Battle Quote by Richard Branson
“We've always had a pretty competitive and pretty ferocious battle with British Airways... It's lasted now about 14 years, and we're very pleased to have survived it.”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Virgin Atlantic Anniversary, 2015
Competitive rivalry can be long‑lasting yet rewarding when survived.
In simple terms: Business battles can last years.
Key Takeaway
Embrace competition.
Themes
competition
resilience
industry
Mood
determined
optimistic
Type
advice
business
When to use this quote
- corporate rivalry
- long‑term planning
Key Concepts
business strategy
market dynamics
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you stay ahead?
- What costs are worth it?
A Different Perspective
Survival may require costly sacrifices.
![“You see, it's essential that one of us stays awake during the flight [ballon]. So, rather than using the comfortable Virgin seats which we used to cross the Atlantic, we've asked British Airways for two of theirs.” quote by Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ce7/richard-branson-256_awake_you-see-it-s-essential-that-one-of-us-st_2730753.jpg)
![“The unions need to be taken on. British Airways is massively over-staffed and has got to get its costs down. . . . The problem for [chief executive] Willie Walsh is that the board of BA has no spine, no balls and no vision.” quote by Michael O'Leary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/fc6/michael-o-leary-14256_airline_the-unions-need-to-be-taken-on-british-a_2949153.jpg)
![“I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests with ZERO-G [a charter-flight service in Arlington, Va., that uses modified Boeing 727s to simulate weightlessness], which went great.” quote by Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/aa1/richard-branson-256_adventure_i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-repl_903.jpg)
