Virgin America Mk II?

The US could see a successor to Virgin America taking to the skies, according to its founder, Sir Richard Branson.

Speaking shortly after the San Francisco-based carrier announced it had been sold to Alaska Airlines in a US$4bn deal, the Virgin Group boss said he “would not allow” the brand to disappear.

Branson told Condé Nast Traveler magazine: “People love Virgin with a passion that hasn’t existed since the early days of aviation, and I am certainly not going to let it go to waste, even if it means starting all over again as a new domestic airline."

He revealed he would have preferred to keep Virgin America independent and build it into a major carrier, but “it became apparent that that option was not available”.

Accordingly, if it was to be sold, he ultimately preferred to see Virgin America acquired by Alaska Airlines rather than the rival jetBlue Airlines.

“I wanted it to go to the company that would treasure the brand, and I felt Alaska would be slightly more likely to do that,” he said.

The Alaska Airlines deal still has to be approved by Virgin America shareholders and US regulatory authorities but should be finalised by the end of the year.   www.virginamerica.com

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