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The idea of flying in general does not appeal to me. I can barely understand why people want to fly at all, other than that it's occasionally necessary.

A lot of airlines have come and gone.

Aviation is for the common man. My goal is to enable everyone to fly. It shouldn't be only for the rich.

But I don't think the popularity of flying has diminished a bit.

I think airlines have been very much parrots. They'll just follow what everyone else is doing. Why change a model that they're happy in? And it takes someone like myself or Richard Branson who comes from outside the industry to say, 'Hey, let's try something new.'

I don't think our government really has much of a policy about air travel. I would compare the policies of United Arab Emirates, which has done a terrific job recognizing the value of transportation, of travel.

The need for air transport is real, and it's not going to change. The key is to have the right business model and have the right initiatives, in my view, to succeed.

The glamour of air travel - its aspirational meaning in the public imagination - disappeared before its luxury did, dissipating as flying gradually became commonplace.