As Virgin America Flies Into the Sunset, Fans (and Richard Branson) Bid a Fond Farewell

Alaska Airlines will drop the name in 2019

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Few brands had a more complicated, arduous and industry-rattling path to launch than Virgin America. And now, after just a decade in the air, the charismatic airline’s identity is fading away.

Alaska Airlines, which acquired Virgin America for $4 billion last year, announced this week it will retire the Virgin brand in 2019. At that point, all the carrier’s aircrafts will be branded as Alaska.

“We spent the last 10 months conducting extensive research and listening carefully to what fliers on the West Coast want most,” Alaska Airlines vp of marketing Sangita Woerner said in a press release.

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