Branson flies under the radar as Virgin America takes off

0 Comments | USA TODAY, August, 2007 | by Dan Reed

Backers of Virgin America, the USA's newest airline, spent several years trying to convince federal regulators that the carrier isn't simply an extension of British billionaire Richard Branson's worldwide aviation empire. That would be illegal under the strict limits on foreign ownership of U.S. airlines.

But, as the airline launches service today with flights between San Francisco and both New York and Los Angeles, they're tweaking that message.

"We're a proud member of the Virgin brand team," says Virgin America CEO Fred Reid, the 57-year-old airline industry veteran recruited by Branson in 2004 to get the carrier off the ground. The Virgin brand, he says, is "synonymous with value, style, a little bit of fun, irreverence and caring deeply" for customers and...