Virgin America, a new U.S. domestic carrier has begun selling tickets for travel between August 8 and February 12.The airline plans to begin service with two flights per day to JFK International Airport in New York and five flights per day to Los Angeles International Airport. Additional flights to these cities and to Washington DC and Las Vegas will be rolled out over the next two months. Service to San Diego will be added at a later date.
Virgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson and Virgin America Chief Executive Officer Fred Reid will be included in a group of celebrities, friends and supporters enjoying free live entertainment on the inaugural flights. Tickets for these flights will be auctioned to benefit the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), an initiative for open-enrollment college-preparatory public schools that provide free education to underserved communities throughout the United States.
Fred Reid, CEO of Virgin America said, “We’re offering last-minute main cabin fares for business travelers that are up to 60 percent off existing last-minute coach fares, and even our First Class fares are up to 50 percent below what the legacy carriers charge for coach.”
Virgin America planes feature leather seats, on-demand movies and TV, games, music and online chat rooms. In First Class, massage chairs offer 55 inches of seat pitch and 165-degree recline. Passengers can earn points on eleVAte, the airline’s frequent flyer program, starting with their first flight. They will be able to redeem points in the near future.
The flight roll-out schedule is:
San Francisco-New York
August 8 – two flights per day
August 19 – add third flight
September 9 – add fourth flight
San Francisco-Los Angeles
August 29 – two flights per day
September 16 – add third flight
San Francisco-Washington Dulles International Airport
September 26 – two flights per day
San Francisco-Las Vegas,
October 10 – three flights per day including connections to New York and Washington, DC
Los Angeles-Washington, DC
October 24 – two flights per day
Main Cabin fares start at:
$44 San Francisco-Los Angeles and San Francisco-Las Vegas
$129 San Francisco-Washington, DC and Los Angeles-Washington, DC
$139 San Francisco-New York and Los Angeles-New York
First Class fares start at:
$149 San Francisco-Los Angeles and San Francisco-Las Vegas
$389 San Francisco-Washington, DC and Los Angeles-Washington, DC
$389 San Francisco-New York and Los Angeles-New York
All fares are one way and there are no Saturday night stay requirements. They are exclusive of a Passenger Facility Charges, September 11th Security Fees, and a Federal Segment Tax. A $5 fee will be charged for tickets purchased by phone. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. Purchase tickets by August 8, and begin travel between August 9 and November 14, 2007. Check the airline’s web site for complete details.
The airline has not yet been authorized by the Department of Transportation to operate these services, and has made provisions for cancellation and refunds if they are not operating by the date of your ticket. Details are available on the airline’s web site.
Reservations can be made at the Virgin America website http://www.virginamerica.com and toll-free phone number, 1-877 FLY-VIRGIN (877 359-8474) .
