On the other side is the full announcement from Dallas/Fort International Airport concerning Virgin America's decision to go west, young man: On December 1, the just-turned-3-year-old carrier considered by many to be the Best Domestic Airline will start flying from DFW to Los Angeles twice a day; five days later, Virgin will offer two daily flights to San Francisco. And Mayor Tom, for one, is happy with all that: "Virgin America's arrival at DFW Airport represents an outstanding new
travel option for Dallas and our region. We welcome Virgin America and its innovative approach to
airline service and look forward to a long and productive partnership."
The Wall Street Journal calls the move "a rare foray by a low-cost carrier into the 'fortress hubs' dominated by network airlines"; says David Cush, Virgin America's CEO and an ex-AMR'er, "It's kind of poking the tiger." The company's wasted no time advertising its arrival: It just began offering flights to both cities beginning at $129 -- $149 if you wanna fly weekends. And, ahem, I think this is a shot at a certain DFW-based carrier: "Flying without live TV, WiFi, leather seats, power outlets and food on demand is just plane un-American."
DFW International Airport Welcomes New Virgin America Service to Los Angeles and San Francisco
Leading-edge domestic carrier to start service in December
(DFW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT - August 10, 2010) - DFW International Airport today announced that Virgin America will begin nonstop service from DFW to Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO), beginning in December.
"Virgin America's decision to launch service from DFW Airport to two major markets is a testament to the strength and vitality of the Dallas-Fort Worth region," said Jeff Fegan, CEO of DFW. "Our passengers will see a big benefit from the increased competition and the new Virgin America service."
The new service will launch with two daily flights from Los Angeles to DFW as of December 1, 2010 and two daily flights from San Francisco to DFW as of December 6, 2010. Virgin America will serve DFW utilizing modern Airbus A320 aircraft.
"Dallas-Fort Worth is one of the largest metropolitan areas in North America and a major center of business with strong ties to California - most notably in the financial services, energy and the Silicon Prairie-Silicon Valley high-tech sectors," said Virgin America President and CEO David Cush. "With unrivalled value and a flight experience unlike anything else in the North American skies, we think our service will be a breath of fresh air for Dallas-Fort Worth travelers. Before today, travelers along these routes had very little choice and we think a little healthy competition is always a good thing - especially for consumers."
Virgin America, a San Francisco-based airline established in 2007, offers travelers low-fare, upscale service and inventive amenities including mood-lit cabins, WiFi on every aircraft, power outlets near every seat and one of the most advanced in-flight entertainment platforms in the industry, known as "Red."
"Virgin America's arrival at DFW Airport represents an outstanding new travel option for Dallas and our region," said Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert. "We welcome Virgin America and its innovative approach to airline service and look forward to a long and productive partnership."
"Our region's incredible growth over the past decade makes Fort Worth and all of North Texas a very strong target for expansion for Virgin America," said Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief. "Our diverse business and cultural communities make an outstanding and rich marketplace for Virgin America to do business."
The arrival of Virgin America's new service to Los Angeles and San Francisco will inject new low-cost competition into two of DFW's largest markets.
"Virgin America is well-known in the industry to have outstanding customer service," said Joe Lopano, executive vice president of marketing and terminal management for DFW. "Our staff worked very hard to bring Virgin America to DFW, and the payoff will come in competitive fares, more options and great service for travelers."
Virgin America will become the eleventh domestic carrier at DFW Airport, and the fifth low-cost carrier, when it starts service in December.
