SO Richard Branson and his Virgin Atlantic flying casinos are coming to Hong Kong after all.
It was less than a month ago that aviation's master showman was saying that if his airline could not get the departure slots he wanted at Kai Tak, he would turn his back on Hong Kong indefinitely.
Within a week he was hogging the headlines again, with a very different line.
He was coming to Hong Kong ''one way or another'', and was sending one of his lieutenants to the territory to hammer out a deal that would allow him to compete on the London-Hong Kong route with Cathay Pacific and British Airways.
The envoy, it seemed, served him well. He has announced he will be starting Hong Kong-London flights next February, complete with on-board gambling.
But there have been confusing messages out of London that could suggest Mr Branson himself is gambling heavily on the success of the route on which he is planning to undercut his competitors.
Virgin managing director Roy Gardner has said that while slot times being offered were not attractive, it was low yields that were the most pressing concern.