Virgin America Partners With Dallas International Film Festival For Big Screen Premiere Of 'BLAH AIRLINES' Film

SAN FRANCISCO, April 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin America, the upscale, low-fare airline known for shaking up the status quo, is teaming up with the Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF) for the big screen premiere of the airline's critically-acclaimed "BLAH AIRLINES FLIGHT 101," a five hour and forty-five minute film set on board a BLAH Airlines flight - the boring, beige and dull antithesis of the innovative and stylish experience when flying Virgin America.  The film, which will be screened on April 10 as part of the official DIFF Festival Line-Up, is a surrealistic and humorous work of cinema vérité that exposes the grim reality of commercial air travel - characterized by cramped seats, harsh lighting and a lack of entertainment and meal options. A film that AdWeek called "brilliant" and "warholian," BLAH AIRLINES FLIGHT 101, has garnered nearly one million views on YouTube to date.  The film's trailer can be viewed here.

In partnership with DIFF, the airline is inviting local flyers, Elevate frequent flyer program members and social followers to join the screening of BLAH AIRLINES FLIGHT 101 – and follow the hashtag, #ExitBlah and enter the moodlight for a chance to score a seat at the premiere].  Any festival-goer who makes it through the entire 5 hour and 45 minute film screening will score 2500* Elevate points – or the equivalent of a reward flight – so they can avoid flying "blah" on their next trip.  The airline has also launched a social media contest where lucky winners from San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C. and Dallas will score a trip on Virgin America and invitation to the BLAH screening – in addition to other film and party access at the festival and two-night hotel stay at the luxurious The Highland Dallas hotel.  For full details, click here.

"With an expanded presence in Dallas and unmatched entertainment experience onboard our flights, we're excited to be the Official Domestic Airline Partner of the Dallas International Film Festival and to support the broader film community," said Virgin America's Chief Marketing Officer, Luanne Calvert.  "We're thrilled to partner with DIFF to host a fun premiere for our friends and partners here in Dallas. We're also excited to see who makes it through the entire screening of 'BLAH AIRLINES,' which at a 5 hours and 45 minutes running time – begs the question, if you wouldn't sit through the entire film, why would you pay money to experience it in real-life on a flight?"

With an award-winning experience and low fares, Virgin America aims to be the antidote to the typical "blah" airline experience.   Virgin America is currently running a digital campaign inviting flyers on its new Dallas Love Field routes to 'raise their expectations' by demanding not just the lowest possible fares, but an innovative, fresh travel experience tailored to the longer-haul flying now possible from the airport most convenient to downtown Dallas.  Virgin Group Founder, Sir Richard Branson kicked off the airline's 'Higher Expectations' campaign with a cheeky video that highlights the airline's high amenities and low fare guarantee, which is now live at WeInventedHigherExpectations.com. Visitors to the site can also score triple Elevate points** on flight from Dallas Love Field (DAL) simply by sharing the same 'higher expectations' with family and friends and inviting them to join the airline's Elevate loyalty program, who will also score triple points next time they book with Virgin America.

The overall campaign is designed to showcase the airline's award-winning travel experience and its low-fare competitiveness – including its current Low Fare Love Match price guarantee in Dallas (the carrier will match any comparable nonstop Main Cabin fares to or from DAL to DCA, LGA, AUS, SFO or LAX***).  Virgin America is the only carrier to offer three classes of service with both an award-winning First Class cabin and a Main Cabin Select premium economy service on every flight it operates from Love Field to DAL, DCA, LGA, AUS, SFO and LAX.  

The "BLAH AIRLINES" filmmakers will also be speaking at the "Cinema as Next Level Marketing" panel on April 12 that will focus on cinematic campaigns that blend art, cinematography and marketing to create innovative teaser films and advertisements.  "BLAH AIRLINES" was created with SF creative shop, Eleven.  

"We're thrilled to welcome Virgin America to the Festival this year with their BLAH Airlines big screen premiere," said James Faust, artistic director of the Dallas Film Society. "Our mission is always to give recognition to cinematic innovation and Virgin America's avant-garde BLAH AIRLINES film is something fresh and experimental that we haven't seen before."

Virgin America will also offer select films from the Dallas International Film Festival this summer on its Red^® in-flight entertainment platform. Virgin America's entertainment content is refreshed regularly and its new movie menu ranges from foreign-language films to Hollywood blockbusters.  The airline's entertainment menu spotlights independent content across mediums – from film, to television and new media. The Red platform already offers every Virgin America guest a touch-screen entertainment center at their seatback – with 24 television channels including 18 channels of live television, more than 25 on-demand films, a 3,000 song library, videogames, music videos and more.

Virgin America launched service at Dallas Love Field (DAL) on October 13 2014 – and now offers flights to New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Los Angeles – making DAL the airline's third-largest operation.  On April 27 2015, the airline will launch five daily flights between Dallas Love Field and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS).

The airline is unique for its fleet of beautifully-designed, new aircraft and a consistent product experience available on every flight, which includes: fleetwide WiFi, power outlets at every seat, a full-service, on-demand food and cocktail menu, confirmed seating and personal, touch-screen seatback entertainment.  Virgin America also offers Dallas Love Field travelers a check-in lounge that mirrors the sleek look and feel of the carrier's aircraft cabins and is the only dedicated First Class check-in area of its kind at Love Field. The airline has been named the "Best Domestic Airline" in Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards and in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards for the past seven consecutive years along with Travel + Leisure's "Best Domestic Airline for Food" in 2014.  

The airline continues to expand its network across the country with flights to Austin, Boston, Cancun, Chicago, Dallas Love Field, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Los Cabos, Newark, New York (JFK and LGA), Orlando, Palm Springs (seasonal), Portland, Puerto Vallarta, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington D.C. (IAD and DCA).

Photos of Virgin America's unique aircraft can be found here and broadcast quality b-roll can be found here.

About Virgin America:  Known for its mood-lit cabins, three 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 Condé Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards and "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards for the past seven consecutive years. For more: www.virginamerica.com.  

About the Dallas Film Society: The Dallas Film Society celebrates films and their impact on society. A 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, the Dallas Film Society recognizes and honors filmmakers for their achievements in enhancing the creative community, provides educational programs to students to develop a better understanding of the role of film in today's world, and promotes the City of Dallas and its commitment to the art of filmmaking.  The annual Dallas International Film Festival is a presentation of the Dallas Film Society and has been named by Movie Maker Magazine as one of the "25 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee." In addition to producing one of the largest festivals in the Southwest, the Society produces numerous year round events, screenings series and programs in partnership with arts organizations around the city. The offices of the Dallas Film Society are located at 3625 North Hall Street, Suite 740, Dallas, TX 75219. For more information about the Dallas Film Society and its ongoing events, visit www.dallasfilm.org.

About The Highland Dallas: The Highland Dallas was unveiled in August 2014 as the first hotel in Hilton's Curio Collection. A modern, 198-room luxury boutique hotel, The Highland Dallas is located at North Central and Mockingbird Lane and defines an intersection of style, culture, sophistication and comfort. Featuring world-class amenities, The Highland Dallas showcases Dallas' popular Exhale Spa, Salon Pompeo and the award-winning cuisine of James Beard-nominated and Bravo's "Top Chef" contestant Chef John Tesar at its acclaimed restaurant, Knife. With more than 9,000 square-feet of flexible event space, The Highland Dallas offers premier, customized service to host everything from intimate meetings to the ultimate wedding celebration. For more information about The Highland Dallas, please visit www.thehighlanddallas.com. Follow The Highland Dallas on Facebook and Twitter.

*Terms and Conditions for Elevate Points Offer: Points required to redeem an Elevate travel reward on Virgin America will be publicly available on a seat and flight-specific basis and are subject to change. Domestic reward bookings are subject to a security fee of $5.60 per one-way trip payable by credit card or Virgin America credit file, where each one-way trip may include a connection or stopover between two domestic flights not exceeding 4 hours. There may be multiple one-way trips on the same reward booking. The Passenger Facility Charge and Segment Fees are waived for domestic reward bookings. For international reward bookings, Virgin America guests are responsible for any taxes and fees incurred from international travel. These taxes and fees are subject to change at the discretion of each country's government and also vary from country to country depending on the origin and destination.

**Terms and conditions of Dallas Higher Expectations Triple Points Promotion: Only one registration is required to participate in this offer. Offer is only valid for referral of new Elevate members who signed up into the Elevate program after March 20, 2015. The typical earn for Elevate members is 5 points per $1 spent on the base fare. 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 first 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. Elevate members will earn 200% bonus points per $1 spent on the base fare for a total of 15 points per $1 spent for all qualifying flights booked and flown between San Francisco (SFO) or Los Angeles (LAX) or Austin (AUS) or Washington, DC (DCA) and New York City (LGA) to Dallas Love Field (DAL). 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. 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 reward points earned in this offer do not qualify towards reaching Elevate Gold or Elevate Silver status. The offer is valid for flights booked and flown in or out of Dallas Love Field (DAL) between April 7, 2015 and June 6, 2015. Registration must be completed before the flight. Points required to redeem an Elevate travel reward on Virgin America will be publicly available on a seat and flight-specific basis and are subject to change. Domestic reward bookings are subject to a security fee of $5.60 per segment, payable by credit card or Virgin America credit file. The Passenger Facility Charge and Segment Fees are waived for domestic reward bookings. For international reward bookings, Virgin America guests are responsible for the taxes and fees up to $150 per person incurred from international travel. These taxes and fees are subject to change at the discretion of each country's government and also vary from country to country depending on the origin and destination. Reward redemptions for Partner Airline flights are subject to availability and capacity control. Partner Airlines may limit the number of reward seats available on any flight and may prohibit travel on certain days. Partner Airline reward flight redemptions do not include any applicable passenger taxes, fees, charges and surcharges, which may cost up to $2,000 and which will be charged to and payable by each guest. The amount of such fees is subject to change and are payable at the time of booking. Other Elevate program terms and conditions apply, as detailed at https://www.virginamerica.com/cms/elevate-frequent-flyer/member-guide

***Low Fare Love Match Terms and Conditions: Virgin America will match published nonstop fares found on another airline's websites for sectors to/from DAL (where Virgin America operates non-stop service, DAL-SFO/LAX/DCA/LGA/AUS)

• Verifiable screenshot must be provided of airline website fare for verification
• Valid on all Non-refundable Main Cabin fares for travel until April 30, 2015 
• Applies to "equivalent flight" of another airline which is defined to be +/- 2 hours from Virgin America departures on same travel date 
• Virgin America to honor fare for all available Main Cabin seats (does not apply to sold out flights)
• Claim must be submitted no later than 11:59 pm CT on the same day you purchased the Virgin America ticket.  Click here to file claim. 
• For full Terms and Conditions, please click here.

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SOURCE Virgin America

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