Virgin America Chief Sees Benefit From Consolidation
By Madhu Unnikrishnan . Consolidation of the U.S. airline industry will yield benefits for all carriers, even if Virgin America opts to remain independent, the low-fare carrier’s CEO, David Cush, tells Aviation Week. That the U.S. airline industry is expecting a small profit this year, despite high fuel prices and an anemic economic recovery, is proof that consolidation has worked, Cush said after the airline’s first flight to Reagan Washington National Airport landed Aug. 14. “The industry was consistently profitable in the late 1990s, during an economic bubble, or when oil prices were low,” he says. Historically, though, without these factors U.S. airlines struggled to make a profit. Since the industry consolidated, Cush notes that airlines now “are profitable.” ...
