Sir Richard Branson talks underdogs, space and fear
By MARK KONKOL Staff Reporter May 25, 2011 8:28PM
Sir Richard Branson takes a seat on a CTA Blue Line train for a ride from O'Hare to Clark and Lake Wednesday, May 25, 2011, in Chicago. Branson arrived in Chicago to publicize Virgin America's new service to and from the airport. | John J. Kim~Sun-Times
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Updated: October 16, 2011 12:16AM
On Wednesday, Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Airlines made its maiden voyage into Chicago to set up shop at O’Hare Airport. On a Blue Line train ride downtown, the British billionaire talked exclusively to the Chicago Sun-Times about being an airline underdog, the future of space travel, having a happy marriage, dealing with Mayor Daley and overcoming his fears, among other things. In between thoughts, Branson gave Amy Peters and Jenny Oshean, the only two regular folks who got on his train car, two free tickets each to San Francisco.
I had dinner with your president at Buckingham Palace yesterday. He told me to say hello to Chicago for him.
I know Mayor Daley well … I visited an office he was in on the 18th floor, and he dangled me out the top window, holding my ankles and told me unless we hurried up and got my airline to Chicago he’d let go. So, I had to do what I was told.
If you experience airlines flying in and out of Chicago the experience is not a good one. It’s monopolistic and they are able to charge what they want to. Chicago is ripe Virgin territory when you have monopolistic airlines like that. Bring in brand new planes, in a much, much better price, much better entertainment. Captain and crew genuinely love what they are doing and give people a wonderful ride. I think Chicago and Virgin are made for each other.
Certainly, we’re the underdog, smaller than the big guys in Chicago. But big is not beautiful in the airline industry. What matters is the specific plane you’re flying on, the specific seat you’re sitting in … luxury leather seat with great entertainment, getting great food served by a wonderful crew with beautiful lighting and being able to do your e-mails on board … That’s what matters.
I’ve met Rahm Emanuel when he was at the White House. … He held me by my ankles out a window (laugh) … We had a good chat about a whole lot of different things in the world. I suspect you’ve chosen another good person to run your city.
My favorite Chicagoan … since he’s just a good friend, Matthew Pritzker, a 24-year old lad who was born into a big family name, but he’s very fun. I spend a lot of time with him on Necker Island. Good friend of my children. He’s got a lot of exciting challenges ahead.
I’m well experienced at fear. I’ve been pulled out of the sea five times by helicopters. I know what it feels like. I’ve managed to overcome it and survive. But I respect it.
I think none of us should stop trying to push the limits. Steve Fossett proved the point in that he died in a mundane flight, not an adventure seeker. … I think life is much richer if you say, yes, than if you say, no.
I’m not afraid of a lot. The only thing that one should really be afraid of is ill health of your friends and your relatives. As long as you have your health nothing else is that important.
Being a father is not that different than running a company of people. Lots of love. Lots of praise. Lots of time. Being able to talk to your kids about anything. … If they’re smoking dope they should be able to talk to you about it, do it in front of you. If they’ve gone off the rails, they should be able to talk to you about it and you’d like to be able to help them get through it. To be very open. To become a friend as much as a parent.
In marriage good fortune helps. I’ve been together 34 years with Joan. We’re very happy. We’re still in love with each other. We still hold hands. … And maybe the fact that I travel a lot, means she’s willing to put up with me more than she would have done otherwise.
Push at the open doors. Push at the things you’re good at and find somebody else to use the rest. One of the reasons I’m such a good delegator is that because I’m dyslexic I know what my weaknesses are and I get other people to do the things I’m not good at. That gives me time to exceed at the things I am good at. Don’t let the things you’re not good at get you down.
We have the two big adventures coming up, taking tourists into space and also Virgin Oceanic try to explore the bottom of oceans. ... All that happens in the next 18 months.
There are millions of people who would love the chance at becoming astronauts one day, the same way back in the 1920s there were millions of people who wanted to fly one day. It’s enormously exciting for myself that in my lifetime only 430 people have been in space in the last 100 years. In the first year we’ll send 500 people into space and in time we’ll bring the price down, and I think over the next 30 year hundreds of thousands of people will be able to become astronauts … and have the most incredible experience.
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