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Alaska Air – Virgin America deal closes

The Alaska Virgin America deal is done. More details to come. (Image: Alaska Airlines)

The Alaska Virgin America deal is done. More details to come. (Image: Alaska Airlines)

Virgin America and Alaska Airlines today officially closed their merger, which means that Virgin America is now a fully-owned subsidiary of Alaska Air Group. To celebrate, Alaska Air is flying a freshly painted, brand new 737 to San Francisco this morning for a big event. TravelSkills will be there, so stay tuned for a full report (and photos) on the festivities!

Most important for now: The Virgin America website says that travelers should not expect to see any major changes to the Virgin America product or onboard experience within the next 12 months.

The combined airline is now the fifth largest airline in the U.S, and the largest on the West Coast, offering travelers more flights and more rewards.

New benefits for guests will launch on Monday, December 19, 2016 including the ability for Elevate members to earn points on Alaska flights (and vice versa), priority airport benefits for elite frequent flyer members, and a new codeshare agreement. Yes, this means that Bay Area travelers can will soon earn Virgin points on Alaska flights to/from San Jose and Oakland! 

For more information on the merger and what it means for travelers, see https://www.virginamerica.com/cms/different-works or www.differentworks.com

And stay tuned for more on this as the day progresses.

–Chris McGinnis

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