Virgin America and Twitter Team Up to Launch "Fly Forward, Give Back" Flash Fare Sale: $5 Per Booking Today Donated to Stand Up To Cancer

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin America today teams up with Twitter to launch a "Fly Forward, Give Back" (#FlyFwdGiveBack) flash fare sale.  The airline is encouraging flyers across the nation to grab a seat and retweet, to help raise awareness and funds for cancer research through the Stand Up To Cancer initiative.  With sale fares as low as $49* and with Virgin America donating five dollars per booking** from now through 11:59pm PDT tonight (August 10th) to support cancer research, this deal is definitely "retweetable."  With industry-leading guest service, beautiful design and a host of inventive amenities, Virgin America has captured a list of industry best-in-class awards and has become a favorite among tech-forward flyers since launching service in 2007.   Virgin America is the only airline based in Silicon Valley, and its use of technology, social media and design has made it a favorite among local flyers.  The airline has been an early adopter of Twitter's advertising products and is using both Promoted Tweets and a Promoted Trend to drive conversations and engagement around today's #FlyFwdGiveBack sale.  More details can be found at: http://www.virginamerica.com/vx/booking/twitter

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090123/VIRGINAMERICALOGO)

The "#FlyFwdGiveBack" fare sale is good for travel across Virgin America's network between August 13, 2011-November 16, 2011.  Tickets must be purchased by 11:59pm PDT tonight (August 10th).  Main Cabin fares start as low as $49* (restrictions, taxes and fees applying) on short-hauls like Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)-San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and SFO-Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS).  Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD)-LAX and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)-LAX fares start from $99* (restrictions, taxes and fees applying).  Tickets are on sale now on Virgin America's Web site (www.virginamerica.com) and at 1.877.FLY.VIRGIN (1.877.359.8474).***

Virgin America will donate five dollars for every direct booking** made today in the "#FlyFwdGiveBack" fare sale, up to a total of $50,000, to fund collaborative cancer research through Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C).  SU2C is a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)3 charitable organization, which raises funds to accelerate the pace of groundbreaking translational research that can get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives.  As SU2C's Official Domestic Airline partner, the carrier supports SU2C's mission by driving awareness and funding for cancer research -- through donations, joint fundraising campaigns and in-kind ticket contributions.  Virgin America guests are also able to join the SU2C movement at 35,000 feet via the Red™ entertainment platform.  Flyers can visit the Shop "Make a Difference" section on Red, swipe a credit card and join the fight to bring an end to cancer -- right from their seatbacks.  The Virgin America-SU2C partnership kicked off in fall 2010 as SU2C returned to TV for its second star-studded fundraising telecast, which simultaneously aired on all networks and 14 cable channels.  The show combined entertainment with an appeal to support cancer research and included an appearance by a Virgin America aircraft and Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson.

# FlyFwdGiveBack fares include:

Virgin America has captured a list of industry best-in-class awards since launching service in 2007, including "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 and "Best Domestic Airline" in Conde Nast Traveler's 2008, 2009 and 2010 Readers' Choice Awards.  The airline offers unrivalled value with low fares and innovative features like touch-screen personal seatback entertainment, power outlets at every seat, moodlighting and custom-designed leather seating with a deeper and more comfortable pitch. In May 2009, Virgin America became the first airline to offer guests in-flight internet on every flight.              The Red in-flight entertainment platform offers 30 films, live and premium TV, interactive Google Maps, music videos, videogames, seat-to-seat chat, a 3000 MP3 library, a first-of-its-kind digital Shop section and an on-demand menu -- so guests can order a cocktail or meal from their seat any time during a flight.

Virgin America flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Cabos, Cancun and Chicago.

About Virgin America:  Headquartered in California and launched in August 2007, Virgin America is one of the fastest growing new U.S. airlines of all time and currently employs over 2,100 people.  Virgin America offers guests attractive fares and a host of innovative features aimed at reinventing air travel.  Virgin America offers Gogo™ WiFi on every flight and hosts the largest in-flight entertainment library in the North American skies via the touch-screen Red™ platform.  In April, the airline opened its new home as an anchor tenant at SFO's sleek and sustainable Terminal Two (T2).  For more: www.virginamerica.com. For high-res photos and video, visit: http://www.virginamerica.com/about/airline-photos/virgin-america-pictures.html

About Stand Up To Cancer: The Stand Up To Cancer movement (SU2C) -- a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization -- was established by nine women in the entertainment and news industries who utilize the unique resources of those businesses to engage the public in supporting a new model of cancer research, designed to get new therapies to patients quickly. Members of SU2C's Executive Leadership Council include: Sherry Lansing, chairperson of the Entertainment Industry Foundation's (EIF) Board of Directors and founder of the Sherry Lansing Foundation; EIF President and CEO Lisa Paulsen; Katie Couric; EIF Senior Vice President Kathleen Lobb; Rusty Robertson and Sue Schwartz of the Robertson Schwartz Agency; Pam Williams, partner at Laura Ziskin Productions; and nonprofit executive Ellen Ziffren.  The late Laura Ziskin, a legendary film producer who executive produced the 2008 and 2010 SU2C telecasts, was also a co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer. SU2C's "Dream Team" approach to funding translational cancer research enables scientists from different disciplines at research centers across the country and internationally to collaborate on projects geared toward getting new, less toxic treatments to patients as quickly as possible. Monies also support individual researchers pursuing innovative cancer research projects that are often deemed "too risky" by conventional funding sources. As SU2C's scientific collaborator, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), led by a prestigious SU2C Scientific Advisory Committee, provides scientific oversight, expert review of the research projects, and grants administration.

* Terms and Conditions: All Main Cabin fares are one-way, based on travel originating from the U.S., and require a 3-day advance purchase. Travel must occur between August 13, 2011 and November 16, 2011. Blackout dates are September 2 and September 5, 2011. Tickets must be purchased by 11:59pm PDT August 10, 2011. For domestic U.S. travel, lowest sale fares are available for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays only. Fares do not include Passenger Facility Charges of up to $9 each way, September 11th Security Fees of up to $5 each way and a Federal Segment Tax of $3.70 per domestic segment. A segment is a takeoff and landing. For service to/from Mexico, fares do not include the U.S. Immigration User Fee of $7, the U.S. APHIS fee of $5, a U.S. International Arrival/Departure Tax of $16.30 each way and additional taxes/fees of up to $60, including: Mexico International Departure Tax and Mexico Tourism Tax. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. Seats are limited, subject to availability, and may not be available on all flights. Flights may not operate daily. Changes or cancellations can be made for a $75 fee if changes are made on Virgin America's website (www.virginamerica.com) or a $100 fee through all other channels, including the call center and at the airport, plus any increase in fare, if applicable. Changes or cancellations of a booking made with Elevate Points will be subject to a $75 redeposit fee. Guests who no-show without a change or cancel prior to the scheduled departure time will forfeit the amount of this fare.  In addition, any future flights booked in the same reservation will also be canceled and the fare will be forfeited. Tickets purchased from Virgin America through our reservation call center will cost an additional $20 per guest per itinerary. Any added cost associated with purchasing tickets from Virgin America through our reservation call center will be non-refundable. Fares will not be honored retroactively or in exchange for any wholly or partially used ticket. Fares, routes, fees and schedules are subject to change without notice. Virgin America will accept one (1) piece of checked baggage up to 50 pounds (70 pounds for travel through October 28, 2011) for $25 for each ticketed guest traveling within the U.S. and for free of charge for each ticketed guest traveling to/from Mexico. The fee per guest for each additional checked bag up to 50 pounds from the second (2) to the tenth (10) is $25. Additional fees apply to baggage exceeding these weight limitations, and other baggage restrictions may apply.

** Virgin America will donate $5 per booking (in both cash and in-kind tickets) to Stand Up To Cancer (up to a total of 10,000 bookings -- with total donation amount not to exceed $50,000) for fares booked from August 10, 2011 at 12:01am PDT-August 10, 2011 at 11:59pm PDT made directly with Virgin America (through its Web site or Call Center).  A booking is a reservation for a guest, either one-way or round-trip, to travel on a single journey.

***Any guest calling within the United States has access to a complimentary telecommunication relay service by dialing 711. For more information, go to: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/telecomm.asp

SOURCE Virgin America

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