Virgin America Gets OK

[chucky]

Virgin America Gets OK for U.S. Airline
Friday May 18, 4:54 pm ET
By Alan Zibel, AP Business Writer
Virgin America Gets Approval for U.S. Airline, Agrees to Replace CEO and Other Concessions


WASHINGTON (AP) -- Startup airline Virgin America won final approval Friday to take to the skies in the United States.
Federal regulators approved the company's revised plan to operate U.S.-based commercial flights after the company made numerous concessions, including replacing its chief executive, to allay concerns about the foreign ownership stake of Richard Branson's London-based Virgin Group Ltd.



Service is expected to start this summer with flights from San Francisco International Airport to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.

In a statement, the Transportation Department said Virgin's revised plan, filed in January by Burlingame, Calif.-based Virgin America, is now in compliance with laws that limit foreign control of domestic air carriers.

That includes company ownership rules that cap foreign control of a U.S. airline at 25 percent of voting shares. Virgin also agreed to replace CEO Fred Reid, the former Delta Air Lines Inc. president hired by British billionaire Branson, founder of London-based Virgin Atlantic Airways.

The DOT said it concluded that replacing Reid with a CEO not affiliated with Branson's Virgin Group would alleviate worries about the airline's independence. Reid will be allowed to stay with the company for six months after its start.

"This has been quite a journey, but I'm truly happy that we will be able to launch our airline," Reid said in a prepared statement.

story

 

[CO738]

After checking out their website, I must say their cabins will look awesome.

 

[UAL_TECH]

Yea, this will solve the 'over capacity' problem...

 

[StraaightTaalk]

After checking out their website, I must say their cabins will look awesome.

How long are they going to look so nice with the emphasis on the color white? Before long, the seats will all have visible scuff marks, pen marks, holes, worn edges, and god knows what else.

Today's traveler seems to think that paying for an airline ticket entitles him or her to leave his or her seating area in a complete shambles. There is no reason for the mess that so many people leave nowadays. Even though we go through before landing to pick up trash, they stil manage to leave the plane completely trashed.


All of this white stuff is going to be very difficult to maintain. Pretty to look at, though, but, after a while, it will show wear worse than you can imagine.

 

[FA Mikey]

A VA plane is sitting at the AA hanger in Miami off LeJuene

 

[LCC_#1]

Todays customers are pigs. 20 times through the cabin and it's STILL a mess. Todays passengers should be required to check all bags and have nothing on them, but the robe and slippers provided after they check their clothes and belongings. Thats the only way the airplanes will EVER stay in good shape.

But the VA planes ARE purty!

 

[CO738]

Hahaha - I did not realize my comment would cause such a stink! I did not think about the cleanliness issue - those white F class seats will look like crap after a few flights. However, the Y seats are black.


Just a note - based on their employment page, it looks like the launch cities will be SFO - IAD, LAS, JFK ... With WN getting on the LAS-SFO route and B6 adding JFK-SFO, not to mention the AA and UA and CO (EWR) service on the route, there is a ton of capacity flying between their city pairs already. I wouldn't be surprised if WN starts SFO-BWI in response to Virgin America.


Hey, so I don't have to type out the full name, does anyone know what Virgin America's IATA code will be? I hope it's not VA - it will remind me too much of the state or the government department.

Because I don't usually travel to SFO, I doubt I will be able to try them anytime soon (I haven't been to the Bay Area in ages - if it gives you an idea, the last time I went, I flew a CO 727-200.)

 

[CO738]

does anyone know what Virgin America's IATA code will be?

Found it - VX

 

[Dont call me Shirley]

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?.../BUUUREQDG2.DTL


Startup airline Virgin America is scheduled to land its first planes today amid much hoopla, as passengers arrive at San Francisco International Airport from New York and Los Angeles.

The low-fare carrier, based in Burlingame, is beginning service with two flights per day out of SFO to New York and five to Los Angeles. It plans to begin service between SFO and Las Vegas, Boston and Washington in the coming months.

Among the glitterati expected to attend today's kickoff are Richard Branson, chairman of the Virgin Group; Virgin America Chief Executive Officer Fred Reid; San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom and possibly Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. .....