Virgin America
Airline Code: VX
About Virgin America:
In early 2004, Virgin Group announced its intent to start a new, United States-based,
low-fare airline it named “Virgin USA”. At the time, Virgin USA expected flights
to begin by mid-2005. After considering several key areas, the San Francisco Bay
Area was picked to be the location of its flight operations center, and later its
corporate headquarters. The airline also changed its name from “Virgin USA” to “Virgin
America”. Because it had trouble finding U.S. investors willing to gamble on a new
airline, given the state of the already crowded U.S. airline industry, the launch
date was pushed back from mid-2005 to early 2006.
Virgin America secured its first amount of funding in late 2005 and submitted the
required U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) certificate application. The approval
process was filled with debate from the support and opposition of the new airline.
City and state representatives from California and New York led the support for
the airline. The biggest opposition came from the Air Line Pilots Association (a
national aviation labor union) and U.S. “legacy” airlines led by Houston-based Continental
Airlines. The review of Virgin America’s application was prolonged because of this
opposition, which claimed Virgin America would not be under U.S. ownership or control.
The application was denied by the Department of Transportation on December 27, 2006.
Virgin America Major Hubs:
San Francisco International Airport
Aircraft Type:
Airbus A319, A320
Fleet Size: 28
No. of Destinations: 8
Airline was founded in: 2004