Alaska Air Group confirms plans to retire the Virgin America brand following last year’s $4 billion merger.
The SeaTac-based company will operate under the Alaska name and logo, retiring the Virgin America name in 2019. Alaska Air Group says it will preserve many of the popular Virgin America elements—such as enhanced in-flight entertainment, mood lighting, curated music and a focus on a distinctive onboard experience—while consolidating operations under a single brand.
“Over the past 10 months we conducted extensive research and listened carefully to what West Coast travelers value most,” said Sangita Woerner, vice president of marketing at Alaska Airlines. “Although the Virgin America name is beloved by many, we concluded that unifying under one name delivers consistency, operational efficiency and the ability to continue offering low fares.”
The merger program will roll out changes over the next few years. Selected aircraft will be retrofitted with new seats, updated amenities and expressive blue mood lighting. New uniforms are scheduled for mid-2019. Alaska’s Boeing 737 fleet will receive high-speed satellite Wi-Fi in fall 2018, with the remainder of the Airbus fleet to be equipped by the end of 2019. Premium seating will expand across the Airbus fleet—first-class seats will increase by four per aircraft and a new Premium Class will offer 35 inches of seat pitch.
Frequent-flyer programs will be combined into the Alaska Mileage Plan in 2018, providing elite members with additional complimentary upgrades. Free in-flight entertainment streamed to passengers’ personal devices will become a permanent feature. By June 2017, Alaska first-class passengers will be able to pre-select meals, and main cabin customers will have the option to pre-pay for meals by early 2018. Refreshed and expanded airport lounges are planned for Seattle (SEA), Portland (PDX) and Los Angeles (LAX) by early 2019, with new facilities also planned for San Francisco (SFO) and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Once integrated, the combined airline will serve 118 destinations. The carrier also recently announced 25 new daily departures from San Francisco, San Diego (SAN), Los Angeles and San Jose (SJC).