Alaska Air completes Virgin America takeover
Monday, 15 Dec, 2016
0
Alaska Air is now officially the number five airline in the US.
It has nipped ahead of JetBlue as fifth largest carrier after closing out its acquisition of Virgin America.
Alaska and Virgin America will aim to secure Federal Aviation Administration certification as a single air carrier.
That will take time and both brands will operate individually for the time being.
"Alaska Airlines and Virgin America are different airlines, but we believe different works – and we’re confident fliers will agree," said Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Air Group.
"Together, we’ll offer more flights, with low fares, more rewards and more for customers to love, as we continue to offer a distinctive travel experience. The two airlines may look different, but our core customer and employee focus is very much the same."
Alaska said it has still not decided whether to eventually do away with the Virgin America name.
For now it still has to pay licensing fees to Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson to keep using the name.
"We appreciate that there is great interest in the future of the Virgin America brand among customers and employees alike. This is a big decision and one that deserves months of thoughtful and thorough analysis. We plan to make a decision about the Virgin America brand early next year," Tilden said.
The first major integration will be merging Virgin’s Elevate loyalty program into Alaska’s Mileage Plan and starting December 19, customers of the two carriers will be able to earn rewards on each other’s flights.
From January 9, Elevate members will be required to open Mileage Plan accounts.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...
Airbnb eyes a loyalty program but details remain under wraps
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026