He would never say never.

Open skies will come, just as the Berlin Wall finally came down. It's an anachronism to have these restrictions between two free-trading states.

We were stuck in the 1970s in terms of our offering to our customers.

With the launch of this new airline, BMI will have a strong presence in both the no frills and full service airline sector.

This trial will guide us on usage patterns and some of the social issues in using mobile phones on aircraft. It will also help us to confirm the business case for rolling the service out across the remainder of the fleet.

He had the belief in what he was doing, the resolution and strength of mind, and he showed that, if you persevere, you can succeed.

BMI is launching the this new airline in response to clear market opportunity and consumer demand.