Virgin America orders up to 60 A320.

[NEDude]

Breaking: Virgin America to buy up to 60 A320 with sharklets - FlightBlogger - Aviation News, Commentary and Analysis (http://www.flightglobal.com/blogs/flightblogger/2010/07/breaking-virgin-america-to-buy.html)

Announced at Farnborough this morning - 40 orders with 20 options for delivery starting in 2013.

On top of the six new airplanes this year, and the one per month for 2011 and 2012, this will take Virgin America up to 90+ airplanes by 2016. Good news.

[weasil]

Virgin America to fly from Chicago next year | Chicago Breaking Business (http://chicagobreakingbusiness.com/2010/07/virgin-america-plan-aggressive-expansion.html)
irgin America plans to begin flying from Chicago next year as the low-cost carrier charts an aggressive expansion that could triple its size by 2016, the Tribune has learned.

San Francisco-based Virgin, founded in 2007, has quickly won a rabid fan base for its mood lighting and edgy customer amenities. All of its aircraft are outfitted with high-speed Internet connections and its recently upgraded inflight menu includes untraditional airline fare like a tapas plate.

The low-cost carrier had planned to enter the Chicago market in 2008 but cancelled plans when it couldn’t obtain gates at the airport even though other carriers were reducing flying.

Virgin is again negotiating with the city of Chicago for an “economically viable” deal at O’Hare, which it hopes to enter in the first half of 2011, said Virgin spokeswoman Abby Lunardini.

“We still have a lot of places to expand, but Chicago remains high on the list, as we hope to inject some healthy competition into a market that is still dominated by just a few legacy carriers,” Lunardini added.

The low-cost carrier affiliated with Sir Richard Branson also announced Thursday it would order 40 more Airbus A320 jets, which would triple its fleet to a total of 90 planes from its current 28 Airbus narrow-body aircraft.

“I am happy to celebrate my 60th birthday this week and I can’t think of a better present than getting 60 new planes,” Branson said during a link-up to the Farnborough International Airshow from his island in the Caribbean.

Virgin America’s $3.3 billion order is not yet finalized, however. Among the details to be determined: the engines that will power the aircraft, and whether their wings will be equipped with “sharklets,” which lower fuel burn by about 3.5 percent over the long term.

With the order, Virgin is again plotting to rapidly build its network across the U.S.
The airline currently serves 10 cities, with expansion to Orlando, at least one more U.S. city and two destinations in Mexico by this winter. Virgin said expects to add three to four additional new destinations per year from 2011 to 2016.

“At a time when most carriers are contracting and shedding jobs, we’re pleased to be growing and bringing our low-fare, innovative service into new markets,” said Virgin America President and CEO David Cush.

Virgin America plans to take delivery of six Airbus jets this year and 12 planes in 2011. The airline currently is slated to receive four aircraft in 2012, but said it may take additional planes in order to bridge its fleet growth to the new Airbus order starting in 2013. The airline has created 1600 new jobs since its 2007 launch and intends to double its employee base in the next three years.

The new aircraft would be delivered from 2013 through 2016, with 10 planes added to Virgin’s fleet each year.

Reuters contributed to this report.

[Round D. Globe]

Hey Weasel,

If you work for VX, your commute is about to get a whole lot easier!

RDG

[Sunstar320]

How are loads to Toronto?

[cmrflyer]

we've been running an 88% load factor since service started.

[cmrflyer]

The MOU is 40, plus 20 options, that doesn't include the 28 aircraft between now and the middle of 2012.

[drive73]

c, I took the assesment test two weeks ago and have heard nothing. Does that mean I'm out? Would love to sneak in before they really ramp up hiring.

[weasil]

Story posted in the Chicago Tribune this morning that Virgin America has abandoned all hope of securing gates at O'Hare. They have been told that existing ORD carriers have exclusivity agreements through 2018.

Virgin America has secured gates at DFW and will use this as it's Mid-Continent hub for expanding operations instead of Chicago.

www.chicagotribune.com/business/feed/ct-biz-0811-virgin-america-20100810,0,4326474.story (http://ww.chicagotribune.com/business/feed/ct-biz-0811-virgin-america-20100810,0,4326474.story)