Richard Branson posts heartfelt letter after employees were abused online

Virgin CEO Sir Richard Branson has asked people to be kinder online after his staff received abuse on social media.

The statement follows media reports on a recent incident on a Virgin Atlantic flight from London to Shanghai. The reports came after a passenger on the flight went on the Chinese social media platform Weibo, Business Insider reports. The woman claimed that a male passenger had called her a "F***ing Chinese pig" and told her to "Get the f*** out of here."

Branson replied to the reports with a letter on Virgin’s website and said he “was saddened that some of our customers and crew had an unpleasant experience on the flight.”

He continued: “We have fully investigated this incident and have spoken with all those involved, including fellow customers and the cabin crew present. There was an altercation between two customers on board the flight, a female customer and a male customer who has Parkinson’s disease.