--- In BATN@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "5/4 SF Business Times" <batn@...> wrote: Published Thursday, May 4, 2006, in the San Francisco Business Times Governator to DOT: Clear Virgin America for takeoff By Eric Young The Governator has a message for federal regulators: Please hurry up and allow Virgin America Inc. to fly. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a letter made public Thursday, urged the U.S. Department of Transportation "to take every appropriate step to expeditiously review and approve Virgin's application." Virgin America, based in Burlingame, applied last December to federal regulators for approval to start carrying passengers. The startup airline wants to offer low-fare domestic service like Southwest Airlines Co. and Jetblue Airways Corp. "An expeditious review of Virgin's application is vital to meeting California's growing transportation needs and enhancing California's strong economic resurgence," Schwarzenegger wrote to Deputy Secretary of Transportation Maria Cino. The Department of Transportation usually takes several months to review an airline's application to begin flying. But Virgin America executives and airline backers like Schwarzenegger fear that the normal review process has been delayed amid protests filed by rival airlines. A number of carriers, led by Continental Airlines Inc., challenge whether Virgin America is controlled by U.S. citizens, as required by law, or by Richard Branson. Branson is a billionaire British entrepreneur who provided some financial backing for Virgin America and who originally conceived of the business. Branson's Virgin Group Ltd. of London controls 25 percent of the airline's voting stock. The United States limits foreign ownership of U.S. airlines to 25 percent. The Department of Transportation recently asked Virgin America for additional information about Branson's role in forming the airline. Virgin America executives said the airline complies with U.S. law because it is controlled by U.S. citizens. Virgin America said it plans to hire more than 1,500 flight attendants, pilots, maintenance technicians, engineers, dispatchers and other workers in the Bay Area once it begins operations. Virgin America licenses Branson's Virgin brand name, but is not part of other airlines launched by Branson, which include London-based Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. --- End forwarded message ---