Virgin Atlantic appoints new Director of Corporate Communications

Company Brief

New Delhi, April 12, 2010

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world's leading airlines, is pleased to announce that Greg Dawson will be joining the airline as its Director of Corporate Communications from 7 June this year. Greg is currently Director of Communications for private equity backed Travelodge Hotels Ltd.

Steve Ridgway, Chief Executive of Virgin Atlantic, commented;"I am delighted to have appointed Greg to this key role at the airline. Virgin Atlantic has a strong reputation for its approach to PR and I am confident that Greg will be able to build on these strengths further and secure many positive column inches for the airline when he joins us in June.

"Commenting on his appointment, Greg Dawson said; "Virgin Atlantic is the challenger brand of our generation and I'm very excited about being part of it.

"Like Travelodge, I am looking forward to leading a strong team of communicators and growing its influence within its key stakeholder groups. "

Greg Dawson joined Travelodge in 2005, when he was hired to boost the budget hotel chain's consumer and corporate profile as its former owners Permira prepared the business for sale. During his time at Travelodge, Greg and his team have helped move its brand awareness from 70-99%. He has also led the private sector's response to a cross political party Tourism Inquiry and placed his company at the heart of London's Tourism and Employment agenda.

Prior to his role at Travelodge Greg  was Head of Public Relations at Churchill Insurance for three years.  He worked in the RBS insurance division following its merging of household brands, Direct Line, Green Flag and Churchill.  Previous to this he worked at J Sainsbury plc where he held a number of senior corporate communications roles over a five year period.

Alongside his role as a Non Executive Director for Tourism South East, Greg is also a member of the Government Tourism Advisory Council, which helps to advise the Tourism Minister on key industry issues.

Greg will report to Virgin Atlantic's chief executive Steve Ridgway. Reporting to Greg will be Anna Knowles, Virgin Atlantic's Head of PR, who will continue to manage the airline's Press Office team.

Virgin Atlantic is currently flying to 30 destinations worldwide from its award-winning new Terminal 3 at Heathrow Airport, and from the South Terminal at London's Gatwick Airport. Destinations include New Delhi, Shanghai, Nairobi, Dubai, Lagos, Tokyo, New York JFK and Newark, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Orlando, San Francisco, Miami, Sydney, Washington, Boston, Chicago, Barbados, Antigua, Havana and Kingston.

For further information, please contact:

Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd

Varun Pratap

Tel: +91 124 4693061

Email: varun.pratap@fly.virgin.com