Virgin America Site Now Includes Alaska Airline Destinations

Virgin America has included new functionality into their website, which now includes Alaska Airline destinations and routes. The integration of Virgin America into Alaska Airlines has been progressing relatively fast, as far as airline integrations go.

The acquisition closed on December 14th, 2016 and since then Alaska Airlines has made many moves combining both airlines including:

• Introducing reciprocal benefits to both member’s programs
• Offering status matches, point transfers, point bonuses, and Virgin America redemptions on the Alaska Airlines website
• Including Virgin America flights on redemptions with the Alaska Airlines companion fare
• Alaska Airlines announced the future discontinued use of the Virgin America brand
• Virgin America stopped accepting new applicants to their Visa Signature credit cards

Most of these changes have including bringing Virgin America attributes and products into the Alaska Airlines operation. Not the other way around. This approach makes sense, since the Virgin America brand, loyalty program and website will eventually be discontinued. Alaska Airlines will be the surviving brand and airline.
The Virgin America website now lists 90 new Alaska Airline destinations.  The destinies are included in the main website flight search engine, and customers can now look up Alaska Airline routing, along with the exiting Virgin America routings. One thing I have noticed is that the different airline searches are NOT integrated. If a route is served by Virgin America, then only Virgin America routes are listed. If the route is not severed by Virgin America, then an Alaska Airlines route is listed. Once the itinerary is put together you are then redirected to the Alaska Airline website to book the flight. Virgin America’s website is limited to offering the route, and not actually booking the route.
Alaska Airline destinations are now included in the Virgin America search function
Once an itinerary is constructed you’re redirected to the Alaska Airlines site
The route now displayed on the Alaska Airlines website search function
Virgin America most likely will not include future Alaska Airline booking function on their website. Alaska Airlines has decided the Alaska Airlines website to be the future of the combined airline, and management is very committed to this strategy.

In Summary:

Virgin America has included Alaska Airline routes into their website search functions. While not a true booking function, it will help Alaska Airlines direct additional traffic to their website via the Virgin America customer base. This is a temporary measure, as both airlines move toward becoming the new combined Alaska Airlines, which includes the Alaska Airlines brand, website and loyalty program.

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