Virgin America's powerful market debut. Corporate travel will be a key part of its business model

Virgin America will be well pleased with its timing in accessing the public markets as airline stocks are currying favour with investors after consistent capacity discipline and lower fuel prices have drawn attention to airline stocks, driving up the sector's performance during CY2014.

The airline is enjoying a trading price well above expectations after recording a profit for 3Q2014 and the 9M ending Sep-2014, setting the stage for its second consecutive year of profitability. Much of Virgin America's recent financial success rests on capacity reductions and debt restructuring, so arguably the real test of its ability to generate profits is yet to unfold.

Virgin America becomes a newly traded public company at an interesting time in the US airline business as the completion of consolidation among the major airlines creates space for smaller airlines to fill gaps created by those mergers. It is not totally clear how Virgin America intends to position itself in the new environment, but it could scarcely have chosen a better time to be exploring new territory, much of it newly vacated.