  We suggest that major Luminous Blue Variable (LBV) eruptions are a result of
a periastron passage interaction with the secondary star. The interaction must
take place when the primary envelope is in an unstable phase. In our model the
mass transferred to the secondary accounts for the energy and light curve of
the eruption. We propose that all major LBV eruptions are triggered by stellar
companions, and that in extreme cases a short duration event with a huge mass
transfer rate can lead to a bright transient event on time scales of weeks to
months (a `supernova impostor')
