Virgin probes Facebook safety, chav claims

Staff slag off customers, planes

By John Oates • Get more from this author

Posted in Bootnotes, 24th October 2008 12:24 GMT

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Virgin Atlantic is investigating allegations that its staff posted rude comments on Facebook about the airline's passengers and its safety standards.

The comments, which as far as we can see have been pulled, were about flights out of Gatwick and referred to passengers as "chavs". Virgin flies five Boeing 747s from Gatwick. The airline said it bought the planes from Boeing in 2001 and they are "among the newest 747s flying worldwide".

Virgin Atlantic said: "Virgin Atlantic has been made aware of some malicious comments that have been made on a social networking site by a small number of its staff. The airline has started an immediate disciplinary investigation. Virgin Atlantic does not tolerate any criticism of its passengers or industry-leading safety standards and is taking this matter very seriously."

The airline added: "Virgin Atlantic can reassure passengers that it maintains very high standards of hygiene onboard its aircraft and that aircraft are cleaned following each flight, as well deep-cleaned on a regular basis." Which should of course remove any chav residue. Not that there should be any.

Virgin staff are just the latest to fail to understand that public websites can be accessed by the public. The news follows yesterday's Aussie genius who failed to realise his boss might just check his Facebook status to see if he was sick or skiving. Fair play to him for taking his punishment with good grace. ®

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