Virgin America was tentatively cleared to fly today (3.20.2007) by the Department of Transportation. This allows Virgin America to begin service as soon as this spring. VA's first route will be San Francisco to New York. So SFO and NYC travelers get ready. Future cities for VA might include Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, St. Louis, Minneapolis and so many more.
The tentative agreement between the DOT and VA might mean the end of a two year long battle to gain permission to fly.
The DOT seemed to agree with claims by Virgin America's opponents that the carrier did not meet US citizenship guidelines. On Dec. 27, the DOT "tentatively" rejected Virgin America's application to begin flying. At the time, the agency said "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."
Virgin America responded in January with a proposal to restructure in a way that the company hoped would satisfy the DOT's concerns. Among the changes proposed by Virgin America were to shift the Virgin Group's voting stock in the carrier to a U.S. trust and to restrict the ability of Branson's company to veto decisions made by Virgin America.
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