Branson stirs up trouble again

Sir Richard Branson has reportedly accused British Airways and Qantas of “colluding” to maintain high prices on routes between the UK and Australia. Branson’s first flight to Australia is today and the entrepreneur has stated his aim of carrying some 300,000 passengers between Heathrow and Sydney each year. He is also claiming that he will undercut British Airways’ and Qantas’ fares by 30 per cent. The Daily Mail quotes Branson as saying: “Qantas and BA collude and set fares together under their joint service agreement, and it’s not on.” The newspaper reports that Virgin Atlantic has appealed against a provisional decision by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which agreed that the two carriers could coordinate their pricing. Branson reportedly added: “If we don’t win that, then we can challenge it all again in three years’ time.” Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd