I was shocked to read this today:
"Avondale Partners airline analyst Bob McAdoo, predicted in a research note Monday that upstart Virgin America -- which is privately held and therefore releases less operating information than publicly owned carriers -- could be the next casualty.
McAdoo cited preliminary filings with the Department of Transportation that suggest the carrier is rapidly losing money, and flew planes that were considerably emptier than some of its competitors through the end of last year.
"We caution that these estimates are based on limited (Transportation Department) filings and may be overly pessimistic," he wrote. "However, given the ownership structure of Virgin America ... we see parallels between Virgin and the three failed airlines."
Virgin America spokeswoman Abby Lunardini, reached as the carrier prepared to launch a new route between Los Angeles and Seattle, dismissed concerns about the company's health and said the Burlingame, Calif.-based carrier's occupancy levels had improved considerably in recent weeks.
"Our business model is strong and we're continuing to grow aggressively," she said."
Anyone have any other information on the subject? I thought VA was doing better than this.