Branson can only control 25% of the voting stock. I wouldn't call that excessive. Like I said in my previous post, you're either part of the global economy or you're not. Can't have it both ways. Grant SYD QF ----- Original Message ----- From: damiross2@xxxxxxxxxxx Date: Thursday, June 17, 2004 0:53 am 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 [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 >