trolly dolly
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Virgin America on approach cant wait for them to start early next year......
Virgin America
- Thread starter trolly dolly
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Well, I think the official name will be Virgin America (and not Virgin Red) because I decided to go to VirginAmerica.com and its a registered URL that redirects you to the regular VirginAtlantic.com site.
hmmm .... Im VERY interested in seeing the outcome if this venture.
hmmm .... Im VERY interested in seeing the outcome if this venture.
runway4
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Is there a press release somewhere?
There are a few, that talks about "the bearded one" wanting to start an airline it the USA. He said in another one, that he wished jetBlue was for sale🙂
Anyway, here is one article:
Another low-fare airline is coming to America. Virgin Atlantic Airways chairman Richard Branson says he'll launch a U.S. carrier in the first half of next year.
Branson hopes to emulate Southwest and JetBlue, which have cornered a large part of the low-cost market in the U.S. and have been operating profitably while such major carriers as United, American and US Airways have been in or near bankruptcy.
Branson's announcement came just one day after he said Virgin Atlantic, which already flies routes between major U.S. airports and Great Britain, would expand to fly the kangaroo route from the UK to Australia in competition with Qantas.
U.S. law forbids foreign ownership of airlines, meaning that Branson will have to be a minority shareholder in his American airline. He said he expects no problem attracting institutional investors. Branson said he was in the process of hiring executives, especially a CEOfor the airline, and negotiating with Airbus and Boeing for aircraft.
Branson said the new carrier would start with 10 to 15 planes and build from there.
Branson said there are plenty of routes still available for a quality, low-cost carrier that would not have Virgin competing against JetBlue and Southwest.
“There are a lot of routes JetBlue do not fly and we will be doing things that JetBlue do not do,†he added.
Anyway, here is one article:
Another low-fare airline is coming to America. Virgin Atlantic Airways chairman Richard Branson says he'll launch a U.S. carrier in the first half of next year.
Branson hopes to emulate Southwest and JetBlue, which have cornered a large part of the low-cost market in the U.S. and have been operating profitably while such major carriers as United, American and US Airways have been in or near bankruptcy.
Branson's announcement came just one day after he said Virgin Atlantic, which already flies routes between major U.S. airports and Great Britain, would expand to fly the kangaroo route from the UK to Australia in competition with Qantas.
U.S. law forbids foreign ownership of airlines, meaning that Branson will have to be a minority shareholder in his American airline. He said he expects no problem attracting institutional investors. Branson said he was in the process of hiring executives, especially a CEOfor the airline, and negotiating with Airbus and Boeing for aircraft.
Branson said the new carrier would start with 10 to 15 planes and build from there.
Branson said there are plenty of routes still available for a quality, low-cost carrier that would not have Virgin competing against JetBlue and Southwest.
“There are a lot of routes JetBlue do not fly and we will be doing things that JetBlue do not do,†he added.
Branson is a nut! He needs to spend more time figuring out how to make Virgin Express successful! If he thinks Easyjet and Ryanair are tough he aint seen nothing yet! With JB, Airtran, F9, and Song expanding rapidly and SW slowly expanding plus the old carriers lowering their costs he's gonna have a tough time here!
LambertMan
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I was just wondering where Virgin America would have its hub at. Here are a few places that come to my mind:
1. PIT-Mediocre O&D (5 million), but if US pulls out there will be no dominate carrier, and it has no LUV presence, something it has over STL.
1. STL-Much better O&D (10 million), but has a strong LUV presence and a decent AA presence for now, but I believe the cuts from AA are supposed to keep coming, you can bet on it, good postioning, right in the middle of the country, could serve business markets where LUV doesnt, ATL, BOS, JFK, MIA, ORD, MSP just off of O&D alone.....you get the picture I think. (Assuming US, B6, FL, or F9 dont setup shop)
3. MSY-For its size, good O&D at 9 million a year, no dominate carrier, and its decently positioned, slightly south, but not bad.
4. MCI-Good O&D at almost 10 million, airport right now looks like a ghost town, has a big LUV presence that may make them shy away. (bigger LUV presence than STL)
Second tier competitors:
COS, ABQ, AUS, IND (gate space???), and IAD.
And one other thing, will this be a feeder flight for a Virgin Atlantic LGW flight? I would bet on it. Let me hear your take on these issues.
1. PIT-Mediocre O&D (5 million), but if US pulls out there will be no dominate carrier, and it has no LUV presence, something it has over STL.
1. STL-Much better O&D (10 million), but has a strong LUV presence and a decent AA presence for now, but I believe the cuts from AA are supposed to keep coming, you can bet on it, good postioning, right in the middle of the country, could serve business markets where LUV doesnt, ATL, BOS, JFK, MIA, ORD, MSP just off of O&D alone.....you get the picture I think. (Assuming US, B6, FL, or F9 dont setup shop)
3. MSY-For its size, good O&D at 9 million a year, no dominate carrier, and its decently positioned, slightly south, but not bad.
4. MCI-Good O&D at almost 10 million, airport right now looks like a ghost town, has a big LUV presence that may make them shy away. (bigger LUV presence than STL)
Second tier competitors:
COS, ABQ, AUS, IND (gate space???), and IAD.
And one other thing, will this be a feeder flight for a Virgin Atlantic LGW flight? I would bet on it. Let me hear your take on these issues.
usairways85
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I am pretty sure Virgin Atlantic has already stated that they want a hub city for Virgin America to be a city Virgin Atlantic currently serves. So if that is true all of the cities you listed will not be hubs. It makes sense that the hub of Virgin America will have connections with Virgin Atlantic flights to the UK.
LambertMan
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Hmm.....they going to go to MCO??? Doubt it, AirTran and LUV
BOS-No gate space
JFK-JetBlue
LAS-HP & LUV
MIA-No gate space available and AA dominates
LAX-Lots and lots of competition not to mention LUV
SFO-Strongest possibility, lowering landing fees and all, terrible transfer point however
EWR-CO dominates
IAD-LUV is looking them right over the shoulder at BWI
Honestly, I have no clue how they are going to setup shop in any of these places, but who knows......
BTW, PIT & STL are Bermuda II gateways
BOS-No gate space
JFK-JetBlue
LAS-HP & LUV
MIA-No gate space available and AA dominates
LAX-Lots and lots of competition not to mention LUV
SFO-Strongest possibility, lowering landing fees and all, terrible transfer point however
EWR-CO dominates
IAD-LUV is looking them right over the shoulder at BWI
Honestly, I have no clue how they are going to setup shop in any of these places, but who knows......
BTW, PIT & STL are Bermuda II gateways
trolly dolly
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well.. I think will be JFK.. and i'm pretty sure Virgin America will follow Virgin Atlantic's cities for connecting flights...Right Now JFK is where VS have more flights to from the UK.
And Remember Virgin America will be a National Airline meaning, a USA flag carrier.
And Remember Virgin America will be a National Airline meaning, a USA flag carrier.
LambertMan
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Well, others were posting stuff about Virgin America in here, so I figured I'd also put it under JetBlue.
LGA Fleet Service
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On 8/12/2003 8:29:21 AM Farley wrote:
"Well, others were posting stuff about Virgin America in here, so I figured I'd also put it under JetBlue"
Good reason.
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You know what they say, "When in doubt, follow the herd".
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