What an absolutely pointless non-thread.
Any company that receives advance payments places them in banking accounts. If that bank goes Tango Uniform then those customers advance payments will be lost, not by the airline but by the bank.
If the funds had been spent by the airline and as such not available to be returned then that is fraud, grand larceny etc. if you are in AZ and subjected to FAA regs then you would know that a Part 121 has to maintain financial regularity or have their ticket withdrawn.
Do you suggest that Branson stuff customer advance payments in his mattress?
I don't see where anything cringe making is or that Branson engages his mouth before his brain. He stated something that is fact and the fact is that with some of the largest banks facing financial problems a nett result is how critical those problems are to business and commerce.
Aircraft operators depend, no matter how large they are, on banking and finance arrangements from 1st tier to 3rd and 4th tier operators downward, capital equipment that is leased or finance purchased, maintenance and light through heavy checks have to be paid for some way and spending money you don't have leads back to the above.
It's not just Virgin's aircraft operations that have been exposed in the banking situation but the vast majority of aircraft operators across the globe.