"Those who eat shark fin soup told me they don't particularly like it," Branson, President of Virgin Atlantic Airlines, said. "it was just the tradition."

维珍大西洋航空创始人布兰森表示，那些吃过鱼翅的人跟他说他们也并没有很爱吃，只是传统而已。

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When previous applications were blocked, the so-called Bermuda 2 Agreement was in place, whereby only four airlines, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, United Airlines and American Airlines, could fly the transatlantic route out of Heathrow, an agreement that the United States government was keen to scrap by putting the hefty conditions on BA's application.

FORBES: BA Could Be Third Time Lucky

British Airlines and Virgin Atlantic, the only two EU airlines currently operating transatlantic flights from Heathrow, have criticized the deal.

FORBES: Magazine Article

The treaty puts an end to the exclusive arrangement granted to British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, United Airlines and American Airlines to fly transatlantic out of London Heathrow.

CNN: Open Skies explained