Elevate Program Now Offers Frequent Flyers Easier, Faster Rewards

SAN FRANCISCO, March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin America today rolls out changes to its Elevate frequent flyer program, which will give guests more flexibility to earn and redeem points for travel on the award-winning airline.  As of today, the airline's frequent flyers will be able to retain their Elevate points indefinitely, as long as they either earn or redeem points at least once every 18 months.  Previously, Elevate points expired 18 months from their earn date.  In addition, Elevate members can now earn even more points for free flights by shopping at the Red store. 

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"Since our launch in 2007, we've welcomed 1.24 million Elevate members.  Elevate has earned positive feedback from our guests for its simple, no-black-out date rewards structure – which does not force them to jump through hoops to book the travel they've earned," said Porter Gale, Vice President of Marketing at Virgin America. "As a new airline, we're continually striving to improve the guest experience and we take the input of our loyal flyers to heart.  We're pleased to deliver today on one of our Elevate members' most frequent requests:  points that don't expire."

Elevate points will not expire as long as a member has at least one qualifying activity every 18 months.  Qualifying activities include:  purchasing Virgin America flights; completing Virgin America reward travel; earning Elevate points with partners like Avis/Budget and Hilton Honors; and accruing points via the Virgin America credit card or the Red store.  Elevate members can earn free flights just by shopping online at the Red Store, which features 150 popular brand retailers like Banana Republic, the Apple Online Store, BarnesandNoble.com, macys.com, Target.com and more. 

"As one of the few airlines to launch its loyalty program even prior to its first flight taking off, we have always wanted to give travelers more options to earn rewards as we grow.  The Red store offers flyers a new way to earn Elevate points, even as we continue to expand our route network and add new destinations," added Gale.

Virgin America's Elevate program allowed travelers to begin earning frequent flyer points from the airline's very first day of flying.  Elevate offers guests the ability to redeem points at the time of booking, online or via the call center.  Some other key features of the program include:

• No black-out dates – guests can redeem points for any available seat on any flight
• Simple "points per dollar" system, instead of typical miles or segments flown
• Members earn five points for every $1 spent on base fares and can book a free flight with as few as 2500 points
• Visible "price in points" for booking flights online
• Price in points varies based on class of service and seat availability
• Ability to use points to book one-way travel and book any class of travel
• Customized member profile to help speed bookings – go from flight to confirmation in just a few clicks
• Points do not expire as long as member has earned or redeemed in the past 18 months
• Members receive exclusive offers to unique Virgin America events, including past opportunities to fly with the Victoria's Secret supermodels, tickets to the in-flight premiere of HBO's Entourage and the chance to earn a seat on a Virgin Galactic sub-orbital space flight.

More Elevate partnerships and rewards are planned to roll out later this spring.  For more on Elevate or to sign up,  visit Virgin America's Web site. 

Launched in August 2007, Virgin America offers low fares, award-winning guest service and innovative amenities that appeal to today's business and leisure travelers alike.  In just over two years flying, the airline has captured the "Best Domestic Airline" title in both Conde Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards and Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards.  In addition to a Main Cabin that offers custom-designed leather seats with a deeper, more comfortable pitch, Virgin America's First Class cabin 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 the largest in-flight entertainment library in the domestic skies, dedicated overhead bin space, and priority check-in and boarding.  Virgin America flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Orange County and Fort Lauderdale. 

EDITORS NOTE:  Virgin America is a U.S.-controlled, owned and operated airline.  It is a separate company from Virgin Atlantic.  Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group is a minority share investor in Virgin America

About Virgin America:  Headquartered in California and launched in August 2007, Virgin America is one of the fastest growing start-up U.S. airlines of all time and currently employs over 1500 people.  Virgin America offers guests attractive fares and a host of innovative features aimed at reinventing air travel. The airline's base of operations is San Francisco International Airport's modern International Terminal. The airline's new aircraft offer interactive in-flight entertainment systems and power outlets near every seat for electronic gear. Virgin America offers in-flight internet service on every flight and hosts the largest in-flight entertainment library in the U.S. skies via its touch-screen Red™ seatback system.  Elevate is Virgin America's first-of-its-kind loyalty program, which offers guests the ability to redeem points for any unsold seat – on any Virgin America flight, at any time. Elevate offers Web-based redemption with no black-out dates.  For more, please visit: www.virginamerica.com

SOURCE Virgin America