Name: David Cush
Title: President and CEO
Company, city: Virgin America; Burlingame, Calif.
Number of employees: 2,600
Recent project: Expanding our route network to serve the markets business travelers and our most loyal guests—members of the Elevate frequent-flyer program—want us to fly to.
First job: Sacking groceries at my grandfather’s grocery store
Little-known fact about you: I practice Bikram yoga three times a week.
Your Business
Essential business philosophy: Stay focused on employees and cultivate a supportive, enjoyable work environment where people want to contribute their best.
Best way to keep a competitive edge: Listen to customers—use their feedback to guide decisions, refine services and prioritize improvements.
Yardstick of success: Delivering a high-quality product, fostering a culture of teamwork and achieving sustainable profitability.
David Cush as a Traveler
What is the most important item you take when traveling? My phone, my identification and my credit card—those essentials keep me connected and prepared.
How do you spend your time on board? On Virgin America flights I typically work on my laptop and stay connected online, while watching CNBC on the seatback entertainment screen.
What is your favorite restaurant in the world? The Slanted Door in San Francisco.
What is your favorite destination in the world? San Francisco, Calif.
About Virgin America
What can travelers expect from Virgin America in the future? This spring and summer we will introduce several new routes to expand our network. In April we will start service from both San Francisco and Los Angeles to Newark Liberty International Airport, providing important connections for business travelers. In May we will begin flights from Mineta San José International Airport to Los Angeles, and later that month we will inaugurate service from our San Francisco hub to Austin, Texas. In June we’ll add seasonal summer service from San Francisco to Anchorage, Alaska. These additions are designed to better serve business and leisure travelers and to connect our most popular origin-destination pairs.
What does Virgin America offer business travelers? We offer WiFi on every flight so business travelers can stay productive and connected at 35,000 feet. Reliable onboard connectivity enables guests to respond to emails, join meetings and work efficiently while in transit.
What is the most challenging aspect of thriving in the North American market? Virgin America introduced several innovations to U.S. skies—fleetwide WiFi, mood lighting and thoughtfully designed cabins. Our Red in-flight entertainment system continues to stand out by offering each guest a personal seatback touchscreen with movies, live TV, Google Maps, video games, seat-to-seat chat, parental controls and an on-demand menu for ordering snacks and beverages from the seat. We also provide a music library of thousands of songs with the ability to create and save playlists in flight. The challenge now is to keep innovating as competitors work to close the gap; maintaining leadership means continually improving the guest experience to remain the preferred choice in North American air travel.