Virgin America Celebrates Nine Years Of Making Flying Fun

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin America, the Bay Area-based airline known for reinventing domestic travel with its upscale service and innovative in-flight amenities, is celebrating its ninth birthday and ninth straight year as the Top Domestic Airline in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards. To kick off the celebration, San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee has named August 8, 2016, as "Virgin America Day" in the City of San Francisco.  Virgin America is thanking its loyal guests by offering Elevate® frequent flyer members 999 bonus points when they register at www.virginamerica.com/party-favor-points ,* and by launching one of the airline's biggest network-wide fare sales of the year with fares from $39.** Tickets are available now at www.virginamerica.com and 1.877.FLY.VIRGIN (1.877.359.8474)****and must be purchased by 11:59pm on Wednesday, August 10.

"As the only airline headquartered in San Francisco – the innovation capital of the world, Virgin America's mission from day one has been to raise the bar at 35,000 feet," said Virgin America President and CEO David Cush. "Inspired by the Bay Area community and our flyers, our Teammates have helped reinvent air travel – not only by delivering brilliant guest service, but by leveraging the best in design, technology and entertainment to make flying fun again.  Along the way, they've shaken up the entire airline industry for the better. We are a product of the Bay Area – and as we celebrate our ninth anniversary, we are incredibly thankful to the local flyers, partners and community leaders who believed that an airline could change how people fly."

"Virgin America continues to capture the spirit of innovation that makes San Francisco a special place, providing a unique experience for our SFO passengers, creating jobs for Bay Area residents and supporting our growing economy," said San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee. "It is my great pleasure to once again declare August 8^th as 'Virgin America Day' in San Francisco and recognize their support of critical local organizations like the San Francisco Animal Care and Control."

As a thank you to the City of San Francisco and as part of its ongoing partnership with the San Francisco Giants, Virgin America is celebrating its anniversary at AT&T Park on August 20 when the hometown team takes on the Mets – with the first 40,000 attendees scoring a two-for-one Virgin America flight voucher.*** Virgin America has served as the "Official Airline of the San Francisco Giants" since 2008.  Today the airline unveils its 2016 SF Giants aircraft design, which will feature star pitcher, Sergio Romo in action on the fuselage of its Airbus A320 Family "Fly Bye Baby" aircraft, named in honor of the SF Giants. The aircraft design shows Romo in action winding up for a pitch – and will kick off a promotion at the ballpark on August 20 where Virgin America and the SF Giants will ask fans to tweet their best #RestingPitchFace to generate a personal baseball card that can be shared with followers.  The Virgin America-SF Giants partnership also includes unique stadium branding, such as the "Virgin America Loft" at McCovey Cove, in-stadium signage and LEDs, and the mood-lit "Virgin America Club Level" and sectional signage that nods to the airline's signature cabin lighting.

"We're excited to celebrate our hometown airline's ninth birthday with our fans and continue to be so proud to have Virgin America as the Official Airline of the San Francisco Giants," said Giants President and CEO, Larry Baer. "Over the years, our partnership has featured many milestones, including three World Championship trophy flights and of course, the first ceremonial first pitch to be made at 35,000 feet and broadcast to the stadium via Virgin America's fleetwide WiFi in 2012. We look forward to once again hosting Virgin America Day at AT&T Park with our fans."

Commitment to the community is a part of the Virgin brand's DNA, and the airline has partnered with the San Francisco Animal Care and Control (SF ACC) since 2010 to fly Chihuahuas (which are overpopulated on the West Coast) from the Bay Area to the East Coast where they can be adopted into loving homes.  On August 20^th, Virgin America will pledge $10,000 to support the vital work the SF ACC does to help Bay Area animals – and will be tapping some special four-legged all stars to participate in the ceremonial first pitch, with several Chihuahuas from the SF ACC taking to the field to assist.

In true Bay Area fashion, Virgin America has marked a number of notable and sometimes quirky "firsts" since its 2007 launch:

• In July 2016, Virgin America became the first airline to be named the "Top Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards readers' survey for the ninth year in a row  – representing a win of this award every year the airline has been in service; 
• In April 2016, Virgin America became the Official Airline of Rock the Vote for this election season and will run Public Service Announcements in-flight encouraging flyers to vote. In 2012, Virgin America launched its first flights to Washington National (DCA) by becoming the first airline to allow flyers to register to vote in-flight via its Red in-flight entertainment platform;
• Virgin America is the first and still only U.S. airline to offer WiFi fleetwide. The airline first marked that milestone as of May 2009 with the first-ever SKYPE chat from the ground to the air between Oprah Winfrey and her studio audience and a Virgin America plane at 35,000 feet;
• In 2015, Virgin America began upgrading its fleet with significantly faster WiFi connectivity on its new aircraft deliveries.  In fall 2015, Virgin America became the first airline to join forces with Netflix and Spotify to allow travelers to stream their respective entire catalogs for free at 35,000 feet. The partnership kicked off with an unveiling of a Netflix Original House of Cards themed aircraft – and a surprise drop-in of talent from the show on one of the airline's SFO-DCA flights;
• Virgin America is the first and still only airline in the U.S. with a touch-screen seatback menu that allows guests to order what they want, when they want it during a flight. The airline's fresh, locally-focused menu was awarded the "Best Domestic Airline for Food" title by Travel + Leisure in 2009, 2014 and 2015;
• With the launch of its Red® in-flight entertainment platform in 2007, Virgin America was the first U.S. airline to offer a touch-screen in-flight entertainment at every seat – with an on-demand menu, a give back section, seat-to-seat chat and hundreds of unedited entertainment options including on-demand movies, live television, music playlists, Google Maps, videogames and curated content from BoingBoing TV to YouTube creators to indie films. In 2015, the airline began rolling out an upgrade to Red with higher resolution capacitive touch screens and Android-based software that allows for more content and more functionality – including improved game options and retro classics like Pac Man and Asteroids. The airline also offers the very first surround sound entertainment listening experience for a commercial airline;
• With a new fleet that is up to 15 percent more fuel efficient than the domestic fleet average, Virgin America was also the first U.S. airline to offer carbon offsets in-flight and join the Climate Registry, a nonprofit organization that sets consistent standards to calculate, verify and report greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions;
• Virgin America was the first U.S. airline to launch a loyalty program where members could earn points from the day the airline launched. As of 2016, Virgin America grew its Elevate program to four million members strong.
• In November 2015, Virgin America launched its new flights to Hawaii and became Airbnb's first airline partner with a unique Elevate partnership and #Hawaiiscape promotion;
• In November 2015, the airline became the first major U.S. commercial airline to touch down on Google Map's Street View and later launched an interactive brand campaign that allows travelers to test drive their flight experience from any airport before they take off; 
• In October 2015, Virgin America became the first domestic airline to be named "Best U.S. Airline" in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards – for an unprecedented eighth year in a row.
• In February 2015, the airline announced it would be the first U.S. Airline to power online payments with Visa Checkout, making online shopping and other web experiences even easier for its flyers;  
• In November 2014, Virgin America has one of the most successful IPOs of the year, and partners with Loyal3 to give back to its most loyal guests by providing an opportunity for Elevate® Gold and Silver members to purchase shares of the airline;
• In October 2014, Virgin America won its "Free Love Field" campaign  and as a result launched its low-fare, upscale service at Dallas Love Field (DAL). The airline celebrated the launch with the first-ever on-demand Uber flight.  Travelers could order the flight on the Uber app and were feted onboard by Virgin Group Founder Sir Richard Branson and in-flight performance by Grammy-award winner Kacey Musgraves;
• Virgin America was the first airline to launch an ad campaign poking its often boring, beige and dull competition with a five hour and forty-five minute film set onboard a BLAH Airlines flight from SFO-EWR – the hilarious antithesis of the connected, entertaining and stylish experience guests enjoy when flying Virgin America. The film was called "brilliant" and "Warholian" by AdWeek and "genius" by Travel + Leisure, garnered nearly one million views on YouTube, received a 2015 Cannes Lions award and is a winner in the 2016 Shorty Awards which honors the best content creators and producers on social media;
• In October 2013, Virgin America, the airline that first put an irreverent twist on the in-flight safety video in the U.S., marked a major milestone later that month by taking pre-flight safety education to new heights with the first-ever domestic safety video set entirely to music and performed in dance. The video to date has racked up +11 million views;
• First airline to partner with Banana Republic on its sleek new uniform design in 2012 – with aviation inspired details and a palette inspired by the airline's signature moodlit cabin design;
• First and still only U.S. airline with standard power outlets at every seat and seat-to-seat text chatting; In 2013, the airline also helped travelers "get lucky" by becoming the first airline to allow travelers to send a drink or meal to another seat via the Red interface and the text feature;
• In April 2011, the airline opened its sleek and sustainable SFO T2 home, with a tandem inaugural flight alongside Virgin Galactic's spaceship; 
• In January 2011, the airline launched new service to its second Mexican destination of Cancun International Airport (CUN) – and celebrated with the first-ever VH1 "Top 20 Countdown" episode filmed onboard a commercial flight;
• First airline to host a VIP red carpet send-off as part of its Operation Chihuahua airlift in partnership with the San Francisco Animal Care and Control  to help bring overpopulated pups to the East Coast where they are adopted into loving homes. Operation Chihuahua has become an annual event with have  more than 80 Chihuahuas flown since 2010;
• First airline to partner with Boo – the San Francisco-born "World's Cutest Dog" as Virgin America's pet liaison for dogs on the go;
• First airline to launch a responsive design web site with the launch of the Webby award winning virginamerica.com in 2014;
• First airline to broadcast to TV from 35,000 feet via in-flight WiFI – in a live interview conducted with Sir Richard Branson on the CBS Early Show – in February 2009.
• First airline to host a live streamed YouTube broadcast from 35,000 feet in Nov. 2008, with YouTube content creators;
• First in-flight premiere of a television series with episode one of "Entourage" season five launching the airline's LAS-JFK route in November 2008;
• First in-flight marriage ceremony to celebrate SFO-LAS launch, Sir Richard Branson officiates as ordained minister at 35,000 feet in October 2007;
• First U.S. airline to offer a "give back" charitable giving program on its in-flight entertainment platform. Virgin America is a proud sponsor of local causes like Make-A-Wish Bay Area, Knowledge is Power Program, San Francisco Animal Care and Control, Naturebridge, the American Heart Association, Rock the Vote and more.

A full list of Virgin America's awards can be found here.

As the only airline headquartered in California, Virgin America has grown a loyal following of flyers for its brilliant guest service, unique design and tech-forward amenities.  Virgin America's new fleet of Airbus A320 family aircraft offers custom-designed mood-lit cabins and amenities like fleetwide WiFi, power outlets and touch-screen personal entertainment. The airline's Red™ in-flight entertainment platform offers guests more than 25 films on demand, live TV, interactive maps, video games, seat-to-seat chat, music videos, a 3,000 song library and an on-demand menu – so flyers can order a cocktail or snack from their seatback any time during a flight – and even send a drink to another seat.  Virgin America's on-demand menu remains unique in the U.S. airline industry – allowing travelers to order a meal or cocktail from their seatback screen at any time during a flight.  This, coupled with the airline's locally-focused menu, has helped Virgin America capture numerous food awards – including most recently the "Best Domestic Airline for Food" in Travel + Leisure's 2016 World's Best Awards.

Despite being the first (and still only) U.S. airline to offer WiFi fleetwide as of 2009, Virgin America has continued to invest in creating a leading onboard experience.  The airline upgraded to a faster, ground-based WiFi via Gogo's ATG4 product as of 2014, and in 2015, launched a new connectivity partnership with ViaSat to bring significantly faster satellite WiFi to its new delivery aircraft.  The satellite WiFi service is flying on 10 of the airline's newest delivery aircraft as of this month. In 2015, Virgin America launched the next generation of its Red® entertainment platform, which offers higher resolution, capacitive touch screens and an Android-based software platform that allows for more content and interactivity.

In addition to a Main Cabin that offers custom-designed leather seating with a deeper, more comfortable pitch, Virgin America's First Class cabin offers plush white leather seating with 55 inches of pitch, 165 degrees of recline and lumbar massagers. The carrier's Main Cabin Select service offers 38 inches of pitch, free food and cocktails, an all-access pass to media content, dedicated overhead bins and priority check-in/boarding.

Since its 2007 launch, Virgin America has expanded its network to include Austin, Boston, Cancun, Chicago, Dallas Love Field, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Los Cabos, Newark, New York (JFK and LGA), Orlando, Palm Springs, Portland, Puerto Vallarta, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington D.C. (IAD and DCA), Honolulu and Kahului, Maui.

For more about Virgin America's unique guest experience, visit: https://www.virginamerica.com/cms/fly-with-us

Photos of Virgin America's unique aircraft and broadcast quality b-roll can be found at: https://www.virginamerica.com/cms/about-our-airline/photos.html.

About Virgin America: Known for its mood-lit cabins, beautifully designed classes of service and innovative fleetwide amenities — like touch-screen personal entertainment, WiFi and power outlets at every seat, Virgin America has built a loyal following of flyers and earned a host of awards since launching in 2007 — including being named both the "Best U.S. Airline" in both Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards and "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards for the past eight consecutive years.  The airline serves Austin, Boston, Cancun, Chicago, Denver, Dallas Love Field, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Los Cabos, Newark, New York (JFK and LGA), Orlando, Palm Springs, Portland, Puerto Vallarta, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle, Washington D.C. (IAD and DCA), Honolulu and Maui-Kahului.  For more: www.virginamerica.com

*Terms and Conditions for Points Offer:  Only one registration is required to participate in this offer. In this offer, you will earn 999 bonus points following the completion of one flight segment for all qualifying flights booked and flown between August 8^th, 2016 and September 30^th 2016. To qualify for this offer, guests must a) be enrolled in Elevate prior to registering for the offer, b) register for the offer prior to their travel date and c) correctly add their Elevate account number to their reservation prior to their travel date. Any changes or cancellations might result in disqualification from the offer. All travel not normally eligible for earning reward points, including Elevate reward bookings, are excluded from this offer. Bonus Elevate points cannot be transferred between accounts and will only be earned if the member has entered their Elevate membership number in their booking. If the member has chosen to earn points or miles with a partner airline loyalty program, these flights will be excluded from this offer and no bonus points will be earned on your travel with Virgin America. This offer is not combinable with any other Virgin America earn promotions. If 2 offers are applicable for one guest the most generous points offer will be applied. Only tickets that are ticketed on a Virgin America prefix ('VX') and operated on Virgin America will qualify for this offer subject to these terms. Bonus Points will be posted to the member's account within 4-6 weeks after qualifying flights are flown. Other Elevate program terms and conditions apply, as detailed at https://www.virginamerica.com/cms/elevate-frequent-flyer/member-guide 

**Fare Sale Terms and Conditions: Main Cabin tickets must be purchased by 11:59pm CT on Wednesday, August 10, 2016.  Fares are one-way and require a 14-day advance purchase for AUS/ORD/DEN/DAL/LAS-SFO/SEA/PDX/LAS-LAX/ SFO-LAX/ PSP/SAN/HNL/OGG, and Mexico where travel must occur between August 23, 2016 and March 1, 2017.  All other markets require a 21-day advance purchase where travel must occur between August 30, 2016 and March 1, 2017.  Lowest sale fares are only valid for travel on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. For Hawaii, lowest sale fares are available Monday – Thursday.  Return fares for travel from Mexico will be higher due to additional mandatory taxes and fees. Lowest sale fares are available only on certain itineraries.  2016 blackout dates are 9/1, 9/5-9/6, 10/10, 11/10, 11/14, 11/19- 11/28, 12/22 – 12/31.  2017 blackout dates are: 1/1 - 1/2, 1/16, and 2/20.  Seats are limited, subject to availability, and may not be available on all flights. Flights may not operate daily. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. For travel solely between points in the Continental Western Region (LAS/LAX/PDX/PSP/PVR/SAN/SEA/SFO/SJD only), DEN-SFO and DAL-LAS, changes or cancellations can be made for a $100 fee per guest through all channels, plus any increase in fare, if applicable. For all other itineraries, changes or cancellations can be made for a $150 fee per guest through all channels, plus any increase in fare, if applicable. Any remaining balance will be placed in a guest's travel bank, good for travel on Virgin America for one year from date of issue. Changes or cancellations of a booking made with Elevate Points will be subject to a $100 redeposit fee per guest. Guests who no-show without a change or cancellation 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 up to ten pieces of checked baggage, up to 50 pounds each, per ticketed guest traveling within the U.S. The fee for each piece of checked baggage up to 50 pounds is $25. Additional fees apply to baggage exceeding these weight limitations, and other baggage restrictions may apply.

***Terms and Conditions - Virgin America Day 2016 2-for-1 Offer: This offer of two base fares for the price of one ends at 11:59pm PT on September 2, 2016. This offer is valid only for nonstop or connecting travel; offer is not valid for any multi-city itineraries. One time use promo code is valid for non-refundable Main Cabin tickets only. Travel must occur September 7, 2016 - December 8, 2016 orJanuary 4, 2017 - February 25, 2017. Tickets require advance purchase of 14 days. Discount is not valid for travel on Fridays or Sundays.  Blackout dates include:  10/6/16 – 10/11/16, 11/10/16 – 11/15/16, 11/17/16 – 11/30/16, 12/9/16 – 1/3/17, 1/12/17 – 1/17/17, 2/16/17 – 2/21/17. Promo code may only be used for bookings made on virginamerica.com and is only valid on itineraries of exactly 2 guests. Promo code applies to newly booked travel and may not be applied to prior bookings. Promo code discount will be deducted off of base fare.  Base fares do not include Passenger Facility Charges of up to $9 each way, September 11th Security Fees of up to $5.60 per one way trip, where each one-way trip may include a connection or stopover between two domestic flights not exceeding 4 hours, and a Federal Segment Tax of $4.00 per domestic segment. A segment is a takeoff and landing. A stopover is a break in travel of more than 4 hours between 2 flights. For service to/from Mexico, base fares do not include the U.S. Immigration User Fee of $7, the U.S. APHIS fee of $5, the U.S. Customs processing fee of $5.50, a U.S. International Arrival/Departure Tax of $17.50 each way and additional taxes/fees of up to $70, including: Mexico International Departure Tax and Mexico Tourism Tax. Promo code may not be redeemed for cash. Offer is not transferable and cannot be combined with any other offers. Seats are limited, subject to availability, and may not be available on all flights. If travel is changed or cancelled, the promo code discount will become invalid. For travel solely between points in the Continental Western Region (LAS/LAX/PDX/PSP/PVR/SAN/SEA/SFO/SJD only), DAL-LAS and DEN-SFO, changes or cancellations can be made for a $100 fee per guest through all channels, plus any increase in fare, if applicable. For all other itineraries, changes or cancellations can be made for a $150 fee per guest through all channels, plus any increase in fare, if applicable.  Any remaining balance will be placed in a guest's travel bank, good for travel on Virgin America for one year from date of issue. Promotion code is not eligible for Elevate points redemption bookings. Guests who no-show without a change or cancellation 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 up to ten pieces of checked baggage, up to 50 pounds each, per ticketed guest traveling within the U.S. The fee for each piece of checked baggage up to 50 pounds is $25. Additional fees apply to baggage exceeding these weight limitations, and other baggage restrictions may apply.

****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

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