Richard Branson’s New UK Airline to Stage On-board Comedy Shows

 

According to an article from the Daily Mail UK,

“Have you ever found yourself on a train, or in a Tube carriage, at that moment when a busker clambers aboard and starts playing a few jaunty tunes for your ‘entertainment’?

This can provoke one of two reactions.

It causes either a mental note to self that you haven’t heard that particular Beatles song in a while (at least, you think it’s a Beatles song. It is hard to say). Or the chill realisation that you are trapped as far as the end of your journey – or, as a desperate measure, the quick refuge of the next available station – as the merry amateur sets about the best of the Lennon-McCartney back catalogue in their own inimitable style.

We have all been subjected to this ‘caged animal’ brand of ‘culture’ at some point. And now, it seems, one airline has hit upon this ad-hoc experience as an in-flight treat.

Little Red – the domestic off-shoot of Virgin Atlantic, which offers flights from London to Manchester, Edinburgh and Aberdeen – will be staging at-altitude comedy and music performances on services to the Scottish capital during August and September.

This month will see stand-up comics take to the aisle for ‘impromptu’ joke-telling, while September will witness acoustic sets from aspiring musicians.

Acts have yet to be announced, but will be revealed through Virgin Atlantic’s Facebook and Twitter pages. The exact flights, however, will not be listed in advance.

Comedians will include fully-fledged professionals heading to Scotland to play the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which runs until 26 August – ensuring, perhaps, a certain level of quality control that may or may not appeal to those passengers who simply wanted a seat by the window and a quiet hour to read the morning newspaper.

Unsurprisingly, the airline is happy to present this as a positive contribution.

Virgin supremo Sir Richard Branson says: “We launched Little Red to shake up domestic flying in the UK.

“In true Virgin Atlantic spirit, we are doing something a little different, and providing our passengers with a line-up of gigs to ensure we offer an unforgettable flying experience.”

Customers flying with the airline are reminded that using the emergency exit before the plane lands is not recommended…”