Virgin America Airlines’ First Flight
Virgin America Inc. planes took off for the first time Wednesday, marking the startup’s entry into the competitive U.S. airline business.
British billionaire Richard Branson, the airline’s owner and founder, was aboard Virgin America’s first flight from New York City to San Francisco’s airport. Local leaders such as San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom were part of festivities at SFO, which will be the main operations hub for the new carrier.
The United States airline industry has underwent many changes in the time it took Virgin America to reach its debut flight. Low-cost carriers like Southwest and JetBlue, once the darlings of the industry, are throttling back growth plans amid high fuel prices and other cost pressures. Southwest said it is offering buyouts to 25 percent of its employees to help cut costs.