SEATTLE, March 22, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Alaska
Airlines and Virgin America today shared their vision for the
future of the combined carrier, as the company solidifies its
status as the West Coast's premier airline.
After careful consideration, the combined company will adopt
Alaska's name and logo, retiring
the Virgin America name likely sometime in 2019. However, the
combined airline will adopt many of the brand elements that Virgin
America enthusiasts love about their favorite airline, including
enhanced in-flight entertainment, mood lighting, music and the
relentless desire to make flying a different experience for guests.
The goal is to create a warm and welcoming West Coast-inspired
vibe.
"Our goal from the very beginning of this merger was to become
the go-to airline for people on the West Coast, with low fares,
convenient flights, a premium product and genuine, caring service,"
said Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Air
Group. "Three months in, we've dramatically grown our presence in
California and are united behind a
new purpose: Creating an airline people love."
Alaska has been actively
growing the airlines' newly combined networks since closing the
merger in December. Earlier this month, the airline announced 21
new markets with 25 new daily departures out of San Francisco, San
Diego, Los Angeles and
San Jose, California – marking the
largest addition of routes in the company's history.
"We spent the last 10 months conducting extensive research and
listening carefully to what fliers on the West Coast want most,"
said Sangita Woerner, Alaska
Airlines' vice president of marketing. "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."
In addition to low fares, network growth and award-winning
service, Alaska will spend the
next few years making major enhancements to its already
award-winning guest experience and incorporating favorite elements
of the Virgin America experience.
Enhancements include:
- Modern, warm and welcoming vibe – Guests will
start to see some of the new Alaska brand personality come to life
throughout 2017, to create a warm and welcoming West Coast vibe
throughout the guest journey. Music from fresh new artists will be
featured on planes, in airport lobbies and at gates. In 2018,
Alaska will debut an entirely
redesigned cabin with new seats and amenities, and has already
started to retrofit select Boeing aircraft with expressive blue
mood lighting. Modern, stylish uniforms by fashion designer
Luly Yang will roll out in mid-2019
for flight attendants, customer service agents, pilots, mechanics
and ground crew.
- Satellite connectivity – Alaska's entire fleet of Boeing 737 passenger
aircraft will be equipped with high-speed satellite Wi-Fi beginning
in fall 2018, with the remainder of the Airbus fleet to follow.
Both fleets are expected to be fully satellite-equipped by the end
of 2019.
- More premium seats – Building on Alaska's new First Class and Premium Class
seating sections that debuted earlier this year, premium seating
will be expanded across the Airbus fleet beginning in the fourth
quarter of 2018. The number of First Class seats will increase by
50 percent (going from eight seats in the Airbus First Class cabin
to 12) and are customized for enhanced comfort, featuring 41 inches
of pitch, improved seatback storage pockets, cup holders, footrests
and personal power outlets throughout the cabin. The redesigned
Airbus cabins will also feature 18 new Premium Class seats with 35
inches of pitch and complimentary beer, wine and cocktails.
- The country's top-ranked frequent flier program – In
2018, Alaska Mileage Plan will become the sole loyalty program for
both airlines, offering guests more rewards, an expansive global
partner network and the only major airline loyalty program that
still rewards a mile flown with a mile earned on Alaska and Virgin America flights. Members of
Alaska Mileage Plan enjoy some of the most generous benefits in the
industry including complimentary upgrades, award travel starting at
5,000 miles one-way (plus taxes and fees) and a faster path to
elite status compared to other airlines. With Alaska and Alaska Global Partners, members can
earn and redeem miles to more than 900 destinations worldwide.
- Complimentary upgrades – With 50 percent more premium
seats being introduced to the Airbus fleet, elite loyalty members
will enjoy the most generous complimentary upgrades in the
industry. Mileage Plan MVP Golds and above are upgraded to First
Class or Premium Class 75 percent of the time (based on average
historic system wide rates of upgrade) on Alaska Airlines flights.
Complimentary upgrades on Airbus aircraft will debut for the first
time ever in late 2018.
- Free movies – In January, Alaska launched a temporary promotion offering
its entire catalog of more than 200 movies and TV shows for free.
Starting now, free entertainment on guests' own devices will be a
permanent feature on its Boeing fleet and the same free library of
movies and TV shows will expand to Airbus aircraft via Red
entertainment system in August 2017.
Guests on Airbus aircraft will continue to enjoy access to early
release movies for purchase.
- Free Chat™ – In January
2017, Alaska became the
first and only U.S. airline to offer Free Chat onboard and will
expand Free Chat to Airbus-operated flights in August 2017. Guests can stay connected to friends
and family on the ground via Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and
iMessage.
- West Coast-inspired food and beverage – Alaska and Virgin America continue to enhance
their fresh, healthy, West Coast-inspired onboard food and beverage
menus. Guests of both airlines enjoy craft brews, premium wines and
delicious food options. By June 2017,
Alaska First Class passengers will be able to pre-select meals
before they fly, and by early 2018, Alaska's Main Cabin passengers will be able to
pre-pay for their meals before they fly. Food pre-ordering will be
extended to Airbus flights sometime in the future.
- Lounge expansion – By early 2019, guests will be able to
relax in refreshed and expanded airport lounges in Seattle, Portland and Los
Angeles, as well as new lounges in San Francisco and at New York's John F. Kennedy International
Airport. The expansion plans will double the square footage of
Alaska's airport lounges. Members
also currently enjoy access to more than 60 partner lounges
throughout the United States and
around the world.
Alaska Airlines and Virgin America along with their regional
partners, fly 40 million customers a year to 118 destinations with
an average of 1,200 daily flights across the United
States and to Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica
and Cuba. With Alaska and Alaska Global
Partners, customers can earn and redeem miles on flights to more
than 900 destinations worldwide. Learn more
about Alaska's award-winning service and unmatched
reliability
at newsroom.alaskaair.com and blog.alaskaair.com.
Alaska Airlines, Virgin America and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of
Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK).
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SOURCE Alaska Airlines