Alaska Airlines, which bought Virgin Airlines for $2.6 billion last year, is ending use of the Virgin name and logo in 2019, though it will keep some of the amenities for which Virgin became famous when Richard Branson created it in 2004.
Alaska wanted to unify its acquisition under one name while holding onto signature Virgin features such as mood lighting and enhanced in-flight entertainment, Forbes reported. After acquiring Virgin, Alaska Air became the fifth-largest airline in the country, and it has continued to expand since then.
Virgin and Alaska have been the top-rated airlines in the U.S. for the last several years, and Alaska has announced changes that it feels will help the newly merged airline to remain on top. Upgrades like blue mood lighting, high-speed internet, and expanded entertainment options available right on guests’ devices are planned prior to the name change, according to Verge.
Airline staff will also get new uniforms designed by Luly Yang as part of the upgrade.
Richard Branson released a letter reminiscing about Virgin’s past and trumpeting new Virgin businesses including a hotel and a sports festival. In the letter, Branson said,
“George Harrison once said, ‘All Things Must Pass.’ This was the ride and love of a lifetime. I feel very lucky to have been on it with all of you. I'm told some people at Virgin America are calling today ‘the day the music died.’ It is a sad (and some would say baffling) day. But I'd like to assure them that the music never dies,” Branson wrote, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Twitter users were upset to see Virgin Airlines swallowed up.
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