As part of the celebrations at Heathrow Airport before the historic departure, Sir Richard Branson was joined on the wing of the Boeing 747-400 Virgin Atlantic aircraft, named ‘Birthday Girl’, by acclaimed supermodel and icon, Kate Moss who came to personally wish the airline a Happy Birthday.

Speaking at Heathrow Airport, Sir Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic said:

“I am so proud of what we have achieved in the last 25 years.  It is a tribute to the staff of Virgin Atlantic that we are in the leading position we are in today.  It seems a long time ago that we took that first flight in 1984, and so much has been achieved since then. We would like to thank the millions of travelers that have put their faith in us and the thousands of staff who have created such a great airline.”

Steve Ridgway, Chief Executive of Virgin Atlantic said:

“Today’s milestone is a huge accomplishment for Virgin Atlantic.  In the last 25 years, our 8500 staff worldwide have helped us build a fantastic airline against all the odds, whether battling with our competitors or enduring the ups and downs of the aviation industry.   Since 1984 Virgin Atlantic has grown up a lot but thanks to the creativity, enthusiasm and hard work of our staff, we are definitely still red hot!”

Today’s special birthday flight will be under the command of Captain Geoff Andreasen, Virgin Atlantic’s Chief Boeing Pilot, and First Officer Niamh O’Connor. The Flight Service Manager on the flight operated the very first Virgin Atlantic flight in 1984.  Chris Morley, who has been with the airline for 25 years, will be leading the team of 18 cabin crew across the Atlantic.

During the birthday flight guests will enjoy a taste of the 1980s, with special themed music and meals designed with an 80s twist.  Among the movies onboard will be ‘Airplane’, which was famously shown on the airline’s first ever flight.  Entertainers will also be onboard to ensure that everyone is in the party spirit.  Once in New York guests will be invited to the exclusive Virgin Atlantic Red Hot Birthday Party in Manhattan.

Over 65 million passengers have chosen to travel with Virgin Atlantic since its launch in 1984. The airline now flies to 30 destinations around the world, from its main bases at London Heathrow and London Gatwick, using a modern, young fleet of Airbus A340 and Boeing 747 aircraft.

Book your Virgin Atlantic flights with Farestore.com. Visit our website at www.farestore.com.

“They’re at it again,” said Brandon M. Macsata, Executive Director of AAPR, of the airline industry. “United is now the latest airline to shelve customer service standards in search for higher profits, while claiming that the new policy is to ‘protect’ other passengers. At issue should not be the size of any passenger, but rather why the airlines continue to pack coach passengers like sardines into the cabin.”

Most coach airline seats are smaller than seats on buses or trains, even movie theaters - yet unlike in those environments, customers cannot simply get up and move around but are rather forced to sit uncomfortably until the flight’s destination is reached.

Macsata further argued, “Where does this madness end? So now a customer who purchases an advanced ticket online can show up at the airport and arbitrarily denied boarding because a ticket agent deems him or her to be overweight? He or she would be at the mercy of the airlines - an unthinkable scenario especially if the passenger is traveling for a family emergency or death in the family. I wonder just how much will be the price of that second ticket?”

AAPR also questioned the legality of the discriminatory policy and whether it violates the Air Carrier Access Act governing the treatment of passengers with disabilities. It is documented that certain health conditions, and sometimes medications, can cause weight gain and therefore should be protected by law. The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) addressed this issue earlier this year, when it issued its “one-person, one-fare” ruling covering passengers with disabilities - including “clinically obese” passengers who cannot fit into a single seat.

To learn more about airline passenger rights visit http://www.friendlyskies.com or to book your cheap flights today visit http://www.farestore.com

Source: Association for Airline Passenger Rights

“Currently, most pets traveling by air are transported in the cargo hold and are handled as baggage,” said Dan Wiesel, president and CEO of Pet Airways. “The experience is frightening to the pets, and can cause severe emotional and physical harm, even death. This is not what most pet owners want to subject their pets to, but they have had no other choice, until now.”

Pet Airways’ Pet Attendants ensure an animal-friendly travel experience from drop-off at the Pet Lounge through the fully-lit and climate-controlled flight in which there is a proper level of fresh air circulation. All animals are boarded and de-boarded from planes as quickly as possible, never left in the cold or heat, and depending on transit time, will be offered toilet facilities, food and water as necessary during stops.

According to the American Animal Hospital Association, approximately 76 million cats and dogs travel with their owners each year. Many airlines allow small pets to travel with their owners, stowed under the seat, but most airlines will only accept one or two pets per flight. Pets that are too big to fit under the seat are relegated to cargo and, unfortunately in many cases, are treated as such. A study by the San Francisco SPCA found that, out of the 2 million animals transported in the cargo holds of commercial airliners per year, approximately 5,000 are injured in transit.

According to the Animal, Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS), “virtually every major airline has been cited and fined for repeatedly mishandling animals.” As a result of a lack of oxygen and temperature control in the cargo holds, the most common causes of death are suffocation and heat prostration, although one airline was cited for placing a dog too close to a motor, which burned the animal.

TravelAgent Central Contributor

Two weeks into my trip and now I’m in St. Petersburg, completely surrounded by marble and gold gilding. The kind of Russian opulence even Hollywood couldn’t exaggerate.

So what to do? I buy a ticket for an express train. This requires a bit of faith in urban planning that an airport near Moscow would have an express train that runs into Moscow. Besides anyone I asked gave me an answer that made no sense. Unless you speak Russian or can find someone kind who speaks English, understanding directions can be difficult at times. All I knew was that I should arrive in central Moscow with a few hours of sunlight left. Enough time to navigate Stalin’s world famous metro system and arrive at my hostel.

St. Basil's Cathedral - Moscow

Unfortunately my hostel was not located on my map of the city. All that was on my map in relation to my place of lodging was an arrow on the edge of the map indicating that the hostel was only 50m beyond. You would think I would be able to find it no problem. I did find it. It only took me 2 hours. The entire time I was so close, just 50m away! Needless to say I tested my “travellers” patience.

So when I got to my hostel I met an Irishman and a German. We decided to go for a drink, which in hindsight was a bad idea, considering the misery that would become the next day. But hey, one night in Moscow, what does one do?
For those who are curious, Moscow is still holding on to the nostalgia of its former glory in some small ways it seems. The metro is filled with mosaics of Lenin and proletariat propaganda amidst the marble stairs, chandeliers and stained glass windows. Above the station that got me out of Moscow was a huge iron sign that still had the traditional soviet CCCP with a hammer and sickle above it.

In the distance the large concrete buildings held spires to the sky upon which shining soviet stars marked the territory of mother Russia. Moscow is huge! Imagine New York, and I mean all of New York, not just Manhattan, and squish it into one massive sprawling concrete city and then double it, and that’s what Moscow feels like.

As for attempting to read signs in Cyrillic that amounts to not much more then symbol matching and you can’t help but think that what ever someone is selling you is undoubtedly not what you asked for and is twice the price. And let me tell you the Russian ruble may be cheap but Moscow is not.

Spas-na-Krovi Cathedral, St Petersburg

The 8 hour train ride got me into St. Petersburg, half of which was spent watching back to back Richard Gere movies. Now St. Petersburg is a beautiful city, the mecca of all high Russian culture. Even though ice is still flowing down the Neva River, one could not image a more beautiful city. No wonder it inspired Alexander Pushkin and Fyodor Dostoevsky. Beautiful wide canals ring around wide boulevards and open spaces with ornate buildings neatly lined up.

Russia is great! Tomorrow I’m off on a night train to Vilnius, Lithuania and we’ll see what comes of that! Stay tuned.