I kinda doubt it's a takeover play. Airline stocks are always the first to go south when the economy turns sour. I recently read that airline stocks worldwide are recovering, and there is no doubt VBA is somewhat undervalued. QAN has recovered quite well too, considering.
I can't think of anyone/company/organisation that would want to takeover VBA after the disastrous Allco debacle with QAN a couple years ago. Besides (as silly as it sounds), I think Branson is too narcissistic to just let it go to a new home (per se).
As Branson once said, when asked "How do you become a Millionaire"?, he answered, "You start off as a Billionaire...... then buy an airline" lol
I too can see this at $1.00 in the not too distant future.
VBA Price at posting:
47.0¢ Sentiment: Buy Disclosure: Held