Virgin America Connects The Bay To The Beltway: New Nonstop SFO-DCA Flights Land On August 14

SAN FRANCISCO, May 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin America, the California-based airline that is reinventing domestic travel, announces it will bring its low-fare, upscale service to Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) later this summer, with tickets on sale today for one daily nonstop roundtrip flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) starting August 14, 2012. Virgin America will bring much needed nonstop competition from its home base at Northern California's largest airport (SFO) to DCA. With fleetwide WiFi, power outlets, personal touch-screen entertainment platforms and new aircraft with three classes of service, Virgin America's business-friendly flights will offer a fresh new option for travelers.  In honor of its expansion to the airport closest to the nation's capital,  the airline today launched a "Virgin America Goes to Washington" fare sale across its network with short-haul flights from $89* and  SFO-DCA fares from $209* (taxes and fees included and restrictions applying). Tickets are available for purchase now at www.virginamerica.com and at 1.877.FLY.VIRGIN.**  

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090123/VIRGINAMERICALOGO)

"As the only airline based here in California, we're pleased to bring new competition to such an important route from the West Coast. Despite the size of the Bay Area economy, this is a route that prior to this year did not have a single nonstop flight," said Virgin America President and CEO David Cush. "This was a market crying out for service and we thank the local leaders who supported our effort to fly to DCA. We hope travelers will enjoy having a new flight option that allows them to stay connected and productive en route to our nation's capital."  

The new SFO-DCA route became available following the enactment of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, which authorized the DOT to award a limited number of new flights to U.S. domestic airports located beyond DCA's 1,250-mile "perimeter limit."  Even with the size of the travel market and the region's vibrant innovation-based economy, until this year, the San Francisco Bay Area did not have nonstop flights to DCA.  Virgin America, which will launch its new DCA service as it celebrates its fifth anniversary of operations, received an outpouring of community support for its application for DCA access from local elected officials and business organizations.

The airline's new SFO-DCA schedule is focused on convenient morning and late afternoon/evening departures and arrivals for Bay Area travelers. The airline's new flight will depart San Francisco daily at 8:00am PT and arrive at DCA at 4:05pm ET. The westbound flight will depart DCA daily at 5:00pm ET and arrive in San Francisco at 7:40pm PT. The new DCA service will complement Virgin America's existing service between SFO and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) – the airline currently has four daily nonstop flights between SFO and IAD. 

With topnotch guest service, beautifully-designed cabins and inventive in-flight amenities, Virgin America has taken top honors as "Best U.S. Airline" in both Conde Nast Traveler's annual Readers' Choice Awards and Travel + Leisure's annual World's Best Awards every year since its 2007 launch. In addition to a Main Cabin that offers leather seating with a deeper, more comfortable pitch, the airline's First Class offers plush white leather seats with 55 inches of pitch, 165 degrees of recline and lumbar massagers. The carrier's Main Cabin Select offers 38 inches of pitch, free food and cocktails, an all-access pass to media, priority check-in/boarding and more. All guests enjoy their own personal entertainment via a nine-inch seatback touch-screen with: 

• More than 25 on-demand movies, including independent, foreign language and latest release blockbusters
• 18 channels of live TV and 6 channels of cached TV, including MSNBC, CNN, CNBC, Bravo, ABC, CBS and more
• 3,000 song music library and the ability to create a custom play-list in-flight
• A videogame library and interactive Google Maps, so guests can track their journey at eight levels of zoom
• Onboard seat-to-seat chat messaging
• World's first on-demand food and drink ordering system with a menu named best in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure
• In-flight carbon offsets available via partner Carbonfund.org 

Virgin America is one of the few growing U.S. airlines and the only major carrier based in California.  The airline has a new fleet that is up to 25 percent more fuel efficient than the average U.S. fleet.  The carrier's decision to headquarter in California has created thousands of local jobs since its launch. The airline flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C. (Dulles), Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Cabos, Cancun, Chicago, Puerto Vallarta, Palm Springs, Philadelphia, Portland (as of June 5, 2012) and Washington Reagan National (as of August 14, 2012).

For broadcast-quality video and photos of the carrier's unique aircraft, visit: http://www.virginamerica.com/press-release.do

About Virgin America:  Headquartered in California and launched in August 2007, Virgin America offers guests attractive fares and a host of innovative features aimed at reinventing air travel. 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 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, visit: www.virginamerica.com

*Fare Sale Terms and Conditions:   All Main Cabin fares are one-way and require a 14-day advance purchase.  Travel must occur between August 14, 2012 and October 17, 2012.  Tickets must be purchased by 11:59pm CDT on May 31, 2012.  Lowest sale fares are valid for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays only.  Seats are limited, subject to availability, and may not be available on all flights. Flights may not operate daily. Changes or cancellations can be made for a $75 fee per guest if changes are made on Virgin America's website (www.virginamerica.com) or a $100 fee per guest through all other channels, including the call center and at the airport, plus any increase in fare, if applicable. Changes or cancellations of a booking made with Elevate Points will be subject to a $75 redeposit fee per guest. Guests who no-show without a change or cancellation prior to the scheduled departure time will forfeit the amount of this fare. In addition, any future flights booked in the same reservation will also be canceled and the fare will be forfeited. Tickets purchased from Virgin America through our reservation call center will cost an additional $20 per guest per itinerary. Any added cost associated with purchasing tickets from Virgin America through our reservation call center will be non-refundable. Fares will not be honored retroactively or in exchange for any wholly or partially used ticket. Fares, routes, fees and schedules are subject to change without notice. Virgin America will accept up to ten pieces of checked baggage, up to 50 pounds each, per ticketed guest traveling within the U.S. The fee for each piece of checked baggage up to 50 pounds is $25. Additional fees apply to baggage exceeding these weight limitations, and other baggage restrictions may apply. 

**Any guest calling within the United States has access to a complimentary telecommunication relay service by dialing 711. For more information, go to: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/telecomm.asp.

SOURCE Virgin America