The best airline in America will disappear forever in 2019 (ALK)

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March 23, 2017 3:51 PM

Alaska Airlines will retire the Virgin America brand in 2019.

Virgin Group and Virgin America founder Sir Richard Branson with the airline's flight attendants.

It's official: Virgin America's days are numbered.

On Wednesday, Alaska Airlines Group said it would retire the Virgin America brand in 2019.

"We spent the last 10 months conducting extensive research and listening carefully to what fliers on the West Coast want most," Sangita Woerner, Alaska's vice president of marketing, said in a statement.

"While the Virgin America name is beloved to many, we concluded that to be successful on the West Coast we had to do so under one name — for consistency and efficiency, and to allow us to continue to deliver low fares."

Many of the elements that made Virgin America the best airline in North America, according to the consumer-aviation website Skytrax, are expected to live on, including "enhanced in-flight entertainment, mood lighting, music, and the relentless desire to make flying a different experience for guests," Alaska said in a press release.

In December, Alaska completed the $2.6 billion acquisition of Virgin America. The newly merged airline will be the nation's fifth-largest — behind American, Delta, United, and Southwest.

The Seattle-based airline will operate a fleet of more than 280 aircraft on 1,187 daily flights. With Virgin America in the fold, Alaska could bolster its position as a West Coast rival of Southwest Airlines. In addition, Virgin America's boutique product offering and award-winning service are expected to give Alaska access to a different set of clientele.

Alaska says it plans to overhaul its operation to give passengers a more "Virgin-esque" experience with a new satellite-based Wi-Fi system, free in-flight movies, redesigned interiors with mood lighting, more stylish crew uniforms, upgraded airport lounges, more premium seating, and more complimentary upgrades.

San Francisco-based Virgin America was founded in 2007. Richard Branson's Virgin Group held 25% of the airline's equity but divested itself of that after Virgin America's sale to Alaska.

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