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Virgin Galactic's faces of Eve

Aug 1, 2008

VIPs and members of the press were flown in to Mojave, Calif., for the unveiling aboard an Airbus A320 flown by Virgin America. The plane, called "My Other Ride is a Spaceship", was used as publicity for a second announcement.

While officially a separate U.S. company from his Virgin Atlantic airline, Branson's Virgin Group owns a minority stake in Virgin America and its close relationship with Virgin Galactic is obvious.

The company announced Monday that Virgin America Elevate frequent-flyer members who reach 10,000 points will be eligible to compete "in a series of challenges" for a space onboard one of the first Virgin Galactic flights.

The Virgin America pilots flying "My Other Ride is a Spaceship" are also considered the top candidates in a program to train pilots to fly Virgin Galactic's fleet, according to a Virgin America statement.

Credit: Virgin Galactic