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SAN FRANCISCO, March 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin America, the airline that is reinventing domestic travel, announces it will bring its low-fare, award-winning service to Portland International Airport (PDX) as of June 5, 2012, with tickets on sale today for two daily nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and one daily nonstop flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO). Known for outstanding guest service, custom-designed cabins with three classes of service, and touch-screen in-flight entertainment at every seat, Virgin America has swept the major reader-based travel awards since the airline launched in 2007. At a time when most U.S. carriers have been cutting capacity, Virgin America is expanding to its 18th destination and bringing much-needed nonstop competition from California's largest airports to PDX. When entering new markets that offer little low-fare competition, the airline has frequently seen fares drop by up to 30 percent.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/55168-virgin-america-flights-to-from-portland-international-airport-pdx-oregon

"Our airline launched in 2007 because we believed travelers deserved better choices in air travel. We are excited to start new service to PDX and we hope our unique blend of low fares and inventive service will be a fresh alternative for Portland travelers," said Virgin America President and CEO David Cush. "Although there are strong business and leisure travel ties between California and Portland, the West Coast to PDX market generally has higher fares than similar flights to Seattle and the reason is competition. We are thrilled to offer Portland travelers a different choice ? in an industry often characterized by monotony."

In honor of its newest city, the airline is launching a systemwide fare sale, with PDX-LAX and PDX-SFO fares from $99* (taxes and fees included and restrictions applying). Tickets are available for purchase now at www.virginamerica.com and at 1.877.FLY.VIRGIN.** Today, Virgin America is also asking its social media followers to submit "Portland-themed" plane names to grace its 50th aircraft, which will launch into the airline's rapidly growing fleet in April. The top five names will be voted on and selected by the carrier's teammates. The final winner will see their name at 35,000 feet on the side of a new Airbus A320 aircraft and score two roundtrip flights on the new Portland route.*** For more details, visit: http://vgn.am/vxpdx

"We're pleased to welcome Virgin America to Portland International Airport," said Bill Wyatt, Port of Portland executive director. "Virgin America is known for its award-winning service and for doing things differently, and will bring PDX travelers new options for two of our most popular routes?Los Angeles and San Francisco."

Virgin America has taken top honors as "Best U.S. Airline" in both Conde Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards and Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards for the past four consecutive years. The airline was named "Most Eco-Friendly Airline" by Smarter Travel for its investments and its new fleet ? which is up to 25 percent more fuel efficient than the average fleet flying in the U.S. Virgin America's new aircraft offer custom-designed mood-lit cabins, fleetwide WiFi, power outlets at every seat and the most advanced in-flight entertainment in the skies. Every Virgin America guest enjoys their own nine-inch seatback touch-screen with:

• More than 35 on-demand movies, including independent films, foreign language films and latest release blockbusters
• 18 channels of live TV and 6 channels of cached TV, including MSNBC, CNN, Bravo, ABC, CBS, Current TV and BoingBoing
• 3,000 song music library and the ability to create a custom play-list in-flight
• A videogame library
• Interactive Google Maps, so guests can track their journey at eight levels of zoom
• Onboard seat-to-seat chat messaging
• World's first on-demand food and drink ordering system with a healthy menu named best in the U.S. by Travel + Leisure
• Carbon offsets available via partner Carbonfund.org

In addition to a Main Cabin that offers leather seating with a deeper, more comfortable pitch, the airline's First Class offers plush white leather seats with 55 inches of pitch, 165 degrees of recline and lumbar massagers. The carrier's Main Cabin Select offers 38-inches of pitch, free food and cocktails, an all-access pass to media, dedicated overhead bins and priority check-in/boarding.

The airline's Portland schedule is as follows:

Connecting flights will also be available from PDX to Virgin America's New York (JFK), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Washington Dulles (IAD), Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Las Vegas (LAS), San Diego (SAN), Cancun (CUN) and Philadelphia (PHL) markets.

In just over four years flying, Virgin America has expanded to 18 destinations (including PDX) and has created 2,500 new jobs. As one of the few growing U.S. airlines, Virgin America continues to expand its fleet, growing from 28 aircraft in service in the first quarter of 2010, to 50 aircraft as of April 2012. In 2011, the airline announced an order of 60 new Airbus A320 aircraft, including the first order for the new eco-efficient A320neo and the new GE/CFM LEAP Engine, which together are expected to yield an additional 15 percent improvement in fuel efficiency. Virgin America flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Cabos, Cancun, Chicago, Puerto Vallarta, Palm Springs, Philadelphia (as of April 4, 2012) and Portland (as of June 5, 2012).

Broadcast quality video of the airline's aircraft:

http://www.multivu.com/mnr/55168-virgin-america-flights-to-from-portland-international-airport-pdx-oregon

Photos of the airline: http://www.virginamerica.com/press-release.do

A full list of the airline's awards can be found at: http://www.virginamerica.com/html/virgin_america_travel_awards.pdf

About Virgin America: Headquartered in California, Virgin America offers guests attractive fares and a host of innovative features aimed at reinventing air travel. In just over four years flying, Virgin America was named "Best Domestic Airline" in the Conde Nast Traveler 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 'Readers' Choice' Awards and "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure's 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 'World's Best' Awards. The airline's base of operations is San Francisco International Airport sleek and sustainable new Terminal 2. The airline's new aircraft offer interactive in-flight entertainment systems and power outlets near every seat. Virgin America offers Gogo? WiFi on every flight and hosts the largest in-flight entertainment library in the North American skies via the touch-screen Red? platform. For more: www.virginamerica.com

*Fare Terms and Conditions: All Main Cabin fares are one-way and require a 14-day advance purchase. Travel must occur between June 5, 2012 and October 17, 2012. Tickets must be purchased by 11:59pm CDT March 16, 2012. Blackout dates are July 1, July 4, August 31, and September 3, 2012. Sale fares are not valid for travel on Fridays and Sundays. Seats are limited, subject to availability, and may not be available on all flights. Flights may not operate daily. Changes or cancellations can be made for a $75 fee if changes are made on Virgin America's website (www.virginamerica.com) or a $100 fee through all other channels, including the call center and at the airport, plus any increase in fare, if applicable. Changes or cancellations of a booking made with Elevate Points will be subject to a $75 redeposit fee. Guests who no-show without a change or cancellation prior to the scheduled departure time will forfeit the amount of this fare. In addition, any future flights booked in the same reservation will also be canceled and the fare will be forfeited. Tickets purchased from Virgin America through our reservation call center will cost an additional $20 per guest per itinerary. Any added cost associated with purchasing tickets from Virgin America through our reservation call center will be non-refundable. Fares will not be honored retroactively or in exchange for any wholly or partially used ticket. Fares, routes, fees and schedules are subject to change without notice. Virgin America will accept one (1) piece of checked baggage up to 50 pounds for $25 for each ticketed guest traveling within the U.S. The fee per guest for each additional checked bag up to 50 pounds from the second (2) to the tenth (10) is $25. Additional fees apply to baggage exceeding these weight limitations, and other baggage restrictions may apply.

**Any guest calling within the United States has access to a complimentary telecommunication relay service by dialing 711. For more information, go to: http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/health/hearing/telecomm.asp.

***NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Legal residents of the 50 United States (D.C.), 18 years or older who did not purchase any equipment for purposes of entering the Contest. Ends: March 18, 2012. To enter or to find out more, including official rules and prize description, visit: http://vgn.am/vxpdx. Void where prohibited.

SOURCE Virgin America