News: Virgin America set for take off this summer

Flights > News > # 1281 (23/05/2007)

New airline Virgin America has been given the green light to launch in the United States.
Federal regulators approved the company's revised plan to operate US-based commercial flights after the company made a host of concessions to allay concerns about the foreign ownership stake of Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group.
Draconian US laws limit foreign control of domestic air carriers and cap foreign control of a US airline at 25 percent of voting shares. Major US airlines; including American Airlines, Delta and unsuccessfully sought to prevent Virgin America from flying.
Flights are scheduled to take off from its base at San Francisco International airport to New York JFK. Virgin America also plans to serve Washington Dulles, Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas within the first nine months of service, before expanding across the US.