The best crew in the industry
- By Richard Branson -
- Apr 25, 2012
Virgin Atlantic flight VS27 had an emergency landing last week due to an alarm going off in flight. The incident has been investigated, and fortunately it turned out to be a false alarm. The plane was brand new and the aircraft manufacturers are taking a look at the alarm system.
The Captain took the only appropriate decision to evacuate the aircraft for the safety of our passengers. The cabin crew are obviously trained to assume the worst and on the face of it behaved in an exemplary way in getting everyone off the plane as quickly as possible. Over 300 people were evacuated in around 90 seconds and the crew’s swift action could have made all the difference had the emergency been genuine. 99% of all the feedback we’ve had from the passengers has been in praise of how the crew dealt with it and I’d just like to congratulate all the team on a fantastic job.
We really appreciate all of your comments and well-wishes; one in particular from Sharon Wellings on Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Without Fear blog stood out. She said: “I was on this flight, the actions of the crew were exemplary…This incident hasn't put me off flying at all, in fact Virgin have demonstrated most clearly how safety first is their priority, and that is exactly what I want from an airline. In fact it is true to say that I would now prefer to fly Virgin over any other airline, as I am confident that my safety comes before their profits, well done Virgin!”
I echo Sharon’s sentiments, and am proud that we have the best service in the sky – keep it up guys and girls!
By Richard Branson. Founder of Virgin Group
