Has Richard Branson started his cheap £43 flights to Asia yet?

Answer 1

Yes but you have to bring your own tow rope and the balloon takes ages to get to Asia depending on the wind speed and direction.

Answer 2

I believe it is supposed to be a joint venture with the Malaysian no-frills airline Air Asia (the equivilent of Easyjet/Ryanair) and flights will be to Kuala Lumpur, almost certainly to Manchester first, mainly because they have a corporate sponsorship deal with Manchester United.

Don't be misled by the press, as that £43 fare does not include airport taxes etc, which would bump a return flight up to about £200, though that is still an excellent price. I don't think the discussions have really got that far yet. Branson is just announcing his intentions and a feasibility study. The way people are going on about aircraft emissions and enviromental stuff, I don't think this will ever get off the ground. The government will want to be seen opposing this to get the "green vote", and if not, Gordon Brown will almost certainly raise the passenger air tax duty again to offset these low fares and fill the gaping black hole in his budget.

Answer 3

It is my understanding that Sir Richard made such a comment, but it is far from happening. I think there is a tie-in with AirAsia, so it could be UK to KL only, if it were to happen. Also, taxes, landing fees, customs fees, etc. would be added. Don't make any plans on such a fare.