Alaska Airlines on Wednesday announced it will be dropping Virgin America’s brand name in 2019. But Virgin's trademark mood lighting will stay.
Seattle based Alaska Airlines acquired Burlingame-based Virgin for $4 billion in December.
In a press release, Alaska said:
"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.
"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."
Alaska Airlines recently announced a major expansion in the Bay Area. They will be flying a total of 125 daily nonstop flights to 42 destinations, from three major Bay Area airports.
