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Virgin America and Alaska Airlines have announced a major expansion of flights out of the San Francisco Bay Area. This is the first full year that Virgin America will operate under the ownership of Alaska Airlines. Last year was a mostly quiet year in terms of route expansion and changes at both airlines, which makes sense with management at Alaska Airlines preoccupied with the DOJ approval and completion of the deal.
Alaska Airline’s CEO Brad Tilden has also indicated that Alaska Airlines plans to identify and publicize the direction of the Virgin America brand by the end of March 2017, which is less than 3 weeks away. This airline combination has been moving fast and Alaska Airlines has already integrated significate changes in both airlines’ frequent flyer programs.
On March 9th, last week Alaska Airlines announced several new flights originating out of their San Francisco Hub. New destinations included Baltimore, Indianapolis, Kona, Nashville, New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Raleigh-Durham.
Virgin America new routes
But these were not the only flights out of the combined airline. Alaska Airlines also included new flights for itself, including Albuquerque, Kansas City, and Mexico City from San Francisco and Austin, Los Angeles and Tucson from San Jose. Combined this is significant increase of flights. It may also be an indication of some future repositioning of Virgin America vs Alaska Airlines mix of brands. I’ve read some speculation that the airline would position Virgin America for longer haul destinations and Alaska for medium and shorter haul flights. As of now there is no indication from Alaska Airlines this will happen. The news release was completed with a unified message to both the airlines customers.
Alaska Airlines new routes
The additional routes are a part of the new Virgin America route map which shows the expanded west coast coverage. Of the new routes, Philadelphia, Baltimore and New Orleans are destinations I may book. In the past Alaska Airlines had a habit of focusing on second and third tier markets like San Diego and San Jose. The San Jose additions continue that tactic. Virgin America’s strength at San Francisco and Los Angeles certainly add heft to the combined footprint.
Updated Virgin America route map
Alaska Airline’s determination in acquiring Virgin America is starting to pay off with an expanded network and competitive presence in the San Francisco Bay Area. Had Jet Blue made the Virgin America acquisition, Alaska Airlines would have far fewer expansion options, and another major competitor to content with. Expect more news from Brad Tilden and company.
