Virgin domestic service makes a splash

Virgin domestic service makes a splash Virgin America Inc., a low-cost airline partly backed British tycoon Richard Branson, got off to an inauspicious start today as its first flight from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York was delayed by heavy rainfall.
   The first flight left about 50 minutes after its 10 a.m. departure time.
   The airline began service on two routes connecting New York and San Francisco, and Los Angeles and San Francisco.
   Later this month through October, the company will gradually add flights between New York and Los Angeles; San Francisco and Washington; San Francisco and Las Vegas; and Los Angeles and Washington. By the end of October it expects to have 19 daily flights.
   The Burlingame, Calif.-based carrier also offers cargo service.
   Virgin America is 25 percent owned by Branson’s Virgin Group, and 75 percent owned by VAI Partners LLC, an investor group comprising U.S. investment firms Black Canyon Capital and Cyrus Capital Partners.