Britain has two flag carriers when it comes to its aviation market. British Airways, an ex-nationalised carrier that can trace its routes back to 1919, and Virgin Atlantic, an airline established in the 1980s by disgruntled millionaire Richard Branson who had become fed up with the state of the airline industry. 

Despite its much smaller size Virgin has competed closely with BA throughout its existence, mainly across the Atlantic. Using provocative advertising techniques and unique taglines, Virgin entered the market with a bang and offered passengers a completely different experience. British Airways on the other hand had just completed the process of privatisation and was one of the biggest and most successful airlines in the world and didn't worry too much about the elusive threat of Virgin Atlantic.

The competition was civil, until the abolition of the London Air Traffic Distribution Rules, which gave Virgin access to the prestigious London Heathrow. This put them in direct competition with British Airways. Angry, chairman Lord King commissioned a slander campaign against Virgin Atlantic. All this and more coming up this week, on Aircraft Grade.

00:00 - Introduction 

00:33 - Background 

01:58 - Origins of British Airways  

09:37 - Origins of Virgin Atlantic 

14:33 - Close Competition 

16:36 - Dirty Tricks 

23:10 - Modern Day 

34:20 - Final Words 

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It's been a while since a new episode of Aircraft Grade has hit your subscription boxes. Well, here's some good news, today marks the return of the podcast. In this episode, Alex sits down to discuss where we went, why we went and where we're going in the future!

Alex discusses his motivation for starting this podcast and where his interest in radio and journalism comes from. He touches on how his interest in aviation came to be and why it is so special to him. 

He also talks about the podcast itself; why it is laid out the way it is. The inspiration for the show is covered along with how it has changed in its relatively short lifespan. 

More importantly, Alex talks about why there hasn't been a new Aircraft Grade episode for 7 months and his experience with work overload both at college and employment wise. He talks about how he fell out of love with producing the podcast but how his drive has been reinvigorated recently. 

This week it gets a personal and is different from any Aircraft Grade content that came before. 

This week we chat. Coming up this week, on Aircraft Grade.

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Welcome to Aircraft Grade, the Aviation Podcast. Coming up this week:

Welcome to Aircraft Grade, the Aviation Podcast. Coming up this week:

Welcome to Aircraft Grade, the Aviation Podcast. Coming up this week: