Alaska Air is now officially the number five airline in the US.
It has nipped ahead of JetBlue as fifth largest carrier after closing out its acquisition of Virgin America.
Alaska and Virgin America will aim to secure Federal Aviation Administration certification as a single air carrier.
That will take time and both brands will operate individually for the time being.
"Alaska Airlines and Virgin America are different airlines, but we believe different works – and we’re confident fliers will agree," said Brad Tilden, CEO of Alaska Air Group.
"Together, we’ll offer more flights, with low fares, more rewards and more for customers to love, as we continue to offer a distinctive travel experience. The two airlines may look different, but our core customer and employee focus is very much the same."
Alaska said it has still not decided whether to eventually do away with the Virgin America name.
For now it still has to pay licensing fees to Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson to keep using the name.
"We appreciate that there is great interest in the future of the Virgin America brand among customers and employees alike. This is a big decision and one that deserves months of thoughtful and thorough analysis. We plan to make a decision about the Virgin America brand early next year," Tilden said.
The first major integration will be merging Virgin’s Elevate loyalty program into Alaska’s Mileage Plan and starting December 19, customers of the two carriers will be able to earn rewards on each other’s flights.
From January 9, Elevate members will be required to open Mileage Plan accounts.
