Richard Branson takes delivery of V Australia 777

EVERETT, Washington (AP) - Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson cavorted with bikini-clad cabin crew attendants amid fake palm trees as he accepted a new Boeing 777 at the factory in Everett, Washington. But Branson also had harsh words for Boeing.

He said Virgin Blue Holdings' new budget service between Sydney, Australia, and the Los Angeles area, under the title V Australia, would have begun flights around Christmas, rather than later this month, if not for the Boeing machinists strike last year.