I don’t think the Government will be swayed by some bad press and a few flimsy petitions against Mr Branson. What they will be looking at is will the loan be repaid? Virgin has struggled to make significant profits in probably the most lucrative time in airline history. Look at the profits their nearest neighbour made in the last few years. The future is going to show a massive decrease in demand for airline travel. Virgins first request for help was turned down as their future business plan was too optimistic. How can they repay a £500 million loan in a massive recession when they couldn’t make a profit in the good times?
Do France and Germany have two full service airlines? The treasury have so many demands on them, I don’t envy their task deciding but I can totally understand how those inside the brand feel so strongly.. the banks advising will be doing this purely on the financials thankfully and not on tabloid press reports...