Reality bites for flights of fancy

Virgin Atlantic is considering axing its mile-high beauty treats. Sir Richard Branson's agenda-setting airline has convened a meeting of its 280 beauty therapists after research showed Upper Class passengers were becoming ambivalent about the perk, reports The Times. Most preferred sleep to a fully-clothed back rub. The news comes as Oasis, the Hong Kong budget airline, goes into liquidation after just 18 m months of service. The carrier had gone to market with an eye-popping fare of $128 one-way Hong Kong to London. It is now $128m in debt. The end of innovation in the airline industry? Not likely, but it does remind business that bottom lines, not just headlines, matter. Virgin is likely to expand the spa and beauty treatments at its popular Upper Class lounge; budget carriers will examine the Oasis fall out and figure out a new way to undercut the legacy carriers. Consumers still like to be pampered, and everyone likes a bargain.