's first transatlantic commercial flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel</a>, flying a Boeing 787 Dreamliner from London's Heathrow Airport to New York's JFK Airport with a mix of two different biofuels.These included 88% HEPA — hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids — made from waste fats, and 12% synthetic aromatic kerosene, or SAK, made from plant sugars. Virgin said SAK makes 100% SAF possible because it produces the required aromatic compounds needed to meet engine-performance requirements.This same SAK fuel allowed United Airlines to perform its one-off operation in December 2021 when it <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/united-operates-passenger-flight-with-100-sustainable-aviation-fuel-2021-12">flew the world's first passenger flight using 100% SAF</a> in one engine.Current standards only allow up to 50% SAF in commercial jet engines, though Virgin received special permission to operate Boeing's Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines on the greener fuel. There were no paying passengers on the flight.The historic trek comes as dozens of international regulators push to decarbonize the aviation industry and achieve <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/aviation-industry-net-zero-by-2050-disagree-decarbonization-2023-12">net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050</a>.Along with building <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airbus-new-zero-emission-aircraft-history-of-sustainable-planes-2020-9">more efficient aircraft and engines</a>, SAF has become a key factor in this industry goal. Forty global airlines, including United, Lufthansa, Air France, and Australia's flag carrier Qantas, have all invested in biofuels, according to the International Air Transport Association, or <a target="_blank" href="https://www.iata.org/en/iata-repository/pressroom/presentations/saf-gmd2023/">IATA</a>.<div type="image" title="United Airlines is the first airline in the world to use 100% SAF on a passenger flight." height="724" width="965" msid="106133795" hostid="261" sizebytes="70332"></div>Aviation makes up about 2% of global emissions, according to the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.iea.org/energy-system/transport/aviation">International Energy Agency</a>. But the IATA estimates that SAF <a target="_blank" href="https://www.iata.org/en/programs/environment/sustainable-aviation-fuels/">could contribute to</a> 65% of reduced aviation emissions by 2050.With a strong focus on sustainability amid the age of <a target="_blank" href="https://www.insider.com/flight-shaming-threatens-air-travel-demand-beyond-europe-iata-chief-2019-9">"flight shaming" and rising climate-crisis concerns</a>, some experts see Virgin's milestone flight as a significant step forward in the SAF market."I think the Virgin flight is really exciting because it shows it can be done," Andy Williams, a senior associate at law firm Reddie &amp; Grose and former in-house attorney at General Electric, told Business Insider. "The advantage of this kind of fuel is that it will be a direct replacement, so you don't have to go to the expense of radically changing the engine design. That's the good thing about SAF."Commenting on Virgin's public display of SAF capabilities, Richard Branson, the founder of Virgin Group who was on board the flight, boasted the airline's "pioneering spirit" and ability to question the "status quo.""The world will always assume something can't be done until you do it," he said. "The spirit of innovation is getting out there and trying to prove that we can do things better for everyone's benefit."Despite Branson's optimism, the UK does not currently have any commercial SAF plants available — one factor greatly limiting SAF production, though the government <a target="_blank" href="https://www.sustainableaviation.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Update-on-UK-Sustainable-Aviation-Fuel-potential.pdf">said it plans to start construction</a> on five plants by 2025.This lack of infrastructure, combined with costs and other supply-chain factors, has prompted critics to cast doubt on the industry's ability to mass produce the needed amount of SAF by 2050.<h2>Critics are not convinced SAF is a realistic solution</h2><div type="image" title="Sustainable aviation fuel" height="1664" width="2219" msid="106133797" hostid="261" sizebytes="208526"></div>Since Virgin announced its 100% SAF flight, experts and climate activists have debated what it means for the industry.According to data from the accounting firm <a target="_blank" href="https://kpmg.com/uk/en/home/insights/2022/11/sustainable-aviation-fuel.html">KPMG</a>, a surge in SAF supply is expected by 2030 thanks to continued investment in this "waste-to-fuel production," but the market will still be limited due to factors such as feedstock constraints.The firm also noted that future SAF mandates could outrun supply, forcing prices to further spike and turn off buyers. The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/aviation-sustainable-fuel-saf-production-challenge-decarbonization-zero-emissions-planes-2023-1">high cost of biofuels is already one major obstacle</a> facing airlines, which have argued that using SAF could lead to higher fares for customers.Some activists have even taken a jab at Virgin, suggesting Flight100 represents an unrealistic way to decarbonize aviation."Unfortunately, running a plane on alternative fuels is less of a breakthrough and more of a gimmick," Alethea Warrington, a senior campaigner at the climate charity Possible, told BI, noting the immense cost and resources needed to meet the industry's 2050 net-zero goal.Leah Ryan, the managing director at the advisory firm Alton Aviation Consultancy's Dublin office, shared data with BI that shows where the industry's SAF production needs to be in the next 26 years to make an impact.According to the data, 500 flights used SAF in 2016. By the end of 2022, that number jumped up to 450,000 flights.Converting that to volume, 80 million liters, or 2 million gallons, and 150 million liters, or 40 million gallons, of SAF were used in each respective year, Ryan said."The big takeaway is if we consider IATA's net-zero goal and its estimate that SAF could account for 65% of all the carbon migration in 2050, that would require an annual production of 450 billion liters of SAF — that's billions," Ryan told BI, noting that SAF only amounts to 0.1% of all fuel airlines consume today.Data from IATA shows the same multibillion-liter number, noting the industry <a target="_blank" href="https://www.iata.org/contentassets/d13875e9ed784f75bac90f000760e998/saf-policy-2023.pdf">spent up to an estimated $510 million</a> extra on SAF in 2022.Ryan reiterated to BI that the lack of resources and the high costs of producing SAF drive its slow development: "We know we have to do this, but what does it mean for us and is it even going to be in our lifetime?"<h2>Virgin has acknowledged the industry's SAF-production challenges</h2><div type="image" title="A crowd of Virgin Atlantic staff including Sir Richard Branson pose in front of Virgin Atlantic's Flight 100" height="3333" width="4444" msid="106133798" hostid="261" sizebytes="1167950"></div>After Flight100 took off from London, Shai Weiss, the CEO of Virgin, acknowledged that "there's simply not enough SAF" available. He further said significant financial support and government backing are imperative in moving the needle.According to the <a target="_blank" href="https://atag.org/industry-topics/sustainable-aviation-fuel#:~:text=Aviation%20is%20pushing%20for%20government,or%20considering%20SAF%20policy%20options.">Air Transport Action Group</a>, around 40 countries already have or are considering implementing SAF-related policies.In the EU, regulators have passed the "RefuelEU aviation initiative" to kickstart the SAF market by placing obligations on fuel suppliers and EU airports regarding biofuel distribution and access.For the US' part, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/09/09/fact-sheet-biden-administration-advances-the-future-of-sustainable-fuels-in-american-aviation/">Biden administration's</a> "Sustainable Aviation Fuel Grand Challenge" has set a goal to produce at least 3 billion gallons of SAF a year by 2030.In an IATA report published on Wednesday, the organization said SAF production is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.iata.org/en/iata-repository/pressroom/presentations/saf-gmd2023/">estimated to hit 1.875 billion liters</a>, or 495 million gallons, in 2024, up from 625 million liters, or 165 million gallons, in 2023.But according to Williams, getting regulators and the general public to support SAF is going to be a tough road."The whole planet is so wedded to the use of fossil fuels, and they're still readily available — it's not like someone has turned off the tap," he told BI. "Human beings like taking the easy way out, and if they can avoid making a difficult decision, they will. It's human nature."

Virgin Atlantic just operated the world's first transatlantic flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel. Here's why critics aren't convinced it's game-changing.

<ul class="summary-list"><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/virgin-atlantic">Virgin Atlantic</a> plans to cut more than 3,000 jobs and close its <keyword id="4996011" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="london-gatwick">London Gatwick</keyword> base as it tries to save cash and weather the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/coronavirus">COVID-19</a> pandemic.</li><li>The airline also said it would retire its iconic <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/boeing-747">Boeing 747-400</a> planes a year early.</li><li>Like most of the world's <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/airlines">airlines</a>, Virgin — which is 49% owned by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/delta-air-lines">Delta</a> — has dealt with plummeting demand and revenue due to the pandemic.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><keyword id="14650" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Virgin-Atlantic">Virgin Atlantic</keyword>, the UK-based airline owned primarily by <keyword id="58954" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Richard-Branson">Richard Branson</keyword>'s Virgin Group, announced Tuesday that it would cut 3,150 jobs as the airline struggles to survive the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> pandemic.The airline said it would enter a 45-day consultation period, CNBC reported, during which it will work with labor unions representing its employees to develop a restructuring plan."We have weathered many storms since our first flight 36 years ago, but none has been as devastating as Covid-19 and the associated loss of life and livelihood for so many," Shai Weiss, the airline's CEO, said in a statement. "However, to safeguard our future and emerge a sustainably profitable business, now is the time for further action to reduce our costs, preserve cash and to protect as many jobs as possible. It is crucial that we return to profitability in 2021."As part of the restructuring, Virgin said it would accelerate the retirement of its iconic, but aging fleet of Boeing 747 jumbo jets. The airline had seven of the plane type remaining, which were expected to be retired by 2021. Virgin will ground the planes immediately.The airline already accelerated retirements of its Airbus A340-600 fleet due to the drop in travel demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic.<div type="image" title="Virgin Atlantic A350 56" height="1333" width="2000" msid="75564488" hostid="261"></div>Virgin also said that it would consolidate its operations in London to cut costs, temporarily suspending flights from London's Gatwick airport and flying exclusively from Heathrow. The carrier suggested the move would not be permanent, and that Gatwick flights would resume when demand picks back up.Virgin Atlantic, which operates exclusively as a long-haul international airline, has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic as global travel reached a standstill. <keyword id="44023" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="airlines">Airlines</keyword> around the world have lost billions of dollars in the months since the coronavirus outbreak became a global pandemic, with revenue streams drying up as fixed operating costs remain in place.Virgin Atlantic, which is 51% owned by Virgin Group and 49% by US-based <keyword id="108025" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Delta-Air-Lines">Delta Air Lines</keyword>, has maintained some revenue by operating cargo flights, but has otherwise been in a dire financial situation.Branson <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/richard-branson-offers-up-private-island-to-save-virgin-airlines-2020-4">faced criticism last month</a> when he asked the British government to help Virgin, despite his personal wealth.Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/virgin-atlantic-jobs-747-gatwick-coronavirus-2020-5">Business Insider</a>

Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic will cut thousands of jobs, retire its most iconic planes, and close one of its biggest bases as it fights to survive the pandemic

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Hollis Johnson</div></div></div><ul><li>Virgin Atlantic is offering a free place on its "Flying Without Fear" course for anyone who books a flight on January 9.</li><li>If the course fails to cure a passenger's phobia of flying, it will even offer a full refund on the flight.</li></ul> Virgin Atlantic - one of the biggest airlines in the UK - is offering a full refund on flights booked today if it can't cure a passenger's fear of flying.As part of the airline's <a href="https://www.virginatlantic.com/gb/en/virgin-experience/screwitletsdoit.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Screw it, let's do it" campaign</a>, if you book a Virgin Atlantic flight on Tuesday, January 9, 2018, you'll then be able to book into the airline's £267 "Flying Without Fear" course completely free - and if it doesn't cure your phobia before you take off, the full cost of the flight will be refunded.According to the airline, 3.8 million Brits decide not to travel overseas on holiday every year due to a phobia of flying.The offer - in conjunction with Dr. Cliff Arnall, the founder of Blue Monday - is an effort to "encourage people to reject the idea of January blues and be more adventurous.""We're offering aviophobes the chance to stop their phobia holding them back," the company <a href="https://www.virginatlantic.com/gb/en/virgin-experience/screwitletsdoit.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote on its website.</a><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tomasdelcoro/8369895258/in/photolist-dKBUfW-fqoo6P-fXoZzg-r5yQ6c-TwkxGz-oZ34q1-fsxAo5-fraTiJ-UiB593-TLEZws-nxMiYU-fY1h2r-ULG8Rr-e55qAh-a6cShT-a6fJhs-75dN6-3jbAKN-j7CAAq-d9UV2F-nGb2BP-d9UW5p-e77hf3-d9UW4u-a6cRP4-d9UTiK-bqcyYM-8zcPhB-as72Yo-VNEv1F-jzAq1E-8fv69W-pDy32b-dorpCN-TBg7bU-dh7Yco-d9UWEH-cYJ3RL-6xHQEF-7FjG4Q-fs3yD8-6CDDdi-n5b69t-q6zUai-d9UUwp-rmK3fb-bJobnz-eJjPYN-fqW6ac-nQBzES">Flickr/Tomás Del Coro</a></div></div></div>The flight - which can be booked by any UK resident over 18 travelling to any Virgin Atlantic destination - must take place between March 4 and December 31, 2018, in order to be eligible.Once you have your eticket, you simply need to email it to screwit@fly.virgin.com to be eligible for a free place on the one day course - one of which will take place at Leeds Bradford airport on February 4 for 10 people, with another on offer at London Gatwick for 40 people on March 4.The "Flying Without Fear" programme, which began in November 1997, runs courses more than 20 times a year, claims to "free 3,000 people a year" from their fears, and is "packed full of information, techniques, and strategies" to "help you to learn new ways to think about flying."However, the airline states: "If you can provide sufficient evidence that your fear of flying is not cured, we will provide a full refund for the flight purchased. This will be determined by our professionals who administer the Flying Without Fear programme."Shai Weiss, Chief Commercial Officer at Virgin Atlantic, said in a press release: "We want everyone to be able to say 'screw it, let's do it' and try something different, fly somewhere new. Hopefully, by guaranteeing to cure people of one of the main things holding them back, we can inspire Britain to choose something more positive than the clichéd Blue January nonsense. Nothing should hold anyone back from seizing the day in 2018."If it sounds like a pretty good gamble, you'd better be quick - only 50 free places on the course are available, and the contest closes at 11.59 p.m. tonight. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/never-scrape-ice-windshield-car-snow-icescreen-2017-12">Never scrape ice off your windshield again with this special screen</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

You Searched For "shai weiss" and got 6 results

Virgin Atlantic received 5,000 applicants for 400 jobs, according to its CEO

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Virgin Atlantic's CEO Shai Weiss says he has cancer and had a tumor removed but will keep working: report

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The first commercial transatlantic flight powered completely by green fuels is in the air, but critics say it's a gimmick and a joke

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Virgin Atlantic just operated the world's first transatlantic flight using 100% sustainable aviation fuel. Here's why critics aren't convinced it's game-changing.

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Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic will cut thousands of jobs, retire its most iconic planes, and close one of its biggest bases as it fights to survive the pandemic

David Slotnick

Virgin Atlantic is offering a full refund on flights booked today if it can't cure a passenger's fear of flying

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