Alaska Airlines to drop Virgin America name in 2019

Alaska Airlines announced Wednesday that it will drop Virgin America’s brand name in 2019 — an announcement that comes a few months after Alaska completed a $4 billion acquisition of the Burlingame company.

Since the merger, Alaska has toyed with the idea of keeping the Virgin America brand, which has crafted a quirky, tech-friendly image that focuses on its in-air experience.

Andrew Harrison, chief commercial officer of Alaska Airlines, said in an interview that dropping the Virgin America name was a “difficult decision.” But the company will incorporate some of the notable characteristics of Virgin America, which include enhanced in-flight entertainment, mood lighting and music.

“We’re just bringing them together to create the premier airline for the West Coast under one consistent brand,” he said.

Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst at Atmosphere Research Group, said that while Virgin America has created a strong brand in San Francisco, Alaska Airlines has better name recognition around the country.

“Virgin certainly built a great name for itself here, and in L.A. and New York, but Alaska has been flying for over 80 years,” he said. “They fly to far more places than Virgin America, and they have an extremely loyal customer base.”

Following a recently announced expansion in the Bay Area, Alaska will operate 125 daily flights from San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland to 42 destinations by the end of the year, representing a 45 percent jump in the number of markets it currently serves from those airports.

Virgin founder Richard Branson said in October that were Alaska to drop the Virgin America name, he would revive the brand and “start again.”