Okay, let me clarify - 100% of the voting stock should be owned by Americans. 0% of the voting stock should be owned by non-Americans. I don't care how much non-voting stock is owned by foreigners. Are we clear now? David R > > > > > 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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