Sir Richard Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic, commenting at a press conference:

"We are launching a campaign to try and stop British Airways and American Airlines, the two biggest carriers in the world, from effectively merging. They will completely dominate the market place between Great Britain and America, they will have somewhere between 65 and 70% of the market. If you dominate in that way you can wreak havoc to your competitors and have a complete stranglehold over travel agents, over corporates, set the fares at any levels you want, we are absolutely determined to try to stop it.

"If smaller airlines like ourselves are hurt, that will damage the consumer. Its a tough time in the airline industry but what you don't do when it is a tough time in the airline industry is create an unlevel playing field by allowing the two biggest carriers in the world to merge.

"It is important that the biggest carriers in the world compete, if they compete you have then got pressure, downward pressure on fares, if they don't compete you have upward pressure on fares because their job is to look after their shareholders. If they have got no real competition they will push fares up and look after their shareholders first.

"We launched our No way BA/AA campaign today, all our planes will have it painted on and its part of a major advertising lobbying campaign to stop this unholy alliance ever taking place."

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