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AirAsia’s Lotus wins Formula 1 bet so Branson walks the aisle

Analysis

A competition between Lotus Racing team's AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes and Virgin Racing's Sir Richard Branson has ended in a tie on zero points in this season's Formula 1 series. But Lotus made better placings during the year, so Sir Richard loses a bet over who would serve whose passengers on a flight of the other's airline.

Summary
  • Lotus Racing and Virgin Racing tied with zero points in this season's Formula 1 series.
  • Lotus Racing made better placings throughout the year, resulting in Virgin Racing's Sir Richard Branson losing a bet.
  • As per the bet, Sir Richard Branson will have to serve Lotus Racing's passengers on a flight of AirAsia, CEO Tony Fernandes' airline.
  • Tickets for the flight will be sold through an online auction, with the proceeds going to charity.
  • The date for the performance is yet to be announced.
  • AirAsia may seek to maximize ancillary revenue by offering additional charges for unique experiences during the flight, such as sitting on Sir Richard Branson's lap.

CEO Fernandes announced "it's time for Richard to start preparing himself for some hard work and the likely pain of a pair of high heels."

Tickets on the AirAsia flight will be sold off to the highest bidders through an online auction, with the proceeds to go to charity. No date has yet been named for the performance.

Sir Richard is a popular cross dresser and AirAsia will be seeking to maximise ancillary revenue as he performs his duties. Extra charges will for example be payable for him/her to sit on a passenger's lap (or not to).

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