Now that Alaska Airlines and Virgin America have officially gained approval for their $4 billion marriage, the couple is working out of all the little details of married life, including which airline will be taking the other’s name. To that end: The Virgin America name and logo will disappear, but not right away. [More]
virgin america
Do Airlines Really Ban Unruly Passengers For Life?
By 11.29.16 — Updated: 2.7.17
Here at Consumerist, we have seen more than our fair share of stories involving unruly or otherwise disruptive passengers who have gotten themselves kicked off flights for bad behavior. But upon hearing that Delta Air Lines had banned a passenger for life after he was caught on video yelling at his fellow travelers, we had to wonder: What do you have to do to get banned from an airline forever, and which U.S. carriers have such a policy in place? [More]
What’s Holding Up Merger Of Alaska Airlines & Virgin America?
By 10.21.16
Alaska Airlines’ proposed $4 billion merger with Virgin America is taking longer than either airline anticipated. Days after the companies’ targeted merger completion date passed, federal regulators continue to probe the validity and affect the merger would have on competition. [More]
Southwest, Virgin America, JetBlue Online Bookings Back To Normal After Systems Glitch
By 10.18.16 — Updated: 11.1.16
Another week, another glitch disrupting airlines from going about their business: this time, it was a disruption in Sabre’s computer systems affecting Southwest, Virgin America, and JetBlue’s online bookings. [More]
The Newest Feature In Air Travel: Fireproof Bags For Exploding Phones
By 10.14.16 — Updated: 10.17.16
Although it was no doubt scary when a Note 7 recently caught fire on a Southwest flight, the passengers and crew in that case were lucky that the plane was still on the ground at the gate. It was easy to get everyone off the plane safely and quickly. That option doesn’t exist at 30,000 feet, but the number of devices — and therefore, potentially flammable devices — on board is only going to keep going up. The solution? Swift containment. [More]
Which Airlines Have The Most WiFi-Enabled Flights?
By 6.25.13
By now, most of us are used to having Internet access wherever we go, but a majority of flights by the major U.S. airlines still don’t offer in-flight WiFi access to passengers. And your likelihood of finding WiFi on a plane all depends on which airline you’re flying on that day. [More]
Spirit Airlines Comes In Dead Last In Latest Ratings, CEO Still Delusional
By 5.22.13
Earlier today, our lunch buddies at Consumer Reports released their roundup of the major U.S.-based commercial airlines. And, in what will be a shock to almost no one who follows the travel industry, Spirit received the lowest possible rating in each of the survey’s six categories. The CEO’s response: “We have great customer service.” [More]
Passenger Sues Virgin America After Contentious Soda Order Gets Him Detained At Airport
By 5.1.13
What began as a dispute about ordering an in-flight soda apparently got to the point where the crew on a Virgin America jet felt that a passenger needed to be questioned by authorities upon landing. Now that passenger has sued the airline, alleging that Virgin America made false accusations about his behavior. [More]
Virgin America Soars Above The Rest In Annual Airline Survey While United Sinks To The Bottom
By 4.8.13
Every day, airlines shuttle passengers from here to there, through friendly (and not so friendly) skies, ferrying bags and losing luggage and touching down at airports all around the country. Some of those airlines are consistently a cut above the rest, while others just can’t seem to do anything right. According to this year’s Airline Quality Rating Survey, Virgin America is the cream of the crop while United Airlines is a long, long way from the top. [More]
DOT Issued Record-Setting Number Of Violations To Airlines In 2012
By 1.2.13
Up until the very end of 2012, it looked like the Dept. of Transportation was only going to tie the record it set in 2011 for the number of fines handed out to airlines. But a pair of Dec. 31 violations pushed 2012 into a spot on top of the charts all on its own. [More]
Virgin America Anniversary Flight From Hell
By 8.18.08 — Updated: 3.18.13
Adam is writing in to say that in the year that Virgin America has been operating, he feels that they’ve forgotten how to run their airline. The first time he flew with them, his flight was delayed and his laptop adapter melted. He got a free flight. The second time he flew, about a year later, his flight was delayed, the airline ran out of food, his luggage was ripped open and his valuables disappeared, and the baggage claim rep laughed at his misfortune.
“Stupid” Law Prevents Foreign Investors From “Owning” US Airlines
By 1.3.07
Slate magazine’s Daniel Gross makes the case that the law prohibiting foreigners from owning more than 25 percent of an American airline, is not only “stupid” but rooted in “misplaced hostility to foreigners, national-security paranoia, and plain-old protectionism.” He claims the law is obsolete * (the Federal Aviation Act was created in 1938 1958 (the Civil Aeronautics Act was created in 1938) and damaging to consumers.
