In 1979, British Airways made a tiny mistake that cost them $5 billion.
They canceled one man's flight.
He took it very personally.
So personally, that he launched his own airline just to compete with them.
What followed became one of the most brutal rivalries in business history…
The man's name was Richard Branson
Before he became Sir Richard Branson, he was a 29-year-old record label owner, just trying to get to the British Virgin Islands.
But when British Airways canceled the last flight of the day, leaving him and dozens of others stranded...
Branson made a split-second decision - one that would eventually lead to a $5 billion airline empire.
Frustrated but quick-thinking, Branson grabbed a small blackboard and scribbled:
"Virgin Airlines - $39 one-way to BVI."
Then he walked through the terminal, calling out:
"Who wants to join me? I’ve chartered a plane!"
Within minutes, he filled the flight with stranded passengers and covered the $2,000 charter cost.
That day, Virgin Airlines was born.
While flying on “his” plane, a lightbulb went off in Branson’s mind:
“If I can fill a plane with frustrated British Airways customers this easily... why not start my own airline?”
It would take five more years to make it happen.
But he never forgot that feeling of being stranded by a corporate giant that simply didn’t care.
That spark of frustration became the fuel for Virgin Atlantic.
June 22, 1984, A single leased Boeing 747 took off from London Gatwick to Newark.
That flight marked the birth of Virgin Atlantic - built on:
One aircraft
One route
One bold mission: “Make flying great again.”
British Airways executives laughed.
To them, Branson’s airline was a joke.
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