Virgin America Launches New Service to Dallas-Fort Worth

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin America, the California-based airline that is reinventing travel, today announces it will bring its low-fare, upscale service to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) with daily flights from the West Coast starting in December 2010.  The new service will launch with daily flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to DFW as of December 1, 2010, and daily flights from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to DFW as of December 6, 2010.  Dallas-Fort Worth will be the twelfth destination in the airline's expanding network.  To kick off a big new route in a big way, the airline today also launches a "Texas Sized" three-day fare sale for travel across Virgin America's network.  

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"Dallas-Fort Worth is one of the largest metropolitan areas in North America and a major center of business with strong ties to California – most notably in the financial services, energy and the Silicon Prairie-Silicon Valley high-tech sectors," said Virgin America President and CEO David Cush.  "With unrivalled value and a flight experience unlike anything else in the North American skies, we think our service will be a breath of fresh air for Dallas-Fort Worth travelers.  Before today, travelers along these routes had very little choice and we think a little healthy competition is always a good thing – especially for consumers."  

Virgin America is a new U.S. airline that offers travelers a host of inventive amenities, including beautifully designed mood-lit cabins, fleetwide WiFi, power outlets near every seat and the most advanced in-flight entertainment platform in the skies.  The Red™ entertainment system offers films, live TV, videogames and even an on-demand menu — all via a nine inch touch-screen at every seatback.  Since its 2007 launch, Virgin America has swept the major reader-based travel awards, including  "Best Domestic Airline" in both Conde Nast Traveler's 2008 and 2009 Readers' Choice Awards and Travel + Leisure's 2008, 2009 and 2010 World's Best Awards.  

"Virgin America at DFW Airport clearly represents an outstanding new travel option for our city and our region," said Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert.  "We welcome Virgin America and its innovative approach to airline service and look forward to a long and productive partnership."

"Our region's incredible growth over the past decade makes Fort Worth and all of North Texas a very strong target for expansion for Virgin America," said Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief.  "Our diverse communities, exciting attractions and strong business environment make an outstanding and rich marketplace for Virgin America to do business.  We are proud to welcome Virgin America as a new member of our North Texas family."

"Texas Sized" fare sale tickets must be purchased by 11:59pm PDT on August 12, 2010.  DFW fares start at $129*in Main Cabin. Main Cabin fares start as low as $44** on short-hauls like Los Angeles (LAX)-San Francisco (SFO) and SFO-Las Vegas (LAS).  Long haul fares start from $124** for LAX-Washington Dulles (IAD) and SFO-Fort Lauderdale (FLL).  For most of the network, travel on fare sale tickets must occur between August 17, 2010-November 17, 2010.*** Tickets are on sale today on the airline's Web site (www.virginamerica.com) and at 1.877.FLY.VIRGIN (1.877.359.8474).****

"Virgin America's decision to launch service from DFW Airport to two major markets is a testament to the strength and vitality of the North Texas region," said Jeff Fegan, CEO of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.   "Our passengers will see a big benefit from the increased competition and the new Virgin America service."

The airline's DFW schedule includes:

• LAX-DFW:  two nonstop daily flights
• SFO-DFW:  two nonstop daily flights
• DFW-LAX:  two nonstop daily flights
• DFW-SFO:  two nonstop daily flights

Connecting flights will also be available to Dallas-Fort Worth from Las Vegas (LAS), San Diego (SAN) and Seattle (SEA).  The nonstop flight schedule is as follows:

Known for its design-driven and high-tech flight experience, Virgin America has been winning over consumers since its launch.  In May 2009, the airline became the first to offer WiFi on every flight.    The airline's Red entertainment platform offers touch-screen and remote control interactivity with a wealth of options, including:

• 700 hours of entertainment content:  The Red platform offers 18 channels of live satellite TV, +30 on-demand films, premium TV like HBO, an on-demand music video library and more;
• Games:  A variety of videogames are available via the Red platform, including cult favorites like DOOM, navigated by a Qwerty keyboard handset at every seat;
• Seat-to-seat chat:  Guests can chat with other flyers via text message and can even block chat requests;
• Maps:  Interactive Google Maps with terrain-view, that zoom at eight levels and track the aircraft in-flight;
• On-demand menu:  A first-of-its-kind on-demand seatback menu that allows guests to order what they want, when they want it during a flight.  The menu was named best in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure;
• Shopping:   First ever digital in-flight shopping platform allows flyers to choose from  hundreds of products, swipe a credit card via the credit card reader at every seat – and shop at 35,000 feet;
• Music:  Guests can access a 3000 track MP3 library and even create their own playlists in-flight.

In addition to a Main Cabin that offers custom-designed leather seats 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 option offers 38-inches of pitch, free food and cocktails, an all-access pass to the Red system's countless media options, dedicated overhead bins and priority check-in/boarding.

Virgin America is one of the fastest growing new airlines in U.S. history, with significant growth and five city expansions slated for 2010 alone.  In July, the airline announced plans to order 60 new aircraft. The airline's fleet is projected to grow from its current 28 aircraft to 90 aircraft by 2016. Virgin America flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Toronto, Orlando (starting October 6, 2010) and Dallas-Fort Worth (starting in December 2010).

EDITORS NOTE: Virgin America is a U.S. owned, controlled and operated airline.  It is an entirely 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 currently employs over 1600 people. The airline's base of operations is San Francisco International Airport.  Virgin America offers in-flight internet service on every flight and hosts the largest in-flight entertainment library in the North American skies via the Red™ platform.  In addition to a 30-film library including foreign language films and Hollywood blockbusters, Red offers live TV, games, seat-to-seat chat, 3,000 MP3s, Google maps, the world's first seatback digital Shop platform and more. In just three years flying, Virgin America was named "Best Domestic Airline" in the Conde Nast Traveler 2008 and 2009 Readers' Choice Awards and "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure's 2008, 2009 and 2010 World's Best Awards.  For more: www.virginamerica.com

*DFW sale fares: All Main Cabin fares are one-way. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. Fare sale starts 7:00am PDT August 10, 2010.  Tickets must be purchased by 11:59pm PDT August 12, 2010.  For LAX-DFW service, travel must occur between December 1, 2010 and February 15, 2011.  For SFO-DFW service, travel must occur between December 6, 2010 and February 15, 2011. Blackout dates are December 17–18, 2010, December 23–24, 2010, December 26, 2010, December 30, 2010, and January 3, 2011. Higher sale fares are available on Fridays and Sundays. Seats are limited, subject to availability, and may not be available on all flights. Flights may not operate daily during off-peak periods. Changes or cancellations can be made for a $75 fee if changes are made on Virgin America's website (www.virginamerica.com) or a $100 fee 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. Guests who no-show without a change or cancel 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 $15 per guest per itinerary. Any added cost associated with purchasing tickets from Virgin America through our reservation call center will be non-refundable. Fares do not include Passenger Facility Charges of up to $9 each way, September 11th Security Fees of up to $5 each way and a Federal Segment Tax of $3.70 per domestic segment. A segment is a takeoff and landing. 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 one (1) piece of checked baggage up to 70 pounds for $25 for each ticketed guest. The fee per guest for each additional checked bag up to 50 pounds from the second (2) to the tenth (10) is $25. Additional fees apply to baggage exceeding these weight limitations, and other baggage restrictions may apply.

**Other markets fare sale Terms and Conditions: All Main Cabin fares are one-way, based on travel originating from the US, and require a 7-day advance purchase. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable. Fare sale starts 7:00am PDT August 10, 2010. Tickets must be purchased by 11:59pm PDT August 12, 2010. Travel must occur between August 17, 2010 and November 17, 2010. Service to/from Orlando (MCO) begins October 6, 2010. Fares are not valid for travel on Mondays, Fridays, and Sundays. Seats are limited, subject to availability, and may not be available on all flights. Flights may not operate daily during off-peak periods. Changes or cancellations can be made for a $75 fee if changes are made on Virgin America's website (www.virginamerica.com) or a $100 fee 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. Guests who no-show without a change or cancel 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 $15 per guest per itinerary. Any added cost associated with purchasing tickets from Virgin America through our reservation call center will be non-refundable. Fares do not include Passenger Facility Charges of up to $9 each way, September 11th Security Fees of up to $5 each way and a Federal Segment Tax of $3.70 per domestic segment. A segment is a takeoff and landing. For travel to/from Toronto, fares also do not include the U.S. Immigration User Fee of $7, U.S. APHIS fee of $5, and additional taxes/fees of up to $50, including: Airport Improvement Fee, Canadian Security Fee, Goods and Services Tax, and Harmonized Sales Tax. Bookings made at a Canadian point of purchase are subject to a $16.10 International Arrival/Departure tax, each way. 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 one (1) piece of checked baggage up to 70 pounds for $25 for each ticketed guest. The fee per guest for each additional checked bag up to 50 pounds from the second (2) to the tenth (10) is $25. Additional fees apply to baggage exceeding these weight limitations, and other baggage restrictions may apply.

*** Orlando travel must occur between October 6, 2010-November 17, 2010; LAX-DFW travel must occur between December 1, 2010-February 15, 2011; and SFO-DFW must occur between December 6, 2010-February 15, 2011.

****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.

***** Certain flights will not operate on select holiday dates.

SOURCE Virgin America