He said: “George and I go back right to the beginning. I remember seeing him at the 100 Club in London before we signed them. And he’s now the most wonderful DJ. We’re going to do all three cruise ships in about three or four days.”
Sir Richard was speaking in Las Vegas where Virgin Atlantic was celebrating its 40th anniversary. Fresh from launching flights to Las Vegas from Manchester, the billionaire revealed that Virgin Atlantic will commence services from London Heathrow to Toronto next March.
The carrier also plans to open new Clubhouse lounges in Los Angeles and Barbados airports as it seeks to distinguish its brand from rivals, and Sir Richard said that a rooftop gym will be added at the Heathrow Clubhouse after the idea came to him while working out.
He said: “Sometimes you have to expend money to get loyal customers. We’ve always got to be one step ahead and we know that others will copy what we do.”
Sir Richard, 73, is well known for his marketing stunts. Memorable ones include carrying Burlesque model Dita Von Teese on the wing of a Virgin Atlantic plane to celebrate the airlines 10th anniversary, flying a hot air balloon across the Atlantic, bungee jumping off the Palms Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, and driving a tank down Fifth Avenue in New York to celebrate the launch of Virgin Cola.
While the stunts have been toned down (though Sir Richard still jumped fully clothed into a swimming pool at a Las Vegas party), he remains very active in promoting and managing the business.
Over the four days prior to his visit to Nevada, he joined a Virgin cruise from Miami at the last-minute after planned eye surgery there was found to be unnecessary, made the trip to the US capital to view hotel premises, and travelled to New Mexico for a Virgin Galactic launch.
Virgin is hopeful of reaping earnings from its investment in space tourism, though there’ll be a near two-year hiatus before it can do so. Following its most recent launch on June 8, Virgin Galactic, which has lost more than 60pc of its value this year, will cease flights while it awaits deliveries of a new class of spaceship.