Steve Hilton's trouble with fat cats and underdogs | Stefan Stern

The policy guru thinks that Virgin Atlantic is an 'upstart'. His confusion is Branson's PR triumphBefore boarding a flight on my favourite upstart airline Virgin Atlantic, I usually down a can of lager brewed by that plucky Danish start-up, Carlsberg. Then it's off for a cheeseburger from my alternative fast-food chain of choice, McDonald's.It's all relative, I suppose. Steve Hilton's description of Virgin as an "upstart", in contrast to the "fat cat" British Airways, relayed in a piece in Standpoint magazine this week, has caused some eyebrows to be raised. Virgin Atlantic had a turnover of £2.4bn in its last financial year. It is 51% owned by the Virgin Group, with the remaining 49% being in the hands of that other minnow, Singapore Airlines.The prime minister's policy guru has fallen into the trap that lies in wait for all PR executives - believing the hype. But the faux humility of Sir Richard Branson has lured many of his competitors into ill-advised complacen