Virgin America San Francisco-Florida flights from November 18, 2009

The United States-based Virgin America is starting the first-ever non-stop flights between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) in Florida on November 18, 2009. Fort Lauderdale, in the South Florida region, will be the 10th destination of Virgin America, the low-fare carrier based in Burlingame, California, the United States.

Virgin America operates flights on many bi-coastal routes as also on West Coast routes.

The new service, according to Virgin America, will be “the first and only non-stop service” between Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and San Francisco International Airport.

Apart from the San Francisco-Florida service, Virgin America said it will offer what it calls a “Hollywood-to-Hollywood flight” out of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

In a statement, Virgin America said that it will operate two daily, direct, roundtrip flights from both San Francisco International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport – with connecting flights from Seattle, San Diego, Orange County, and Las Vegas.

David Cush, chief executive officer of Virgin America, said in the statement that the South Florida market has always been “at the top of the company’s list.”

South Florida is a “world-class destination” as well as an important destination for tourism and business travel, which has till now been “served little” from the West Coast,” Cush added.

Meanwhile, according to the US media, the United States Department of Transportation is in the process of reviewing Virgin America’s ownership.

This is being done amidst reports that Cyrus Capital Partners LP and Black Canyon Capital LLC, the majority US shareholders, have sold their stakes to the London-based Virgin Group Limited – the holding company that is owned by Richard Branson, the British billionaire.

United States law bans non-US citizens from owning more than 25% of an airline company.

Earlier in 2009, David Cush, CEO of Virgin America, had said that he expects to add at least one more United States-based investor in the company in 2009 itself.