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 make sure we are serving the markets business travelers and our most loyal guests, our Elevate frequent-flyer program members, want us to fly to.
First job: Sacking groceries at my grandfather’s grocery store
Little-known fact about you: I do bikram yoga three times a week.

Your Business

Essential business philosophy: Stay focused on employees and create a supportive, fun environment.

Best way to keep a competitive edge: Listen to customers.

Yardstick of success: Building a quality product, creating a teamwork culture and profitability

David Cush as a Traveler

What is the most important item you take when traveling? My phone, my identification and my credit card

How do you spend your time on board? When I am on Virgin America, I spend the flight with my laptop open and online, and CNBC on the entertainment screen.

What is your favorite restaurant in the world? Slanted Door in San Francisco, Calif.

What is your favorite destination in the world? San Francisco, Calif.

About Virgin America

What can travelers expect from Virgin America in the future? Coming later this spring and summer, we will add several new markets to our network. In April, we launch service from both San Francisco and Los Angeles to Newark Liberty International Airport, an important airport for business travelers. In May, we’ll begin service from Mineta San José International Airport to Los Angeles; later that same month, we inaugurate service from our home base at SFO to Austin, Texas. Finally, in June, we’ll begin summer seasonal service from SFO to Anchorage, Alaska.

What does Virgin America offer business travelers? A powerful draw for business travelers is our WiFi on every flight — we let business guests stay connected and productive, even at 35,000 feet.

What is the most challenging aspect of thriving in the North American market? Virgin America was the first airline in the U.S. skies with fleetwide WiFi, mood lighting and beautifully designed cabins. Our Red in-flight entertainment platform remains head and shoulders above that of our competitors, offering guests their own seatback touch-screen TV with films, live TV, Google Maps, video games, seat-to-seat chat, music videos, a 4,000-song library (and the ability to create and save a playlist in flight), music videos, parental control settings and an on-demand menu so travelers can order a cocktail or snack from their seatback any time during a flight. But we know others in our industry are trying to catch up, and our primary challenge is to continue to innovate so we are creating the best guest experience in the North American skies.