British Airways paid out one of the largest libel settlements in UK history on 11th January, 1993, for engaging in disreputable business practices, including shredding documents, poaching passages, and circulating hostile and discreditable stories about their upstart rival Virgin Airlines.

The so-called Dirty Tricks revealed that British Airways had created a secret unit within a secure office in Gatwick dedicated to destroying Richard Branson’s new airline through a range of nefarious strategies. 

In this episode, Arion, Rebecca and Olly discuss the sneaky activities that British Airways’ Helpline team were tasked with carrying out; explain how the murky story ended up in court; and reveal Richard Branson’s fool-proof single piece of advice for anyone who wants to become a millionaire… 

Further Reading:

• ‘British Air to pay for “Dirty Tricks”’ (The Chicago Tribune, 1993): https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1993-01-12-9303161067-story.html

• ‘British Airways Virgin Atlantic Dirty Tricks (1993)’ (Granada TV, 1993): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rm54xVyqBLI&t=7s

#90s #Business #UK

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The Retrospectors are Olly Mann, Rebecca Messina & Arion McNicoll, with Matt Hill.

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