He wanted to see a Virgin-branded airline fly in the U.S., but he realized the only way to do that was to license the trademark and cede control to U.S. investors.

It really doesn't cost all that much extra to have nice leather seats and televisions in every seat. But let me tell you it makes a big difference in flight.

Building an airline from scratch is not for the faint-hearted.

The legacy carriers have a real disconnect with their passengers. Try to start a conversation at a cocktail party about how much you love your old-line carrier and see how long it takes someone to throw a canapé at you.

I've got a checklist with 3,200 items on it. At any time, 150 of them are burning.

Bill is an innovative, cost-focused technology leader. He's proven that he can leverage technology to effectively balance cost control within demanding, high-profile customer service organizations. His talents will be essential as we build Virgin America with our customers in mind each step the way.