Virgin America hangs as its hedge fund owners get antsy

[Green Banana]

Time will tell.....

 

[Shrek]

BTW... overhead is not higher... it's actually a lot cheaper. Fewer facilities, lower worker wages, newer airplanes with lower maint. costs, and I could go on... Just like JetBlue is able to operate cheaper than say UAL, DAL, AA etc... lower overhead is in part a reason. Granted that was an extreme oversimplification, but so was your question.

I find it hysterical that somebody by the name 'britpilot' is arguing against foreign ownership. Let not your heart be troubled, VA will fail. You said so right? Of course you couldn't be wrong could you?

Why don't you make fun of VA's uniforms now? Haven't seen that in a while. Anybody?

I hope that attitude doesn't come across at your next interview.......maybe get Kit Darby to help your resume ------ whoops nevermind

 

[Ralph Cramden]

OK, you caught us!

Sir Richard sent us over on holiday to drink your beer and shag your women.

The beer is terrible and the women, while easy, are shabby.

Time to go back to civilisation, our apologies for upsetting your narrow minded sensibilities.

We will leave now.....

/S

 

[Britpilot]

You are so right. It's obviously a sham. You are so smart, obviously you belong in government work as you could have saved the industry from the 'sham' that is VA. But then again, it doesn't matter right? They can't make money, and will fail. So then, why do you care? Go on to the next subject to 'wow' us on your knowledge, experience, and superior intellect.

So much anger there little man, seek help.

 

[Britpilot]

OK, you caught us!

Sir Richard sent us over on holiday to drink your beer and shag your women.

The beer is terrible and the women, while easy, are shabby.

Time to go back to civilisation, our apologies for upsetting your narrow minded sensibilities.

We will leave now.....

/S

Enjoy civilization in the UK, you can speak Pakistani can't you?

 

[Sonny Crockett]

I hope VA pulls through...

LOTS and I mean LOTS of good guys over there from ALPA carriers.


Think GENTLEMEN before you speak!

 

[Britpilot]

I find it hysterical that somebody by the name 'britpilot' is arguing against foreign ownership. Let not your heart be troubled, VA will fail. You said so right? Of course you couldn't be wrong could you?

No I did not say VA will fail, do you have trouble with reading? Dyslexia perhaps?
My heart is not troubled but thanks for your concern.
"Britpilot" is a name, you are correct there, well done, however, it is not my Nationality. I am glad that you enjoyed the irony little man.

 

[Q400 Gear Bitch]

How can you charge reduced prices when you have a higher overhead cost? The airplanes are not as fuel efficient, the in flight entertainment system is heavy and costly, and VA is in and out of some of the most expensive airports. The only way you can provide "reduced prices" is to pay less to your employees. Have fun.

Hey GB,
Pretty sure our airbi are as fuel efficient or darn close to ur ng737's....i know they are way more fuel efficient than ur -400s...

As for as RED being heavy and costly....I'm sure the added weight is costing some $$$ but other than that being able to watch sports center commuting to work....priceless!

As for less pay for the employees...I will make more money my first 5 years at VA than I would at Alaska.

Cheers.
Q4GB

 

[ExFokkerFlyer]

Oh I just love it when the name calling begins... "little man", "seek help". LOVE IT!

 

[Britpilot]

Oh I just love it when the name calling begins... "little man", "seek help". LOVE IT!

Oh good, glad you enjoyed it makes my time worthwhile. "seek help" was advice not "name calling":bawling:

 

[Fubijaakr]

LOTS and I mean LOTS of good guys over there from ALPA carriers.

Sorry, good guys don't take non-Union jobs at wage rates that undercut ALPA contracts.

Ipso facto, there are NO "good" guys at Virgin. Just scumbags who are only concerned with themselves.

 

[mvedepo]

Ipso facto, there are NO "good" guys at Virgin. Just scumbags who are only concerned with themselves.

Are you not arguing that that us "scumbags" are bringing "your" pay down??? lol If you weren't concerned for "yourself" why are you so adiment about your hatred for Virgin America?

hypocrite

Main Entry:hyp·o·crite Pronunciation: \ˈhi-pə-ˌkrit\ Function:noun Etymology:
Middle English ypocrite, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin hypocrita, from Greek hypokritēs actor, hypocrite, from hypokrinesthaiDate:13th century

1 : a person who puts on a false appearance of virtue or religion
2 : a person who acts in contradiction to his or her stated beliefs or feelings



Please quit acting like you aren't being selfserving.
You are no different than the "scum" you speak about.

 

[StopNTSing]

How about we take a break from the school-yard arguments and get back to the substance of the thread? Can any VA dudes on here answer the question of your carrier's US ownership in the wake of the two principal US investors pulling out? All I've seen from your company spokesman so far is a lot of bob & weave with no direct answers. It is a legitimate question.

 

[Bavarian Chef]

How about we take a break from the school-yard arguments and get back to the substance of the thread? Can any VA dudes on here answer the question of your carrier's US ownership in the wake of the two principal US investors pulling out? All I've seen from your company spokesman so far is a lot of bob & weave with no direct answers. It is a legitimate question.

You won't get any of the VA bubbas to answer those questions.

They can't.

 

[ExFokkerFlyer]

Actually I can answer the question. All of us can. But here is the reason we don't... honestly, why should we?

I don't owe any single person on here an explanation as to the ownership status of the place I work. I don't. Just like you don't owe me, or anybody else an explanation of anything either.

I love it how we are all scumbags. CRACKS ME UP! As a side note, the hypocracy that was just noted about this site and others like it is right on point. I remember discussions about how great the Comair guys were for raising the bar (honestly, no disrespect to the Comair people, many of my best friends came from there, I'm only making a point) because they went on strike and sacrificed for the greater good of their profession... MEANWHILE, I flying for SkyWest, also called scabs by some, was LOWERING the bar by flying a larger airplane at the same lower rate as I did with the smaller airplane... you know the old argument... anyway, these same Comair folks (many, not all), PAID for their jobs... remember PFT? Raising the bar? What bar? WHO CARES??? I don't take anything away from them, they did what they had to do, just like what I am doing now.

But let me ask this question. An ALPA guy loses his job... say at Aloha. No ALPA carriers are hiring... what is he/she to do? Not work? Do something else? That's nuts, and 99% of you out there would try to get the best job you could, which most likely would be flying as you would likely get the quickest route to higher pay than say starting over doing something else.

The point is, there is no brotherhood in aviation, none at all. Those who say there is, wait until your airline crashes and burns and see how your fraternal order treats you. Also I should say, I'm not anti-union at all... I just don't buy into the fraternal/brotherhood/sisterhood/you pay your dues and I'll spend it at will idealism.

In the end, I make money for my family and myself. I don't begrudge anybody else on how they make theirs. Why are you guys attacking people who in most cases are just trying to put food on their table? To make yourself feel better? Trying to make up for something that is... lacking perhaps?

What I would really like to see is one of you guys say this stuff, about my company, to my face. You won't. You have no problem doing it sitting in your underwear in your hotel on an overnight, but fewer than 1% would say it to my, or my peers, faces. Now as for the 1%, I still think they are misguided, but I do have respect for them.

To answer the question that I said I wouldn't. Right now, as it's been from the beginning, VA is a US owned and US controlled airline. The DOT signed off on us in the beginning, and any change in investorship will occur within that DOT approved process. This is nothing new, if you do your research you can find this out for yourself.

Oh, and as far as those who detest or otherwise question the legitimacy of airlines with foreign investorship... it's been done for years. NWA/KLM, CAL and Air Canada... recently JetBlue/Lufthansa. Get over it, half the country is owned by the Chinese, and by the time the idiots in DC are done, they'll own the other half!

Okay, now everybody get back to MS Flt Sim with your hat on or whatever it is you do.

 

[ExFokkerFlyer]

Oh, and those of you who post your TT on your profile... do you update that every leg like your logbook? Remember, it doesn't include MS Flight Sim.

Just wondering... why would you post that stuff anyway? Does it make you feel more important or think that somebody would take you more seriously?

I would think it makes you look more like a tool that became a pilot to wear the uniform and feel important instead of the little kid who got beat up by the big kids (mostly girls) when they were in school.

Then it might just be me... remember I'm a scumbag.

 

[Bavarian Chef]

Oh, and those of you who post your TT on your profile... do you update that every leg like your logbook? Remember, it doesn't include MS Flight Sim.

Just wondering... why would you post that stuff anyway? Does it make you feel more important or think that somebody would take you more seriously?

I would think it makes you look more like a tool that became a pilot to wear the uniform and feel important instead of the little kid who got beat up by the big kids (mostly girls) when they were in school.

Then it might just be me... remember I'm a scumbag.

Wow, Crazy, that's quite a diatribe/soliloquy.

Make sure you take the fish with you, Jerry.

 

[Chief Pilot]

Also I should say, I'm not anti-union at all... I just don't buy into the fraternal/brotherhood/sisterhood/you pay your dues and I'll spend it at will idealism.

Fokker,

You may claim not to be anti-union, and maybe you actually are, but you obviously have no idea what it means to be part of a union and have a botherhood that stands beside you with the goal of making your life better. Going from one non-union airline to another, believing that management actually has your best interest at heart is naive and certainly doesn't qualify you to speak on what it's like to be a union member. Did Empire ever do anything that made your life better other than hire you? VA is the same thing only with big shiny jets carrying people. You are at their wim and have no way to change or improve your working conditions other than to quit. You get what they decide you deserve, not what you actually deserve for the job you do and the role you play in their success. This is precisely why they hired you. You are more than happy to accept crap and defend it.

 

[Blue Dude]

To answer the question that I said I wouldn't. Right now, as it's been from the beginning, VA is a US owned and US controlled airline. The DOT signed off on us in the beginning, and any change in investorship will occur within that DOT approved process. This is nothing new, if you do your research you can find this out for yourself.

Oh, and as far as those who detest or otherwise question the legitimacy of airlines with foreign investorship... it's been done for years. NWA/KLM, CAL and Air Canada... recently JetBlue/Lufthansa.

Well, the primary US investors in VA appear to have cashed our their positions (with interest), with their shares being repurchased by a foreign entity. That means that VA no longer meets US ownership requirements: 25% max voting interest and 50% max ownership by foreign entities. It's up to VA to demonstrate that they still meet those requirements, but I don't see how they can.

The difference between VA and the other airline investment combos you mentioned is that in all other cases, the foreign investment is demonstrably a minority interest in accordance with US law. VA has every appearance of being nearly wholly owned by foreign entities. How do you explain this discrepancy?

 

[CaptSeth]

How do you explain this discrepancy?

Well, VA has sixty days from about a week ago to explain this discrepancy, or it's goodbye sir richard. Watch closely reporting over the next week or so regarding DOT and justice department investigations.