Reuters reported yesterday that Virgin America will be able to win government approval to operate if they replace their chief executive and increase its independence from the Richard Branson’s Virgin Group.
In December, the DOT ruled that Virgin America’s “close relationship with the U.K.-based Virgin Group indicates that the carrier is not under the actual control of U.S. citizens.” However, government officials insist that this willingness to authorize Virgin America is not an effort to placate UK interests and get Open Skies off the ground.
Virgin America will operate a fleet of Airbus 319s and 320s employing a state of the art entertainment system, rivalling Jetblue, known for its 36 channels of DirecTV.