Member Article

Sir Richard Branson to serve as air stewardess

Sir Richard Branson has promised to dress as a female flight attendant and serve drinks on board an Air Asia X flight after losing a bet with Tony Fernandes, the chief executive of the low-cost airline.

The chairman of Virgin Group is expected to complete a shift on board one of Air Asia X’s flights between London Stansted and Kuala Lumpur on February 21, a date confirmed on Mr Fernandes’s Twitter account.

The two businessmen placed a wager on whose Formula One team would finish higher in this year’s constructors’ championship. While neither Sir Richard’s Virgin Racing or Mr Fernandes’s Lotus F1 team scored a single point in 2010, Mr Fernandes won the bet by virtue of better finishing positions.

The two bosses agreed that the loser would perform flight attendant duties on board one of the other’s aircraft. Sir Richard will be expected to wear heels, make-up and a red dress, and will be asked to perform lavatory-cleaning duties.

Seats on board the flight are likely to be auctioned, with the proceeds going to the charity of Sir Richard’s choice.

It will not be the first time Sir Richard has worn women’s clothing. He famously donned a white wedding dress in 1996 for the launch of the now-defunct Virgin Brides and wore a dress at the unveiling of Vie, Virgin’s range of cosmetics and toiletries.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .