thinkingstring.com

Dear Mr. Branson,
I am writing to you in the hope that you will actually put some serious business effort toward being environmentally friendly. No, I am not talking about the use of biofuels in the Virgin Atlantic fleet. I am sure that you know what I, and numerous leading environmentalists know; biofuels are not an ecologically sound nor sustainable replacement for petro-based aeroplane fuels. Even with oil priced above $130 a barrel, amidst calls for the UK government to scrap the £10,000,000,000 a year subsidy they currently provide to the airline industry, you still can’t seriously think biofuels are the answer.

I am sure that you know as well as I do that there isn’t enough arable land in the world to feed the fueltanks of the world’s current aeroplane fleet, while leaving any land left for food production or forests to act as carbon sinks. What, I ask myself, would you feed all those Virgin Upper Class passengers once all the land has been turned over to fuel production? That biofuel flight was, permit me to suggest, a marketing stunt that permitted a little green washing of the red Virgin brand. No, the maths and the science don’t add up, and I don’t believe you can get to be the head of a brand like Virgin without enough intelligence to crunch the numbers and come up with the same conclusion; biofuels are not the answer.

But I also believe that you do recognise the reality of, and danger inherent in climate change. After all, you did pledge £1,600,000,000 to help fund action. There you were, standing smiling with Al G and Bill (you remember - the other Clinton) promising to put all the profits from Virgin’s air and train operations for the next ten years toward reducing reliance on petroleum. So we agree that there is a need, and we both share a will. It just seems that we don’t share an understanding of the way. Two out of three is surely enough for you to consider my suggestion.

Mr. Branson, let me lay it out. I’ll say it quietly so as to not scare the Virgin Airline shareholders: we need to drastically reduce the number of flights. Not fuel them with algae or babassu trees; don’t fly them at all. So here’s my suggestion; how about putting some of that £1.6 billion toward establishing a world wide network of business executive meeting suites, interconnected with state of the art high-definition video conferencing capability.

You know better than I that there are basically two classes of traveller; the holiday maker and the business person. In one move you could take all those business travellers out of the skies and enable them to conduct their meetings online. Lets face it, business travel isn’t really even any fun any more, what with all that hassle of stripping down to the silk socks; no Perrier passed security; lost baggage and hassle. Not to mention the lost productivity, what with not even being allowed to Blackberry in the air.

How much more preferable it would be to book meeting time in an executive suite, in my own city, and to avoid all the hassle of flying. How much more productive to be able to avoid all the time wasted checking in, traveling whilst having to be “off the grid”, and then having to deal with hotels and all that at my destination. And how much more profitable for the Virgin group of companies? Think of all the cross sell opportunities that present themselves. The basic service comprising two suites in two cities (for say, half a day) could be priced just under the price of a business ticket. Meanwhile, business people could travel to and from the city centre in a Virgin train, while staying online using Virgin broadband. Of course people will expect the same excellent class of service they currently enjoy on Virgin Atlantic. Those massages in Upper Class really are a nice touch; but just think how much cheaper it must be to employ a professional masseuse if you don’t have to train and pay them as a flight attendant too.

Of course this isn’t a new idea; lots of companies are talking about the power of video conferencing. But I do believe that the Virgin brand of companies is in a uniquely powerful position. Unlike your competitors in the air travel business (say, like BA) “Virgin” isn’t really an airline; its a brand umbrella. It is already diversified into a whole range of areas that complement each other. Meanwhile, unlike teleconferencing technology companies like Cisco, Virgin is already synonymous with business (and holiday maker) travel. Doing business is really all about communicating, while the travelling is just an enabler for that communication. “Virgin Business Telesuite” does have a certain ring to it; don’t you think?

So how about it Mr. Branson? How about a little innovative thinking toward climate change? Biofuels? You wouldn’t last five minutes with Alan Sugar with that one. Thanks for your time and all the best.

Regards,
Simon Perry
Sustainalyst
ThinkingString

PS. If you need some help with the business plan I have some time next week.