Virgin America got the OK to start flying last week. Bully for them! Soon you’ll be able to enjoy Richard Branson’s signature combination of press-savvy entrepreneurialism and facial hair on a flight between SFO and JFK, instead of being forced to rough it on JetBlue, or, God forbid, Delta. Lost in the shuffle of the VX’s nervy rollout is Virgin’s track record running an LCC.
The predecessor to Virgin America is Virgin Express, not Virgin Atlantic. Thus far, that airline's performance has been lackluster. Seriously, do you remember hearing Virgin Express, a European LCC, mentioned in the same breath as Easyjet or SkyEurope? Heck, it’s hardly mentioned in the same breath as Hooters Air because Virgin Express is based solely out of Brussels and unlike JetBlue, there are no Mormons to be found anywhere on the board.
In other words, don’t get your hopes up just yet, Bransonophiles, not until Sir Richard challenges Ryanair’s Michael O’Leary to a round-the-world balloon race for slots at LaGuardia. Then the fun can begin.
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