March 4, 2008 - Virgin Atlantic has partnered with General Motors to ferry first-class passengers to the airport in Chevrolet Equinox hydrogen fuel-cell cars as part of its Upper Class limousine service. The zero-emissions vehicles will join Virgin's limo fleet at Los Angeles International Airport first, with plans to expand to New York later this year.

GM hopes the Virgin partnership will net vital gain market exposure for its hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. The deal is part of GM's Project Driveway, an initiative to test-market 100 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in California, New York, and Washington, D.C.

For Virgin, the move offers another way to reduce its carbon footprint, a stated goal of company CEO Richard Branson.

In a statement, Branson also called on the U.S. and U.K. governments to support hydrogen fuel cell technology by building hydrogen filling stations in major cities throughout their respective countries.