Matt Molnar
2007-08-08, 12:59 PM
Virgin America launches in US; 1st flight delayed (http://www.reuters.com/article/tnBasicIndustries-SP/idUSN0832519320070808?sp=true)
Wed Aug 8, 2007 12:25PM EDT
By John Crawley and Justin Grant
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Virgin America Inc., the low-cost airline partly backed and fully branded by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, launched on Wednesday with a splash of publicity -- but found its first flight delayed by a midsummer New York storm.
The delay was a timely reminder for the new airline -- which offers leather seats, mood lighting, entertainment systems, first-class seating and low fares on point-to-point flights -- that the U.S. domestic market is fraught with difficulties.
"The American airline industry is abysmal," Virgin Group founder Branson said at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport before passengers boarded the first flight. "The reason they go bust is they don't offer any service to the customer." More... (http://www.reuters.com/article/tnBasicIndustries-SP/idUSN0832519320070808?sp=true)
Wed Aug 8, 2007 12:25PM EDT
By John Crawley and Justin Grant
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, Aug 8 (Reuters) - Virgin America Inc., the low-cost airline partly backed and fully branded by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, launched on Wednesday with a splash of publicity -- but found its first flight delayed by a midsummer New York storm.
The delay was a timely reminder for the new airline -- which offers leather seats, mood lighting, entertainment systems, first-class seating and low fares on point-to-point flights -- that the U.S. domestic market is fraught with difficulties.
"The American airline industry is abysmal," Virgin Group founder Branson said at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport before passengers boarded the first flight. "The reason they go bust is they don't offer any service to the customer." More... (http://www.reuters.com/article/tnBasicIndustries-SP/idUSN0832519320070808?sp=true)