New airline begins sales of tickets

SAN FRANCISCO - Maverick airline Virgin America began selling tickets yesterday, giving travelers their first chance to book a trip on planes equipped to pamper passengers even when they aren't flying first-class.

The airline's inaugural flights are scheduled to take off Aug. 8 from Los Angeles and New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and arrive at roughly the same time late that morning in San Francisco, which will be Virgin America's hub.

A one-way ticket between Los Angeles and San Francisco started at $44, while one-way tickets between San Francisco and New York started at $139.

Burlingame-based Virgin America also is selling tickets for flights to Las Vegas and Washington, scheduled to start in September and October.

Conceived by British billionaire Richard Branson, Virgin America is promising to shake up the U.S. airline industry by making flying a more luxurious experience at affordable prices. The airline has raised nearly $300 million from investors, led by Branson's Virgin Group, which controls the British-based Virgin Atlantic airline.

Virgin had to weather an unusual amount of turbulence to reach this point.

Several major U.S. airlines, including American, Delta Air Lines Inc. and Continental Airlines Inc., tried to block Virgin America from entering the market. The airlines argued that Virgin America's ties to Branson violated federal laws capping foreign control of a U.S. airline at 25 percent.

The U.S. Department of Transportation sided with the airlines and initially denied Virgin America's application late last year.

Refusing to give up, Virgin America made concessions that included selling more stock to U.S. investors.