SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 14, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Virgin America, the California-based airline on a mission to make flying good again, today reminded passengers that there is still time to grab a seat on its award-winning service for holiday travel. With no advance purchase requirement, Virgin America is offering guests the opportunity to fly in high style on its upscale, mood-lit new aircraft with low fares for the holiday season.
"In a little over a year flying, we've swept all the major travel industry best-in-class awards, largely based on the reviews of travelers. We think we're offering a travel experience and value unrivalled in the U.S. skies, and we want people to give us a try if they haven't yet," said Virgin America Vice President of Planning and Sales Diana Walke. "Although the holidays are fast approaching, there are still incredible deals at Virgin America and we encourage people to join the millions who have flown us and whose feedback has made us number one."
Launched in August 2007, the carrier has won a list of travel industry awards, including top honors last month as "Best Domestic Airline" in Conde Nast Traveler's 2008 Readers' Choice Awards (based on a sample of over 30,000 travelers) and in July, "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards. This past month, Virgin America was ranked as the "most on-time" airline among domestic carriers by FlightStats.com.
The Thanksgiving holiday kicks off the busiest time of year for air travel, Walke noted. "We are seeing an increase in demand for the holidays. Since our launch in August 2007, we have welcomed 2.4 million guests and expect to see a 27% increase in traffic for the holidays," she said. "We look forward to taking the headache out of holiday air travel with our unique flight experience for all of our new and returning guests."
The holiday travel period is traditionally defined as the Friday before Thanksgiving holiday to the Sunday after - this year Nov. 21-Nov 30. During this time Virgin America will operate more than 750 flights. The new airline expects to carry 85,000 guests during this period, a 121% increase in traffic from the previous year.
Now serving seven cities and with new menu items and shaken cocktails onboard for Fall, Virgin America offers guests amenities unrivalled in the U.S. skies and boasts the youngest fleet in the U.S. The aircraft feature power outlets near every seat and the most advanced in-flight entertainment in the U.S. Red(tm) allows guests to control their own experience, with a food ordering system, 30 films, seat-to-seat chat, the ability to create a play-list from 3,000 MP3s, videogames, and live TV - all accessed via seatback touch-screen or remote control.
Virgin America's First Class cabin offers international-grade amenities, with priority check-in and boarding and plush white leather seats with 55 inches of pitch and lumbar massagers. The Main Cabin offers custom-designed leather seats with a deeper, more comfortable pitch. The carrier recently announced a new cabin option, Main Cabin Select, which offers 38-inches of seat pitch, complimentary food and cocktails, an all-access pass to Red's(tm) countless entertainment options, and more.
Virgin America currently flies to seven cities -- San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Las Vegas and San Diego. There are available daily flights from SFO to LAX, SFO to JFK, SFO to SAN, SFO to IAD, SFO to LAS, SFO to SEA, LAX to JFK, LAX to IAD, LAX to SEA and non-stop JFK to LAS.
EDITORS NOTE: Virgin America is a U.S.-controlled and operated airline and an entirely separate company from Virgin Atlantic. Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group is a minority share investor in Virgin America. About Virgin America: Launched in August 2007, Virgin America is a California-based airline that offers guests attractive fares and a host of innovative features aimed at reinventing air travel. Virgin America's base of operations is San Francisco International Airport's ultra-modern and convenient International Terminal. The airline's new Airbus A320-family aircraft offer interactive in-flight entertainment systems and power outlets for electronic gear. In October 2008, Virgin America was named "Best Domestic Airline in the Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards. In July 2008, Virgin America was named "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards. This past month, Virgin America was ranked as the "most on-time" airline among domestic carriers by FlightStats.com. To learn more: www.virginamerica.com
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