Holly Branson is being praised as “down-to-earth” after she was spotted in economy class on a recent Virgin Atlantic flight from Antigua to London. I’m impressed too.
I don’t buy the virtue signaling of flying economy class. If that is the reason for her flying behind the curtain, then I can only shrug and say I hope it makes you feel better. If she’s doing it out of earnest concern for the environment, good for her.
Maybe she chose economy class because everyone could be together in one row. Then again, she could have brought a nanny along in Upper Class to tend to the two older children.
Whatever the reason, we should never judge people based upon the class of service they fly…that’s even worse. People of very diverse backgrounds have all kinds of reasons to fly in different classes of service. You often can tell very little about someone simply based upon the cabin they fly in.
I guess why I am impressed is because she’s the daughter of the airline’s owner! Her father is a billionaire and she was returning from her summer holiday on Necker Island, her father’s private island in the Caribbean. In other words, she has every resource to fly private…and certainly at least in Virgin’s “Upper Class” product, but she chose not to…
And I appreciate that.
I’ve done some soul searching and after my son’s last flight in business class, I won’t take him into business or first class again until he’s a bit older. It’s not because business class should be the sacrosanct den of the self-conferred elite or that crying babies somehow annoy coach passengers less.
Instead, it is because I could not enjoy my flight when he was misbehaving. So if he’s misbehaving, he’s robbed my ability to relax in a premium cabin. Thus, I’m not going to pay the premium for it…I’ll just fly in the back until he’s better able to fly in the front.
And if that is the reason for her flying economy class, then good for her. That greatly impresses me.
But if I could afford to fly private, that would be a far better solution for me than flying economy class…
It’s refreshing to see someone simply not insist upon the best when they are entitled to it (as the owner’s daughter). What a juxtaposition between her and the Cho sisters at Korean Air!
Branson vs. Cho
Recall that Heather Cho, another daughter of an airline owner, assaulted a flight attendant when she refused to serve her macadamia nuts in a ramekin prior to takoeff. Her sister, Emily Cho, doused water in the face of an advertising executive, prompting outrage. Both have been forced out of Korean Air.
What a wonderful example Holly Branson has set for other children of airline owners. Can you imagine the Cho sisters actually sitting in economy class on Korean Air?
> Read More: Nutgate and Watergate 2.0: The Disgraced Sisters of Korean Air
CONCLUSION
There’s been a lot of brouhaha over the flying patterns of the UK Royal Family. Is it wrong to fly private? Was it noble to fly in economy class on flybe?
I’m of the opinion that it is best not to speculate and best not to judge on matters like this.
But I will certainly join in the chorus of praises for Holly Branson. Because I work all the time with people who throw baby-like temper tantrums if they don’t get a premium cabin seat. Sitting in economy class is never the end of the world. Sometimes, it is even the better option.
Useless ramblings or do you somehow understand my cautious admiration?
image: Holly Branson / Instagram
Totally agree. I’ve taken the stance that I prefer business class and first class. If I can’t afford to fly it I don’t go. It’s a choice I made. I’ve been called a snob by my friends. However how I want to choose the money I make is my business and no one else’s. Most of my friends drive luxury automobiles. I drive a pick up. What’s the difference.
Bottom line don’t make any snap judgments about anyone just because they sit in a particular seat on an airplane
Pitting a white woman and disparaging women of color?
Par for the course on this blog.
This has nothing to do with skin color…
Come on, you should know better than to reply to Debit’s baiting messages 😀
Cali writer. That explains it all
Wow. Are you serious? Your pathetic. 2+2 = 5 in your world.
@debit
The nerve. He actually pitted a white woman? I’m done here.
Well, it depends…if this how she regularly travels, then good for her. If this was a one-off way to get good social media…well, hello virtue signaling/good PR…
“I’ve done some soul searching and after my son’s last flight in business class, I won’t take him into business or first class again until he’s a bit older. It’s not because business class should be the sacrosanct den of the self-conferred elite or that crying babies somehow annoy coach passengers less.
Instead, it is because I could not enjoy my flight when he was misbehaving. So if he’s misbehaving, he’s robbed my ability to relax in a premium cabin. Thus, I’m not going to pay the premium for it…I’ll just fly in the back until he’s better able to fly in the front.”
Stay in business, you’ll be disrupting less passengers that way.
I think “cautious admiration” is about the best way to describe it and makes perfect sense.
Just a point of information – Virgin Group only has 20% shareholding in Virgin Atlantic now, and Sir Richard is not the sole shareholder of Virgin Group either. So he isn’t technically the “owner” of Virgin Atlantic anymore, just a minority shareholder.
In Mrs. Branson’s case, we don’t really know her motives, so I think “cautious admiration” is the right approach. I will say, in my son’s case, he gets anxious in crowded public spaces unless he has both mom and dad sitting next to him. You can do that in Y, but not J or domestic F (which is why we only fly Y when all three of us are together). It could be as simple as that.
“I’m of the opinion that it is best not to speculate and best not to judge on matters like this.”
“It’s refreshing to see someone simply not insist upon the best when they are entitled to it (as the owner’s daughter). What a juxtaposition between her and the Cho sisters at Korean Air!”
“Isn’t it ironic, don’t you think” – Alanis Morissette –
I have a friend who worked in private banking for a major American financial institution dealing with high and ultra high net worth individuals ($5M to >$100M in assets). He told me that I’d be surprised at how many really wealthy people choose to fly economy. Some just don’t see the value in it and don’t like to spend money on things they don’t value even if they can afford it. So yeah, I agree that we shouldn’t judge based on class of travel, you never know the socio-economic status of your neighbor in economy or business or first.