I believe there are still a few VS employees on here - can I send them all my best wishes for the future and thank them all for their service in the past .
I will be among the first to book when the ban is over.
David.
+1 to that, it is going to be very tough times ahead for the Virgin staff plus airport staff in general (so Crawley area, for example, is going to take a big hit affecting many personal friends)
My trip to LAS at the end of the month is definitely now off with the travel ban to USA (trade show I was attending was moved in last 48 hours to a new date in June but I was still going to go to visit friends etc) but it's also going to be tough on the hospitality industry there unless internal US travellers keep visiting for leisure while all/most trade shows get cancelled.
Unfortunately it's not just the travel industry but whole hospitality industry is suffering too - friends who drive & tour guide on European coach tours are already without work since January or, the luckier one, February (most coach operators already cancelled this week everything until 30th April - not April 3rd, the closing date set for schools to take them up to school holidays). I have had to close all my businesses in Brussels as of last night with my staff laid off on emergency wages of just 70% yet obviously all their usual bills to pay next month....but it's hard to top up any wages even if we legally could because rents, insurances etc still to pay with zero income until probably end of June (though we can hope only until end of May) so we can hope to reopen and not lose the jobs forever. Many friends in Brugge are in the same situation having to close their bars, restaurants and hotels or lose their jobs in the same. Another friend in Prague is in a similarly awful situation having to close all 7 of his bars/restaurants plus a nightclub and can only hope Czech government helps with his staff as he can't pay them for more than a month or so before going bankrupt meaning no jobs for folks to come back to at the end of all this.
Anyway, didn't mean to go so far off topic, main point is that like David I really hope Virgin survive and there is plenty of help and support for the aircrew and ground crew of Virgin and other airlines who have given such loyal service - folks with families to support and all the usual bills to pay.