Virgin America cleared for take-off

Start-up airline Virgin America expects to begin flying next month after US regulators gave the final approvals needed for take-off.

In separate actions in Burlingame, California, the Department of Transportation authorised Virgin America to begin selling tickets while the Federal Aviation Administration certified its jets as safe to fly.

All that is left now is for Virgin America to release its initial flight schedule. The Burlingame, California-based airline said an announcement would be made soon so that travellers could begin buying tickets.

Virgin America previously said it would fly from San Francisco International Airport to John F Kennedy International Airport in New York. The airline also intends to offer service in San Diego, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Washington, DC’s Dulles International Airport within the first year of service.

Getting the right to fly proved to be a daunting process for Virgin America because of its ties to Richard Branson, who came up with the idea for a new US airline that would offer travellers more comfort at a lower cost than the industry’s long-established powers.

Richard Branson’s Virgin Group Ltd is among Virgin America’s primary financial backers, raising concerns that too much foreign control would be exerted over the US airline.

The US Department of Transportation tentatively blocked Virgin America’s application, citing laws limiting foreign ownership of the US' airlines to a 25%.

After Virgin America made a series of concessions to minimise Branson’s influence, regulators reversed course and approved the airline’s revised structure in May.