British Airways has airbrushed a scene of arch-rival Sir Richard Branson out of its in-flight James Bond movie Casino Royale, sources close to the company said today.
The Virgin Atlantic chief is briefly featured in the original 007 film at an airport security scanner, but can only be seen from the back in the edited version. Shots of the tail fin of a Virgin plane have also been obscured.
A spokesman for BA said only that it "previews films before they are screened on our aircraft and regularly edits films" on the grounds of taste and suitability.
The latest 007 film, which shows how Bond acquires his licence to kill with its "00" prefix, broke worldwide box office records for a Bond movie, and earned Daniel Craig a Bafta nomination for best actor.
Virgin Atlantic said it had helped the film's producers get a plane to Prague where some of the scenes were shot. A Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman said the company does not have a policy of editing its in-flight films.
"We think that passengers should see all the film, and nothing but the whole film," she added. Mr Branson has had cameo roles in other movies, including a Superman film, and in TV shows such as Friends.
Spats between the two carriers go back a long time. Last year, Virgin Atlantic was identified as having provided US and British authorities