Dirty Tricks: British Airways' Secret War Against Virgin Atlantic

This book had me gripped - I finished it in 3 days. If you no little about the corporate world, industrial espionage, and the world of 'security consultants', this is a fantastic eye-opener. I can vouch that at least one of the 'players' as Martyn calls them, was described down to a tee. A very accurate portrayal.

A horrendous expose of blatent efforts to quash the competition on the part of both British Airways and American Airlines, headed by several of Britain's establishment figures, several of who "retired" shortly after book publication. But, as one would think only happening in fiction, one of the main players rose to the top again, and is currently the major player. The most alarming aftermath is that this book was suddenly "out of print" very shortly after publication, not only in the US, but in the UK and Europe. I was loaned a copy by an aviation colleague (who received it as a gift from a Londoner), read it and immediately tried to purchase it three years ago. Am still trying. Could it only be a coincidence that during all the political machinations by both BA and AA to join forces, there were no copies of this book available to the public? One of the many horrifying aspects of this book is the way one company can get into the computer system of another in order to cause havoc.

Thoroughly researched account of paranoia and dirty business practices used by BA against Richard Branson and Virgin Airlines from smear and innuendo through poaching passengers in the airports to impersonating Virgin staff. Extremely unsettling expose of the British Establishment uniting with vested interests to do down the underdog led this writer to vow never to travel with BA again: one of the main plotters is now running the company. Reads like a thriller, and additional material for the paperback version detailing a campaign of vilification and vandalism against a member of the public and an unholy alliance between BA and Heathrow police force almost beggars belief - and should cast a long shadow over the close relationship between American Airlines and BA. Essential reading for everyone in business and every airline passanger. First-rate investigative journalism