Virgin America is American owned! Richard Branson only has a 49% stake in the company. |---------+----------------------------> | | damiross2@comcast| | | .net | | | Sent by: The | | | Airline List | | | <AIRLINE@LISTSERV| | | .CUNY.EDU> | | | | | | | | | 06/16/2004 10:53 | | | AM | | | Please respond to| | | The Airline List;| | | Please respond to| | | damiross2 | | | | |---------+----------------------------> >--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | | | To: AIRLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx | | cc: | | Subject: Re: SFGate: Virgin to buy Airbus airplanes/Branson names carrier; executive lineup announced | >--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Not only buy American but be owned by an American. I don't think an airline in the USA should be owned by a foreigner, at least not voting stock. David R > The fact that this action by Richard Branson to buy Airbus instead of Boeing > is totally wrong; whether it was Boeing or Lockheed or any other American > company or not, the fact that Branson has hurt an AMERICAN COMPANY. Our > people should BUY AMERICAN . It is just WRONG to go outside your own > country and purchase someone's else's products, We have , I think, the best > production companies in the world ! Oh yes, I realize the "out the door" > price can sometimes dictate where you obtain your requirement, the fact that > this has put fully productive people out of work and many will end up on the > dole. That is one reason I bought my Ford as verses a foreign car/truck. I > believe in American made products and the folks that work in our factories! > They are AMERICAN workers and deserve to be building for the USA ! I am > not speaking for any unions, I was a union member years ago, This has > nothing to do with this as I see it. I hope this idiot feels good for the > damage he has done ! Got it off my chest!!!!!!!!!! > > BOB FLETCHER > US ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS > MILITARY DESIGN SECTION > 10th FLOOR S.W. > SACRAMENTO DISTRICT > 1325 J STREET, SACRAMENTO > CALIFORNIA, 95814-2922 > Phone (916) 557-7235 > > > -----Original Message----- > From: Bill Hough [mailto:psa188@xxxxxxxx] > Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 7:09 AM > To: AIRLINE@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: SFGate: Virgin to buy Airbus airplanes/Branson names carrier; > executive lineup announced > > > those hapless idiots in SEA lost another one to the Evil Empire. > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. > The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: > http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/2004/06= > /16/BUGQU76KBE1.DTL > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > Wednesday, June 16, 2004 (SF Chronicle) > Virgin to buy Airbus airplanes/Branson names carrier; executive lineup anno= > unced > George Raine, Chronicle Staff Writer > > > Richard Branson has chosen the name Virgin America for his new low- cost > airline and plans to acquire up to 105 new Airbus planes for the carrier, > whose operations are to be based in San Francisco. > The airline will have a management team made up entirely of U.S. citizen= > s, > said Fred Reid, head of the nascent operation, during an appearance > Tuesday at the International Aviation Club in Washington. > Reid said the airline has entered into agreements to acquire and lease up > to 105 narrow-body Airbus aircraft. The move is a blow to Boeing, which > had competed with Europe's Airbus for Virgin America's business. The > planes are A319s, which, according to Airbus usually carry 124 passengers, > and A320s, which carry about 150 passengers. > The full picture of Virgin America -- what routes it will fly, where it > will compete with other carriers, its business plan -- has yet to emerge. > "All I can say is it is in process," company spokeswoman Stacy Geagan sa= > id > when asked about the fund-raising effort under way at Virgin America. > The carrier, which still only exists on paper, said on June 4 that it wi= > ll > have its operational base in San Francisco, where some 1,500 flight > attendants, pilots, maintenance technicians and other employees will be > hired and based. The airline's administrative headquarters will be in New > York, where it will have about 300 workers. > The decision came after months of waiting as Virgin examined its options. > Boston and the area around Dulles International Airport in Virginia were > also under consideration. It was a significant win for San Francisco, but > it would be incorrect to assume that San Francisco International Airport > will become a Virgin America hub, Geagan said. > "We have not announced airports (to be used) and it is not our intention > to create a hub operation," Geagan said. > She said the company "is in the process of working with different realto= > rs > on some very attractive locations" for the operational base. > SFO spokeswoman Kandace Bender said discussions with Virgin America are > taking place concerning options at the airport. Possibilities include > using the space that Virgin Atlantic, the Virgin Group's international > carrier, uses at the new International Terminal or perhaps using the old, > vacant international terminal. > Reid said the new aircraft being purchased and leased will form the > backbone of the carrier's fleet, which is scheduled to begin service in > 2005. > "This is a major step toward realizing our goal of launching a truly 21st > century alternative airline here in the United States," he said. > He said Virgin America has a firm order for 18 new aircraft -- 11 A319s > and seven A320s -- with 15 additional new A320s being leased from GE > Capital Aviation Services. He said the agreement with Airbus has options > for up to 72 additional aircraft. All will be equipped with engines from > CMF International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma Moteurs of France > and GE. > U.S. law says that Branson, because he is not a U.S. citizen, cannot own > more than 49 percent of the carrier or control more than 25 percent of its > voting stock. > The management team announced on Tuesday includes Joe Houghton, the chief > pilot, who was the former assistant chief pilot for US Airways; Terry > Rendleman, senior vice president of technical operations, who was a > manager at United Airlines and Northwest Airlines; and Todd Pawlowski, > vice president of airports and customer service, from Virgin Atlantic. > Henry Harteveldt, the principal airline analyst at Forrester Research in > San Francisco, noted that Airbus beat out Boeing at a time when the dollar > is weak. "That tells me Airbus is buying the business," meaning the > company may have offered Virgin America an attractive purchase price and > "figured out ways to do so in a manner that accounts for the weakness of > the dollar." > He added that Tuesday's announcement was of particular interest to JetBl= > ue > Airways, which will be a competitor. > The size of the airplane order "signals that the Virgin organization is > very serious about becoming a major player in the nation's airline > system," Harteveldt said. > "What is really interesting is that for the first time we are seeing wel= > l- > financed, well-managed airlines coming in and, just as in technology, > disrupting the status quo," he said, in a reference to New York's JetBlue > and Independence Air, the reconfigured Atlantic Coast Airlines based at > Dulles, as well as Virgin America. > E-mail George Raine at graine@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx -------------------------= > --------------------------------------------- > Copyright 2004 SF Chronicle *******************Internet Email Confidentiality Footer******************* The contents of this e-mail message (including any attachments hereto) are confidential to and are intended to be conveyed for the use of the recipient to whom it is addressed only. 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