BEFORE THE 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 

________________________________________________ 

 ) 

Application of ) 

 ) 

 VIRGIN AMERICA INC. ) 

 ) Docket No. OST-2010-0167 

for a certificate of public convenience and necessity ) 

pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 41102 to engage in foreign ) 

scheduled air transportation of persons, property and mail ) 

between the United States and Mexico. ) 

_______________________________________________ ) 

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO APPLICATION OF VIRGIN AMERICA INC.

FOR A CERTIFICATE OF PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY

FOR FOREIGN SCHEDULED AIR TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY

Communications with respect to this document should be sent to: 

Barbara Russell 

 Associate General Counsel 

Virgin America Inc. 

555 Airport Blvd., 5TH Floor 

Burlingame, CA 94010 

(650) 762-7394 (phone) 

(650) 762-7004 (fax) 

barbara.russell@virginamerica.com 

July 14, 2011 

Notice: Any person who wishes to support or oppose this Application may do so by: (1) filing 

an answer by August 4, 2011; and (2) serving that answer on the person(s) listed above and all 

persons served with a copy of this Application 
BEFORE THE 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 

________________________________________________ 

 ) 

Application of ) 

 ) 

 VIRGIN AMERICA INC. ) 

 ) Docket No. OST-2010-0167 

for a certificate of public convenience and necessity ) 

pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 41102 to engage in foreign ) 

scheduled air transportation of persons, property and mail ) 

between the United States and Mexico. ) 

_______________________________________________ ) 

AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO APPLICATION OF VIRGIN AMERICA INC.

FOR A CERTIFICATE OF PUBLIC CONVENIENCE AND NECESSITY

FOR FOREIGN SCHEDULED AIR TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY

Virgin America Inc. (“Virgin America”), pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 41102, Subpart C of the 

Department’s Rules of Practice (14 C.F.R. Part 302), and the Department’s streamlining 

regulatory procedures for licensing U.S. air carriers,1 hereby amends its previously-filed 

application for a certificate of public convenience and necessity to engage in foreign scheduled 

air transportation of persons, property and mail between the United States and Mexico.2

 Virgin 

America plans to initiate service on December 2, 2011, with five (5) roundtrip flights per week 

between San Francisco and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, in addition to service it presently operates 

between San Francisco and Cancun, San Francisco and San Jose del Cabo and Los Angeles and 

Cancun. 

In support of this Amendment No. 1, Virgin America states as follows: 

 

1 See Notice in Docket OST-2005-22228 (August 26, 2005). 

2

 The application was filed in docket on June 29, 2010. 
1. Virgin America is a Delaware corporation in good standing with its principal 

place of business at 555 Airport Boulevard, Burlingame, California. Virgin America is a citizen 

of the United States as defined in 49 U.S.C. § 40102(a)(15) and has been found fit to provide 

scheduled interstate air transportation of persons, property and mail. See Orders 2007-5-11 and 

2007-8-17; and Letter from Susan L. Kurland, DOT Assistant Secretary for Aviation and 

International Affairs to Virgin America in Docket OST-2005-23307 (determining that Virgin 

America remains a citizen of the United States) (Jan. 8, 2010). Virgin America is also 

authorized to provide scheduled foreign air transportation between the U.S. and Canada. See

Notice of Action Taken (“NOAT”) in Docket OST-2010-0068 (Apr. 2, 2010). 

2. Virgin America is fit, willing and able to provide the air transportation for which 

authority is sought. The grant of the authority sought herein is fully consistent with the public 

convenience and necessity, as required under 49 U.S.C. § 41102. 

3. Virgin America currently provides daily scheduled interstate air transportation 

between: (i) San Francisco and the following cities: Boston, New York (John F. Kennedy), 

Washington, D.C. (Dulles), Ft. Lauderdale, Chicago (O’Hare), Dallas-Fort Worth, Seattle, Los 

Angeles, San Diego and Las Vegas; (ii) Los Angeles and the following cities: Boston, New 

York (John F. Kennedy), Washington, D.C. (Dulles), Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando, Chicago 

(O’Hare), Dallas-Fort Worth and Seattle; and (iii) New York (John F. Kennedy) and Las Vegas. 

Virgin America also currently provides scheduled foreign air transportation in the San FranciscoCancun, Los Angeles-Cancun and San Francisco-San Jose del Cabo markets. 

4. As stated above, Virgin America will provide service on the San Francisco-Puerto 

Vallarta route, beginning with five roundtrip flights per week on December 2, 2011. This is 

Virgin America’s Winter Schedule and will vary seasonally. 
5. The traffic rights sought herein are provided for under the U.S.–Mexico Transport 

Agreement.3

6. Virgin America is seeking, pursuant to a separate petition field concurrent with 

this request, an exemption under 49 U.S.C. § 40109 to initiate this services between the United 

States and Mexico. Virgin America asks that the Department take official notice of all 

information contained in this petition. 

7. The addition of Virgin America’s well-known and well-received, high quality 

operations to and from Mexico will provide much needed competition, market development and 

high quality service to the traveling public in the U.S.–Mexico market. 

8. Based on the entire record in Docket OST-2005-23307, the current state of 

bilateral relations between the United States and Mexico, and the considerable public benefits 

derived from additional competition and service in the U.S.–Mexico market, Virgin America 

respectfully requests that the Department grant the authority sought herein. Moreover, Virgin 

America asks that the authority requested herein be integrated with all other authority held by 

Virgin America. 

 

3

 AIR TRANSPORT SERVICES AGREEMENT, WITH SCHEDULE, BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND MEXICO (Aug. 15, 

1960), as amended and extended. 
WHEREFORE, for the foregoing reasons, Virgin America Inc. respectfully requests that 

the Department grant a certificate of convenience and public necessity under 49 U.S.C. § 41102 

to Virgin America, authorizing the airline to provide scheduled foreign air transportation of 

persons, property and mail between the United States and Mexico in the four markets for which 

authority has been requested. 

 

Respectfully submitted, 

Barbara Russell 

 Associate General Counsel 

Virgin America Inc. 

555 Airport Blvd., Second Floor 

Burlingame, CA 94010 

(650) 762-7394 (phone) 

(650) 762-7004 (fax) 

barbara.russell@virginamerica.com 

July 14, 2011 
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE 

I hereby certify that a copy of the foregoing Amendment No. 1 to the Application of 

Virgin America Inc. for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity was served this 14th

day of July, 2011, via email transmission or first class mail, postage prepaid, on the following 

persons: 

Steve Morrissey 

Managing Director – Regulatory Affairs & 

 Policy 

United Air Lines, Inc. 

1025 Connecticut Avenue, N.W., Suite 1210 

Washington, D.C. 20036 

steve.morrissey@united.com 

David Heffernan 

Counsel for United Air Lines, Inc. 

Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP 

1875 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW 

Washington, D.C. 20006 

david.heffernan@wilmerhale.com 

Marshall S. Sinick 

Counsel for Alaska Airlines, Inc. 

Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, LLP 

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. 

Suite 500 

Washington, D.C. 20004 

msinick@ssd.com 

Carl B. Nelson, Jr. 

Associate General Counsel 

American Airlines, Inc. 

1101 Seventeenth Street, N.W. 

Suite 600 

Washington, D.C. 20036 

carl.nelson@aa.com 

Howard Kass 

Vice President, Legal 

US Airways, Inc. 

1401 H Street, N.W., Suite 1075 

Washington, D.C. 20005 

howard.kass@usairways.com 

Robert E. Cohn 

Counsel for Frontier Airlines, Inc. 

Hogan Lovells US LLP 

Columbia Square 

555 Thirteenth Street, NW 

Washington, D.C. 20004 

robert.cohn@hoganlovells.com 

Alexander Van der Bellen 

Sametta C. Barnett 

Jeff Morgan 

Delta Air Lines, Inc. 

1212 New York Avenue, NW 

Suite 200 

Washington, D.C. 20005 

sascha.vanderbellen@delta.com 

sametta.c.barnett@delta.com 

jeff.morgan@delta.com 

David L. Vaughan 

Counsel for United Parcel Service of 

America, Inc. 

Kelley Drye Collier Shannon 

3050 K Street, N.W. 

Suite 400 

Washington, D.C. 20007 

dvaughan@kelleydrye.com 

Hershel I. Kamen 

Vice President – International and 

 Regulatory Affairs 

Continental Airlines, Inc. 

Government Affairs—8th Floor 

1600 Smith Street 

Dept. HQSGV 

Houston, TX 77002 

hkamen@coair.com 
R. Bruce Keiner, Jr. 

Counsel for Continental Airlines, Inc. 

Crowell & Moring LLP 

1001 Pennsylvania Ave., NW 

Washington, D.C. 20004 

rbkeiner@crowell.com 

John M. Allen 

Director 

Flight Standards Service 

Federal Aviation Administration 

800 Independence Avenue, S.W. 

Room 821 

Washington, D.C. 20591 

john.allen@faa.gov 

Joanne W. Young 

Counsel for Spirit Airlines, Inc. 

Kirstein & Young, PLLC 

1750 K Street, NW 

Suite 200 

Washington, D.C. 20006 

jyoung@yklaw.com 

Jonathan B. Hill 

Counsel for JetBlue Airways Corp. 

Dow Lohnes PLLC 

1200 New Hampshire Ave., N.W., Suite 800 

Washington, D.C. 20036 

jhill@dowlohnes.com

G. Bailey Leopard 

Legal and Regulatory Affairs 

Federal Express Corporation 

3620 Hacks Cross Road 

Building B, 3rd Floor 

Memphis, TN 38125 

gbleopard@fedex.com 

John Fredericksen 

Vice President – General Counsel 

MN Airlines, LLC d/b/a Sun Country 

Airlines 

1300 Mendota Heights Road 

Mendota Heights, MN 55120 

john.fredericksen@suncountry.com 

Pierre Murphy 

Counsel for Brendan Airways, LLC d/b/a 

USA 3000 Airlines 

1200 New Hampshire Ave., N.W. 

Washington, D.C. 20036 

pmurphy@lopmurphy.com 

John L. Martin 

Airport Director 

San Francisco International Airport 

PO Box 8097 

San Francisco, CA 94128-8097 

Edward P. Faberman 

Counsel for AirTran Airways, Inc. 

Wiley Rein, LLP 

1776 K Street, N.W. 

Washington, D.C. 20006 

efaberman@wileyrein.com 

________________________________ 

Barbara Russell 
VERIFICATION

 Pursuant to Title 18 United States Code Section 1001, I, Barbara Russell, in my 

individual capacity and as the authorized representative of the applicant, have not in any manner 

knowingly or willfully falsified, concealed or covered up any material fact or made any false, 

fictitious or fraudulent statement or knowingly used any documents which contain such 

statements in connection with the preparation, filing or prosecution of this certificate application. 

I understand that an individual who is found to have violated the provisions of 18 U.S.C. Section 

1001 shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both. 

Name: Barbara Russell 

Date: July 14, 2011 

Title: Associate General Counsel