AirAsia group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes has accepted a challenge by British tycoon Sir Richard Branson for either one of them to dress up as an airline stewardess should their team finish lower in the 2010 F1 season. Fernandes, who is Lotus Formula 1 team principal, said he was keen to see Branson don the AirAsia stewardess uniform and has even created a poster depicting him in the uniform. “Our guests will be delighted to be served by a Knight of the Realm,” he said in a statement on Thursday. The poster created by Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes illustrating Sir Richard Branson in the AirAsia cabin crew uniform.
Fernandes said Branson, who owns the Virgin Racing team, would be assigned to duty on board a flight operated by AirAsia X, the long-haul low-cost affiliate of AirAsia. “We will be applying soon to the Department of Civil Aviation to gain clearance for him”. “But knowing Richard, the real challenge will be to prevent him from asking our guests, “coffee, tea or me?”,” he added. Branson, while launching his Virgin Racing team in London on Tuesday, had challenged Fernandes to don the winner’s airline stewardess uniform should his Lotus F1 team lose the 2010 F1 circuit race. Virgin Racing and Lotus F1 are two of four new teams competing in circuit.
Fernandes, who is the head of low-cost airline AirAsia, used to work for Branson as financial controller at Virgin Records.
