As an airline brand Virgin America is now history, at least in the eyes of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Alaska Airlines received a single operating certificate from the FAA which is a major milestone in the integration of the two airlines.
Other than the regulatory change, customers will find no new immediate differences with Virgin America’s dedicated mobile apps, websites and airport terminal operations still being used as normal.
The next significant update comes in late April 2018 when the airlines combine reservation systems into the Alaska mobile app and website.
"I want to congratulate and thank the teams at Alaska and Virgin America for their tireless work to get this done on time. We greatly appreciate the assistance of the FAA, the Department of Transportation and other agencies as we accomplished this major milestone," said Ben Minicucci, Alaska Airlines’ president and chief operating officer.
Effective January 1, the Virgin America’s loyalty program integrated with Alaska Mileage Plan, and there is now a single payroll and benefits program for the two airlines.
The single FAA operating certificate has taken about 70,000 man hours with 1,500 amendments made to policies and procedures.
Changes can be seen in the cabin too with Virgin America flight attendants now using iPhones for their duties, matching their Alaska colleagues.
