Traveler's Edition
After acquiring Virgin America back in 2016, Alaska Airlines has made an announcement which has got people feeling all kinds of emotions. Pretty soon, the Virgin American brand will be no more as Alaska plans to retire the name in the coming years.
In consolidating both airlines under the same name, Alaska Airlines hopes to offer a modern service across the West Coast. Speaking of the decision, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of marketing, Sangita Woerner, said that “While the Virgin America name is beloved to many, we concluded that to be successful on the West Coast we had to do so under one name – for consistency and efficiency, and to allow us to continue to deliver low fares.”
But don’t worry: a number of features beloved by Virgin America passengers will be kept. These will include Virgin America’s classic mood lighting, music and enhanced in flight entertainment.
Alaska Airlines has undergone significant expansion since announcing the merger: this month (March 2017), the airline added 21 new markets with a number of new flights from the Bay Area.
Richard Branson has penned an emotional letter to Virgin America in response to the news – what are your thoughts on the decision?
