Varsity Express

[iris0202]

Twitter page deleted

Well it looks as if MH's social media attempts have disappeared just as mysteriously and quickly as they first appeared. The VE twitter page is gone - as is the facebook fan page. Perhaps MH is realizing the airline will never be revived. It's about time really - those profiles looked a bit ridiculous given the information now known.

Any news on the fraud investigation? We don't hear much over here in the States. Has MH said anything more about his innocence? I'm hoping all of the other pilots come forward...as well as anyone else with information for the police.

[TwinAisle]

Looks like the mods have merged some threads. Waaaaay back on this thread, several people, myself included, asked the very same question about how pilot jobs were being offered by a non-AOC holder. It was one of the very many rats that were smelled by a number of industry old-timers on here.

For those who weren't following the orginal R&N thread - enjoy the read!

TA

[Potential]

How did VE advertise/publicise its recruitment for crews. Is there anything in print or on the web.

This is where I found out about the 'job' I applied for: varsityexpress | Go On, Express Yourself!

Its all been cleared now though obviously.

[Pilot Positive]

Spins your right round like a broken record right round, right round

varsityexpress offers a rewarding working environment. We expect our staff to go the extra mile for our customers and in return we go the extra mile for our team.

Oh yeah, work hard, play hard?

Its a sickening cliche churned out by MH....one of many so far.

We still havent seen any response form MH so perhaps we can suspect that he has gone to ground, consulting his solicitor and wont be drawn into any factual arguement. Its beginning to sound like a pyramid selling scam just - but in aviation.

What a


PP

[srobarts]

Its all been cleared now though obviously.

But click on the contactus link and lo there is an interesting name as the press contact. Well it will be there until MH reads this!

[ryanair1]

Unless he can pay his debts and 'personal loans' from his poor gullible pilots he should be sent to Prison.

[Adios]

Potential,

The only thing that has been cleared is the VE homepage links. All the sub pages are still there and can be navigated to from the page you gave a link to. Maybe those who have been ripped off will want to go to the contact us page and print it because it still shows Will Gilligan as a valid contact. This is just one more piece of evidence for your Thames Valley Police complaints. It appears the misrepresentation is ongoing then.

Google has cached the page just in case MH reads and takes the sub pages down before his victims get a chance to print out the VE web site. Here is a link to the Google cached version of the contact page, which MH will not be able to delete:

varsityexpress | Go On, Express Yourself!

[Primitive Person]

I just tried e-mailing "Will Gilligan" to see if Varsity are still maintaining any pretense, and I got the following automated reply:

Unfortunately on March 8th 2010 at 3pm Varsity Express ceased services due to operational differences with the operator, Linksair.

All passenger refunds have been processed and customers can expect to receive their funds within 14 working days. Varsity's credit card clearing house, Pensio, is based in Denmark and are handling the refunds. All passenger funds were kept securely away from the working capital of the company and so all passengers who were unable to fly with Varsity can be assured of a full refund.

There are currently many inaccurate and factually untrue media reports surrounded the Varsity Express operation and the individuals behind it. Many of these stories are completely false and untrue and the company will not be drawn into discussion over such claims.

Many thanks to all of our customers, it was with deepest regret and under very trying circumstances that we were forced to withdraw services. We apologise for the obvious inconvenience caused.

"Operational differences", eh? How disgusting that Linksair expected to actually get paid for flying between Oxford and Edinburgh! You'd have thought they'd have done it just for fun!

The "factually untrue media reports" will, of course, be all the press releases issued by "Will Gilligan".

At least Halstead seems to have learned it's much better for him if he keeps his gob shut. There now also seems to be no claim that the company will ever resurface - he seems to have finally realised that he's fooling no-one and his little fantasies aren't going to come to anything in future.

[Pilot Positive]

....he seems to have finally realised that he's fooling no-one and his little fantasies aren't going to come to anything in future.

Lets hope the police and prison service help him to achieve that.

[srobarts]

....he seems to have finally realised that he's fooling no-one and his little fantasies aren't going to come to anything in future.

Has he actually realised? Only when those pilots prepaying for their training and the pre-booked passengers have been refunded will we know if he has honoured his latest promises. There probably will be other creditors needing repaying too.

[Potential]

The only thing that has been cleared is the VE homepage links. All the sub pages are still there and can be navigated to from the page you gave a link to.

What I meant was that the details about the current vacancies had been cleared off from the recruitment page.

Maybe those who have been ripped off will want to go to the contact us page and print it because it still shows Will Gilligan as a valid contact.

I also have 4 emails from Mr Gilligan!

[J4007]

chameleon

The Guernsey police would be very interested in talking to this moron. Sept 09 a policeman showed up at his old house in Guernsey at 9pm wanting to "have a word" due un-paid parking fines and phone bills. I really do hope that the people who gave him money, get it all back but I suspect he will do a runner and re-invent himself somewhere else.....

[Adios]

Understand Potential. I believe there is a vacancy for a criminal defense Barrister coming up soon.

I sent an email to Will and got nothing back. I have a funny feeling I won't be the only one who won't get anything back.

[AlexanderH]

Well if he is convicted, any crown court judge will ban him for being director of a company for 10 years or more. So I doubt he'll be starting up another airline anytime soon.

[TwinAisle]

ban him for being director of a company for 10 years or more. So I doubt he'll be starting up another airline anytime soon.

Didn't seem to stop his partner in cri.... I mean his mate.

[flybe37]

No news? LOL

[ryanair1]

airliner world article

big 3 page spread on the Halstead and his profile in airliner world magazine.

couldnt cancel it before print run i guess.

makes for some very interesting reading

[Evanelpus]

In fairness to Airliner World, the story would have 'broke' long after the magazine had gone to the printers and then into the shops.

[virginblue]

However, Airliner World has not been the champion of critical journalism in the past. Not for the first time they have sung praises for a rather dubious start-up that went belly-up rather quickly - and most often not exactly as a surprise.

[pug]

I posted something a few pages back about another start-up which airliner world took lots of glory for itself for 'foiling' it. It was the september 09 issue if anyone has it... I was particularly dissapointed by the sensationalist way they went about it too... Surely if they are that good at smelling a rat then they would have seen MH coming a mile off considering his past ventures. The injustice is that the previous characture was supposidly autistic and i didnt like the way they handled the article, particularly as he didnt set out to hurt anyone. Same could not be said for MH though.

I await to see what they write in their next issue about this subject.