A Knight to remember!

Neelam Mathews

April 19, 2011

Time: 10;25am IST

Even as Richard Branson is unveiled as an AirAsia flight attendant on May 2 - having lost a bet to Tony Fernandes of Air Asia – no one is quite sure what it will cost the highest bidder to shave his legs for charity!

“As an AirAsia flight attendant, Richard would have to comply to our grooming standards …… Richard and I thought we could have a bit of fun, engage with our guests and raise more money for charity if we opened up the opportunity to the highest bidder. It’s the first time we’ve both agreed on anything so that in itself is worth the price of the opening bid,” said Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia Berhad & Principal of Team Lotus.

Bidders must have a confirmed ticket for the charity flight or to the Charity Evening. Bidding will take place at the pre-departure event in Stansted.  

 Onboard AirAsia flight D7 08 from London to Kuala Lumpur, Sir Richard will don AirAsia’s famous red female flight attendant uniform and strut down the aisle to offer coffee, tea or any other food or beverage to Tony Fernandes and 250 other guests on the special 13-hour KL-bound flight.  

Tickets onboard this special AirAsia charity flight are available at  GBP4,500 for a round trip, while flights and accommodation packages start at GBP5,000 for a single accommodation and GBP5,200 for twin sharing.

 “We’ve come a full circle, Richard and I. Who would’ve thought my mentor will be serving as a flight attendant on AirAsia.......... how we got to this charity flight is a testament that we can achieve anything if we are fueled by passion, grit, determination and never take no for an answer. Team Lotus, a Malaysian F1 team, supported by AirAsia, an ASEAN airline has beaten the odds on the race track and on the air, and there will be more to come. I am also glad that we are able to contribute to those in need through this charity flight as well.”
 

The party onboard- in true Tony’s style promises to be memorable. Though I do suspect Kuala Lumpur’s immigration might have some issues in getting the passengers to stay in line!

Sav the Deceptionist will be on board to entertain guests throughout the journey. Formula One Legend, Eddie Jordan, better known for his driving prowess and making Formula One World Champions out of Damon Hill, Nigel Mansell, Michael Schumacher, and Ayrton Senna will have his band, ‘Eddie & The Robbers’ will be on board the charity flight as well. A host of other performances including stand-up comedy, live DJs complete the line-up of acts that have been arranged for the charity flight.