Virgin Oceanic: Richard Branson Tells Fox Business "It's Great To Have Google On Board"

Virgin Group Chairman and billionaire adventurer Richard Branson spoke with FOX Business Network's (FBN) Dagen McDowell about Virgin Oceanic and his plan to explore the ocean in the single-person submarine. Branson said “it's great to have Google on board” because “people will literally be able to come down with us as we head down to the bottom of the oceans.” In addition, Branson also discussed the Southwest Airlines incident and his subsequent concerns as an airline owner, saying, “I don't think we will have a Southwest type problem fortunately at Virgin, but for the industry as a whole, it was an extremely unfortunate incident.”Excerpts from the report are below, courtesy of Fox Business Network. On the announcement of the Virgin Oceanic expedition:“It will be quite an adventure. People will literally be able to come down with us and see some of these incredible-looking species as we head down to the bottom of the oceans.” On Google being one of the biggest sponsors of the Virgin Oceanic adventure:“It's great to have Google on board because between Google and the BBC, people will be able to follow our explorations and join in with us. We're going further down than Mount Everest is high.” On concerns as an airline owner:“I think Virgin is quite fortunate since we have very young planes. We have A320s that are in America and we just ordered another 70 of them that are brand new planes, very young, fuel-efficient planes. I don't think we will have a Southwest type problem fortunately at Virgin, but for the industry as a whole, it was an extremely unfortunate incident. I'm sure the authorities at Southwest will get on top of that.” On the economic strength of the world:“It depends which part of the world you're living in. If you're living in the Far East, or South America or even in Africa, the world is not looking too bad. If you're living in Europe and America, we're fighting to get out of the recession, but we're doing pretty well considering. Oil prices is a big worry and what's going on in the Middle East is great news generally, but worrying from an oil price perspective. That could choke the recovery unless they come back to more realistic levels quickly.” On if he yearns for leisure time in the midst of his busy life:“I think that sounds dull. I love creating things; I never thought of myself as a business man. We love challenges and we are in a position to do that and will keep doing that.”