Virgin USA Hires Fred Reid from Delta
 

Startup Virgin USA hires Fred Reid from Delta.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,114107,00.html

Would they be able to start from scratch and get an AOC and be flying a year from now - as is their plan?

There are certainly an adequate number of US airlines that ceased operation in the past couple of years. How soon does the AOC go away when they stop flying?

Come to think of it, because of the US rules about foreign ownership, isn't this almost certain to be a renamed existing US airline. Airtran or JetBlue or ATA or America West? World Airways is always on the verge of bankruptcy, but are they a useful catch? And finally .... US Airways is still in financial trouble........

I think that you will find it goes away about one second after the last engine is shut down on the last flight. I sit to be corrected.

Virgin USA...Fred Reid
 

I've asked questions a few times in these forums about what Virgin USA is planning to do but have not been able to generate much response. Perhaps nobody knows...nobody cares. The low-cost carrier biz here is a real dog fight. Branson better know what he's doing. He's been successful over THERE, but he's not had a dog in THIS fight. I've seen and heard everything from his buying parts of USAir to talking with aircraft makers about new equipment. All just unsubstantiated speculation. I'd love to hear some facts. As for Fred Reid; just another rat jumping off the sinking ship. Nobody could figure out what the hell he did when he was here except collect a big paycheck...so long and goodbye, Freddie !!!

Doesnt Virgin have a tie up with National Airlines, maybe they could be a candidate?

Then there was rumours of Virgin buying parts of USAirways, presume the "shuttle" would be the one to procure as to gain access to lucrative slots at the major airports.

But buying an existing airline would also bring with it existing higher operating costs etc

Time will tell but like Virgin Express, I just wonder if there is further room for a low cost operator or have they missed the boat?

Depending on how much Sir Dick would take of US Air, there are successorship clauses that stipulate that pilots would have to go with the routes, aircraft, etc., depending on how big a chunk he'd want. Given the bad blood of years of employee givebacks, management buffoonery, that may be more baggage than he'd want.