Virgin America's flights from DAL will bring needed fare and product competition to the market. At present, one carrier controls 80 percent of the Love Field gates (16 of 20) and more than 90 percent of the traffic.
SAN FRANCISCO – Virgin America announced it is launching sales on its new business-friendly flights from Dallas’ Love Field (DAL) to New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The new flights take off in October 2014. Virgin America will offer travelers award-winning service and nonstop, conveniently-timed flights from the airport closest to Dallas’ central business district – the updated, modern Love Field. The airline will be the only carrier at DAL to offer a consistent, upscale product on every flight – with three classes of service (including a First Class cabin and a Main Cabin Select premium economy service) as well as WiFi, in-seat power outlets, confirmed seating and touch-screen seatback entertainment available for every guest. This month, Virgin America was selected by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for the award of two Love Field gates being divested as part of the American Airlines/US Airways merger settlement. To announce the news today, the airline made a surprise landing with one of its custom-designed Airbus A320 aircraft at Love Field – where it is hosting an “open plane” event for media, Elevate loyalty members, partners and social media fans.
“A recent opinion piece in The Dallas Morning News on Love Field noted that ‘competition requires competitors,’ and we couldn’t agree more. In response to the creation of now four ‘mega-airlines,’ the Justice Department has taken steps to ensure that consumers are protected from this unprecedented consolidation by allowing room for low-fare competition in key markets that are increasingly dominated by massive carriers,” said Virgin America President and CEO David Cush. “More competition for Dallas flyers – and at an airport that is now monopoly-controlled – will bring fare discipline and product choice to local travelers. Like in any industry, when there is more competition, consumers win.”
Virgin America President and CEO David Cush.
Virgin America’s flights from DAL will bring needed fare and product competition to the market. At present, one carrier controls 80 percent of the Love Field gates (16 of 20) and more than 90 percent of the traffic. An August 2013 study conducted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology researchers found that of airports in its size class, DAL had the largest increase in average fares from 2007-2012 – a 37% jump. Launched in 2007, Virgin America is a case study for how competition can improve fares and service. When the airline entered the SFO-Dallas market in 2010 and the SFO-Chicago O’Hare (ORD) market in 2011, fares dropped in each market at the time by more than 30 percent. Prior to the launch of Virgin America’s new service from SFO and LAX to Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) in 2013, the EWR routes had some of the highest fares in the nation. After Virgin America entered EWR, fares dropped by more than one-third, and travelers had access for the first time to WiFi, power outlets and live TV on EWR-California flights. Virgin America has been named the “Best Domestic Airline” in Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards and Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards for the past six years. In April, the airline was ranked as the top U.S. carrier in the Airline Quality Rating, an annual study measuring on-time rates, guest satisfaction and other key metrics conducted by Wichita State and Embry-Riddle University.
The addition of Love Field will significantly expand Virgin America’s presence in Texas. SFO, LAX and DCA to DAL flight service starts on October 13, 2014, and LGA to DAL flight service starts on October 28, 2014. The carrier’s initial Love Field nonstop flight schedule is as below:
In 2015, Virgin America plans to add an additional daily flight from DAL to SFO, LAX and DCA, bringing each route to four daily nonstop flights. In addition, the airline plans to add two new daily nonstop flights from DAL to Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) in 2015. Virgin America will move its current operations from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to DAL in October 2014.
“Dallas is a global center of industry and it deserves more business-friendly flight options from the airport most convenient to downtown,” added Cush. “The opportunity to expand our service at Love allows us to not only spur more fare competition, but also provide travelers with a different kind of flight option – one that allows them to stay connected, comfortable and productive on long-haul flights to major business destinations.”
The new routes will also expand Virgin America’s footprint in Washington D.C. and New York. In the last six months, the airline invested in assets being sold as part of the American Airlines merger settlement, including airport slots at LGA and DCA – both airports where access historically has been constrained and where consumers have had less fare and product competition as a result. Virgin America will be only the second low-cost airline to serve all three major New York-area airports.
Virgin America’s service is tailored to the modern business traveler, making it a perfect fit for Dallas-based and Dallas-destined travelers choosing to fly from Love Field’s central location. With mood-lit cabins, fleetwide WiFi, custom-designed leather seating, power outlets, personal touch-screen entertainment platforms, assigned seating and new, quieter aircraft with three classes of service, Virgin America has attracted a loyal following of business travelers for its “office in the sky” amenities. In addition to a Main Cabin that offers custom-designed leather seating with a deeper, more comfortable pitch, the airline’s First Class offers plush white leather seating with 55 inches of pitch, 165 degrees of recline and lumbar massagers. The carrier’s Main Cabin Select service offers 38-inches of pitch, free food and cocktails, an all-access pass to media content, dedicated overhead bins and priority check-in/boarding. The airline’s Express service offers preferred seating, priority security access and advance boarding. The Red in-flight entertainment platform offers guests their own seatback touch-screen TV, with more than 20 films, live TV, Google Maps, videogames, a 6,000 song library and an on-demand menu, which allows flyers to order a cocktail or snack from their seatback any time during a flight. The airline has been named the “Best U.S. Business/First Class” airline every year in the 2008-2013 annual Conde Nast Traveler Business Traveler Polls. In 2012, Virgin America opened its first airport lounge, The Loft at LAX, and rolled out enhancements to its Elevate frequent flyer program – including Elevate Gold and Elevate Silver status levels.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
