Virgin America Signs Interline Deal With Japan Airlines

SAN FRANCISCO, June 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin America, the California-based airline, announces a new interline agreement with Japan Airlines (JAL), offering seamless travel on the networks of both carriers across their respective North American and Asian routes. Virgin America has grown to 18 destinations, a fleet of 52 new aircraft and more than 2,600 teammates since its launch in August 2007.  In addition to the new JAL agreement, Virgin America has interline agreements with Virgin Australia, Virgin Atlantic, Air New Zealand, Emirates, Korean Air, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, South African Airways, El Al, Qantas, China Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Air Pacific.  For more, please visit: http://www.virginamerica.com/travel/virgin-partners.html/

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"We're pleased to sign an interline agreement with JAL that will allow us to provide guests of both of our airlines connectivity across our two networks and more choices as they plan travel between Asia and North America," said Adam Green, Virgin America's Director of Network Planning.

JAL offers daily service from Virgin America's home base San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) and daily nonstop service from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) – a focus city for Virgin America – to JAL's hub at Tokyo's Narita International Airport (NRT), where travelers may connect onward to most major cities in Asia including Bangkok, Beijing, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Seoul, Shanghai, and Taipei. In addition, JAL serves Narita from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) and New York's JFK. Both airlines will transfer baggage between connecting flights to guests' final destinations.

"We are pleased to enter this interline agreement with Virgin America," said Koichi Fukunuga, Senior Director of Route Planning at Japan Airlines. "It will expand the network of flights that customers can easily ticket on and therefore provide them with greater convenience when they fly between Asia and North America."

JAL, with headquarters in Tokyo, flies to destinations in Asia, North America, Europe and Oceania.

Known for beautifully-designed cabins and unparalleled in-flight entertainment, Virgin America has swept the travel awards since its 2007 launch. The airline has taken top honors as "Best U.S. Airline" in both Conde Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards and Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards for the past four consecutive years.  Virgin America's mood-lit, custom-designed new aircraft feature standard power outlets near every seat, Gogo™ In–flight Internet on every flight and Red™ – the most advanced entertainment system in the U.S. In addition to a Main Cabin that offers leather seats with a deeper, more comfortable pitch, Virgin America's First Class features international-grade amenities, including plush white leather seats with 55 inches of pitch and lumbar massagers. The carrier's premium cabin option, Main Cabin Select, offers 38-inches of seat pitch, complimentary food and cocktails, an all-access pass to entertainment options, dedicated overhead bin space, one free checked bag and priority check-in and boarding.

Interline electronic tickets for Virgin America and JAL connecting flights can now be booked through all the major Global Distribution Systems (GDS).  Travel agents should refer to JAL's GDS reference pages for further booking instructions.

Virgin America flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C. (IAD), Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Dallas–Fort Worth, Los Cabos, Cancun, Chicago, Puerto Vallarta, Palm Springs (seasonally), Philadelphia, Portland and – as of August 14th – Washington D.C.'s Reagan National (DCA).

About Virgin America: Headquartered in California, Virgin America offers guests attractive fares and a host of innovative features aimed at reinventing air travel. In just over four years flying, Virgin America was named "Best Domestic Airline" in the Conde Nast Traveler 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 'Readers' Choice' Awards and "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure's 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 'World's Best' Awards. The airline's base of operations is San Francisco International Airport (SFO)'s sleek and sustainable new Terminal 2. The airline's new aircraft offer interactive in–flight entertainment systems and power outlets near every seat. 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. For more: www.virginamerica.com

About Japan Airlines: Headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and a member of the oneworld® alliance, JAL has an international network reaching more than 221 airports in 40 countries and regions together with its codeshare partners while covering over 50 airports throughout Japan. With a fleet of more than 200 aircraft including the revolutionary 787 Dreamliner, it operates from main hubs Narita and Haneda in Tokyo, with extensive connection to major Asian destinations. To the continental U.S., JAL flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York City and now operates the only nonstop service between Boston and Asia. It will soon launch the first direct link between San Diego and Asia later this year with the start of its new service. Its frequent flyer program, JAL Mileage Bank (JMB), is one of the world's largest loyalty programs, with over 24 million members worldwide today. The airline was recognized for being the most punctual major global airline in 2009 and 2010.

SOURCE Virgin America

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