Virgin in the viral spotlight

Virgin, an airline admired for its Richard Branson-focused PR savvy, is finding itself dealing with two major online PR issues this week, both involving being on the wrong side of viral emails.

In the more lighthearted of the two, a brilliantly crafted letter to Branson from a passenger disgruntled by the food on a flight has gone around the world, leaping from blogs to mainstream press. The UK’s Daily Telegraph suggested it was “the world’s best complaint letter“.

In it, the passenger shares his angst with Branson over the unidentifiable food, and his boredom at flying with a broken seat-back television.

And although Virgin quickly responded to the letter going public, by confirming that Branson had personally called the passenger, and invited him to become a taste tester for the airline, the original, damaging complaint about the food, is continuing to circulate.