Virgin America is here

[millhouse21]

Hey Don!

I had a new bouncing baby boy born on June 6th. Have to go now. Damian is crying...

I almost missed that part. LOL

 

[Victor Meldrew]

10 pounds of what?

Sad but the more I read this the funnier it gets!

 

[temcgrew]

Looks like more than 10 pounds each on your avatar.

 

[maru657]

The president has said he will allow more foriegn investment in the US airline industry. Wish it would remain in US hands but if were going to be de-regulated, let's be totally de-regulated. You can't blame Richard Branson or Frank Lorenzo for doing what we allowed them to do.

 

[Bavarian Chef]

Looks like more than 10 pounds each on your avatar.

Amen to that. You new pledge name is ... Sizzle Chest. Nice avatar.

 

[fxbat]

From the web site.

Ryanair Pilots are recognised as the best paid short haul pilots in Europe. Senior pilots in Ryanair have excellent remuneration packages as follows:
UK Eurozone
Captains Up to £100,000 Up to €130,000
First Officers (1,500 hrs) Up to £70,000 Up to €80,000
At Ryanair there are no seniority lists and there are no complicated salary scales, you can expect to reach these amounts in 3 – 5 years, with more if you take on a line training role.


70,000 x 1.8 = 126,000 USD for a 3-5 yr fo.
Bitch about ryanair as much as you want no schd. Biding, no watter etc.. But you cant say any thing about the pay scale.(well maybe you can, but I would like to make this type of living and still be US. Based)

 

[GogglesPisano]

Captains Up to £100,000 Up to €130,000
First Officers (1,500 hrs) Up to £70,000 Up to €80,000
)

Yes, but those are in pounds. But we still don't know pounds of what.

 

[The Transporter]

virgin america is a us carrier using us crews..thousands of companies have foreign minority backing...i think they will do well

 

[Andy]

Sadly a ton of out-of-work applicants that have NO CHOICE if they want to return to aviation! What do you expect them to do??? If you were furloughed or unemployed, I bet you would be applying too!

I AM FURLOUGHED. I WAS UNEMPLOYED for a total of approximately 10 months over the last 4 1/2 years that I've been furloughed.
The last time that I flew an aircraft was 2002.

I'll wait to be recalled rather than continue to trash the profession by taking an entry level position. There are other things outside of aviation; it's also allowed me to get job skills outside of following a checklist and getting from point A to point B in an aerospace vehicle.

 

[BLUE BAYOU]

Business is business. I believe there are more autoworkers putting together Honda, Toyota, and BMW automobiles in the good ole US of A than there are UAW employees left in Detroit. This is a global economy and so be it, if VA comes to America, there will be no shortage of employees waiting in line to get on there either. If you will sit by and watch the industry pass you by, that's your perogative-- go sell some of those Honda, Toyotas, and Beemers then at your local dealership. Embry-Riddle will graduate plenty to take your place...

 

[Tomct]

Dallas, you know since Delta closed. Terminal E is a ghost town, there last week, first time since Delta and ASA pulled out, what a change, plenty of gates there. I honestly think the Virgin Brand will do well.

Jetplane, I don't know how you do it, but just when I think you can't top your current Avatar.....You go and DO IT AGAIN!!! Lord HAVE MERCY!!!!

 

[jehtplane]

Jetplane, I don't know how you do it, but just when I think you can't top your current Avatar.....You go and DO IT AGAIN!!! Lord HAVE MERCY!!!!

Thank ya, I will have a new one every month!

 

[blackbox]

General,

Long time, no type!

I have to disagree with you on this issue. I'm at JB now (used to be based in SFO with UA) and have seen more delays here on the east coast in 6 months than I did for six years based in the Bay Area. JB has made money with a high concentration in five of the most delay-plagued airports (JFK, EWR, LGS, BOS, FLL). Since SFO has very little LCC presence, I think that VA might do better than you expect. My disappointment is that JB didn't jump in there first.



GP

Didnt I read that JB lost money last 2 quarters, I think it was somewhere around 16 million and 42 million respectively. In that article it said it was deferring deliveries and plan in selling 3 to 4 A320s.

 

[Andy]

Didnt I read that JB lost money last 2 quarters, I think it was somewhere around 16 million and 42 million respectively. In that article it said it was deferring deliveries and plan in selling 3 to 4 A320s.

OH, now you've done it. The Blue Crew will be haunting you!
It's 5 planes that they're trying to sell. Dave said that they were offered a very good price for them. Some on this board misinterpret that to mean that JB's making a profit selling five year old planes that are out of warranty. I suppose so, if you factor in A check costs and depreciated asset value. The devil's in the details, especially when it comes to accounting in the airline industry.

 

[Aplus9]

When is VA supposed to start operations?

 

[Cappy]

A close freind of mine was Virgin America's first pilot/checkairman hire. They currently have eight acft with another delivery next month. Proving runs will begin when the process looks good to the DOT. Pilot hiring will hopefully begin within 30-60 days.

Yes, Richard Branson is a foreigner. I would rather have him as opposed to some rich arab from a country that is not our friend...wouldn't you? Of course, Continental was 25% owned by SAS in the early '90s. It doesn't make them a Scandinavian controlled airline, does it?

Unfortunately, the airline industry that my father grew up with (EAL 1966-1990, UAL 1991-2001) no longer exists. I hate to admit it, but pilots are going to need to take a look at career choices and decide if they are willing to continue forward with the new reality.

There are so many opportunities outside of airline flying such as acft management, corporate flying, charter, etc. that it is unfortunate that so many pilots focus only on the airlines.

Good luck to all.

Mike

 

[HalinTexas]

There are so many opportunities outside of airline flying such as acft management, corporate flying, charter, etc. that it is unfortunate that so many pilots focus only on the airlines.

Good luck to all.

Mike

There are? Where? I live in the DFW area, appreciate any references.

 

[AA717driver]

Cappy--What's the pay for the check airmen? Thanks for the info.TC

 

[Coool Hand Luke]

A close freind of mine was Virgin America's first pilot/checkairman hire. They currently have eight acft with another delivery next month. Proving runs will begin when the process looks good to the DOT. Pilot hiring will hopefully begin within 30-60 days.

Yes, Richard Branson is a foreigner. I would rather have him as opposed to some rich arab from a country that is not our friend...wouldn't you? Of course, Continental was 25% owned by SAS in the early '90s. It doesn't make them a Scandinavian controlled airline, does it?

Unfortunately, the airline industry that my father grew up with (EAL 1966-1990, UAL 1991-2001) no longer exists. I hate to admit it, but pilots are going to need to take a look at career choices and decide if they are willing to continue forward with the new reality.

There are so many opportunities outside of airline flying such as acft management, corporate flying, charter, etc. that it is unfortunate that so many pilots focus only on the airlines.

Good luck to all.

Mike

Mike, glad to see you are still around. How's the Falcon treating you?

 

[Gorilla]

Cappy--What's the pay for the check airmen? Thanks for the info.TC

No kidding. We have photos of VA jets, "We are HIRING!!" quotes, rumours of all types, and not a peep yet about wages. Hmmm. I bet they are so high, they are being kept a secret so as to not anger shareholders.

 

[conman]

Cappy--What's the pay for the check airmen? Thanks for the info.TC


I'm willing to bet it will less than what JB pays and that thousands will apply for the job.........

 

[Mr Hat]

Yes, Richard Branson is a foreigner. I would rather have him as opposed to some rich arab from a country that is not our friend...wouldn't you?

If Branson can do it then so can some rich Arab, The Chinese or anyone else. Its not Branson, it's the precident that it sets. England is our friend now but who knows. Remember the Germans were once out enemy too. I'm not saying anything for or against Virgin America, Branson still cannot have a controlling interest so it isn't REALLY foreign control. It's basically just advertising for his Virgin brand of everything in America. I am not for foreign control, but if Virgin America wants to compete with Southwest head to head as a startup in California (IN IT'S CURRENT, NON-FOREIGN CONTROLLED STATE) then more power to them.

 

[Headfake14]

...just went to their website...doesn't say anything about pilot hiring yet

 

[wms]

Business is business. I believe there are more autoworkers putting together Honda, Toyota, and BMW automobiles in the good ole US of A than there are UAW employees left in Detroit. This is a global economy and so be it, if VA comes to America, there will be no shortage of employees waiting in line to get on there either. If you will sit by and watch the industry pass you by, that's your perogative-- go sell some of those Honda, Toyotas, and Beemers then at your local dealership. Embry-Riddle will graduate plenty to take your place...

Kind of ironic. Many European and Japanese cars are made in the US (close to the market, what a concept) while maintaining quality, and the US auto makers are shipping their jobs to MX. The US auto makers have fallen behind because of inferior design and reliability. So to fix the problem they're starting to make their products where the workmanship and QC is worse.

 

[Cappy]

Cappy--What's the pay for the check airmen? Thanks for the info.TC

I am not sure of the Checkairman pay but CPT is $115.00 to start. I do not have a scale to reference for subsequent years. I think there is stock for the first 100.

 

[Cappy]

Mike, glad to see you are still around. How's the Falcon treating you?

Not Bad! NetJets is an good company with decent benefits. I have irons in the fire other places but for the summer it looks like NJA.

Mike

 

[AA717driver]

Thanks, Cappy. TC

 

[Publishers]

They could go and use Pittsburgh or Columbus where America West was or Dulles where Indie was, or, well you get the idea. There are many ex hubs around. If you really want obscure, how about Columbia where Air South was, or Savannah where Key airlines was, or Indiannapolis where--- you can go on with this forever.

 

[Lou C. Ferr]

I have a stockholder meeting in London. We have IMPORTANT business to discuss there. Real important stuff. Nothing trivial like how to afford food and shelter. Stuff like stock options. It's important.

Don, hope the trip went well. The food over in London's kinda heavy on fat--keep it up, I've been looking forward to seeing you and your buddy Frank for quite some time. I can't promise the climate control down here is as good as what you're accustomed to, though.

 

[HighSpeedClimb]

Federal agency taxis Virgin onto runway

Ruling that application is complete suggests a rapid takeoff
San Francisco Business Times - July 21, 2006
by Eric Young



Virgin America Inc. appears to be inching toward takeoff.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said the startup airline's application to begin flying is complete and "that it contains sufficient information upon which to base a decision."
Virgin America, based in Burlingame, has been seeking federal approval to start carrying passengers since December 2005. The Transportation Department's ruling on Virgin America's application, made public last week, rejects requests by rival airlines to delay the regulatory process.
Rival airlines challenged Virgin America's application, questioning whether the startup is run by U.S. citizens, as required by law, or by British citizen Richard Branson, the billionaire entrepreneur who first conceived of the airline. The Transportation Department action appears to indicate that the question of U.S. control has been settled.
"One would expect that with the ownership questions resolved that Virgin (America) would proceed along the regular course with the DOT of being approved," said Webster O'Brien, a vice president at aviation consultancy SH&E.
There is no guarantee that the Department of Transportation will rule in Virgin America's favor and it is unclear when it will issue a decision. But Virgin America executives said the department's move was a welcome sign.
"It's the first hurdle we needed to cross" with federal regulators, said Spence Kramer, vice president of marketing and communications for Virgin America.
The Department of Transportation said that supporters and opponents of Virgin America's application have until Aug. 2 to submit comments. Then Virgin America has until Aug. 16 to respond. Transportation officials could then issue a decision on Virgin America's future at any time. Virgin America could begin flying later this year or in early 2007, company executives said.
Regulators can still require that Virgin America submit more information. But aviation industry experts said the Department of Transportation "signaled they're going to wrap up this proceeding," said attorney Kenneth Quinn, who helps lead the aviation practice at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.
Virgin America said it plans to offer low-fare domestic service like Southwest Airlines Co. and Jetblue Airways Corp. and will have a hub at San Francisco International Airport. Virgin America raised $177.3 million from two U.S. private equity firms and Branson. CEO Fred Reid and other Virgin America officials have stressed that while Branson has a minority stake in the airline, the company is under control of U.S. citizens and complies with U.S. law.
Virgin America licenses Branson's Virgin brand name but is not part of other airlines begun by Branson, which include London-based Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd.
Before Virgin America can begin carrying passengers, the airline also must get approval from the Federal Aviation Administration, which is reviewing the airline's safety and training procedures. The FAA approval process is moving forward, Virgin America officials said. That process, according to aviation industry experts, likely will not be as contentious as the Department of Transportation approval process.