ATLANTA — The owner of Virgin Voyages, Sir Richard Branson, did a leap day giveaway to celebrate his cruise line’s launch in Puerto Rico.

Branson hosted a full departure takeover to give passengers a glimpse of the cruise experience at their gate.

Branson, then got on the flight to personally gift all SkyMiles Members on the board a free voyage to sail during the ship’s inaugural season in San Juan later this year.

“The Caribbean has been my home for many years, and I’m very excited to welcome Resilient Lady as she sails from San Juan to visit the region’s most beautiful destinations. My excitement clearly couldn’t be contained, so we came up with a way to celebrate with a personal invitation and surprise for some unsuspecting guests on a Delta flight to San Juan. We’re grateful for our partners at Delta for joining in on the fun and look forward to showing everyone what it’s like to Set Sail the Virgin Way!” Branson said.

The Resilient Lady made its maiden voyage in May 2023 to the Greek Isles.

“Since the brand’s launch in 2021, Virgin Voyages has earned a number of top awards in the consumer travel and cruise industry categories. Most recently, the brand took home all five awards in its category for this year’s Cruisers’ Choice Awards with Cruise Critic. This includes Best Overall Cruise Line, Best Dining, Best Cabins, Best Service and Best Value for Money. On top of this awards sweep, Virgin Voyages was recently named on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2023 Hot List, a curated list of the world’s best new cruises,” Virgin Voyages said in a news release.