Virgin America may finally get go-ahead

IT looks as if Virgin America may finally get off the ground after it received tentative approval from the US Department of Transportation (DOT). One of the reasons San Francisco-based Virgin America’s start-up had been stalled was due to US ownership laws. The airline has now offered to make enough changes for the DOT to tentatively rule it may go ahead. "Today's order puts us one giant step closer to flying," said Virgin America spokesman, Gareth Edmondson-Jones. "We look forward to finally getting our wings - it will be a huge win for our employees, investors, supporters, and the travelling public." The DOT has put conditions on the tentative approval, one of which is that Fred Reid must be replaced as ceo within three months of receiving its DOT certificate. If Virgin America goes ahead, its first route will be San Francisco-New York and it also plans to launch flights to Washington, Los Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas in its first year of operation. Lucy Siebert (lucys@nowmedia.co.za)