Update: New Alaska Airlines Virgin America Merger Details

December 14, 2016 by Million Mile Secrets Million Mile Secrets

We devote thousands of hours of research to help you get Big Travel with Small Money. You support us by signing-up for credit cards through partner links which earn us a commission. Here’s our full Advertising Policy.

The Alaska Airlines – Virgin America merger is moving forward!

Via One Mile at a Time, the merger deal between the 2 airlines will close today. But the companies still have a long way to go before they are fully integrated. Fortunately, Alaska Airlines will begin offering benefits long before it is completed!

Update New Alaska Airlines Virgin America Merger Details — Because Alaska Airlines Is Absorbing Virgin America, You’ll Soon Have New Ways to Redeem Your Alaska Airlines Miles – Like a Non-Stop Flight Between Los Angeles and Cancun!

I’ll tell you what we know so far!

Enjoy Benefits From Both Airlines

Link: Alaska Airlines Virgin America Merger Website

Link: Alaska Airlines Newsroom

According to the Alaska Airlines Newsroom, here’s what we can look forward to in the near future:

On December 19, 2016, both Virgin America members and Alaska Airlines members will earn miles on each other’s flights. And folks with elite status will receive priority check-in and priority boarding with both airlines
On December 19, 2016, you’ll be able to purchase Virgin America flights through the Alaska Airlines website
On December 22, 2016, we’ll find out the schedules and availability for new flights from Alaska Airlines’ new hub, San Francisco.
On January 9, 2017, folks with Virgin America Silver and Gold status can match to Alaska Airlines MVP and MVP Gold status.
And Virgin America Elevate members will be invited to activate new Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan accounts.

We’re still waiting to hear about:

How or when we can redeem miles for both airlines
Transferring miles between accounts (and the transfer ratio!)
Branding for the combined airlines

Remember, because Virgin America is being absorbed, the Virgin America Visa Signature and Virgin America Premium Signature credit cards issued by Comenity Bank will be discontinued! So if you’ve been thinking about signing-up, now is the time.

Bottom Line

The Alaska Airlines – Virgin America merger is closing today! You’ll soon be able to earn Alaska Airlines miles on both airlines, and even book Virgin America flights through Alaska Airlines. And you can match your Virgin America elite status to Alaska Airlines!

We have no updates about how or when we can book award flights with the other airline’s rewards currency. Still, I like how Alaska Airlines is giving folks mutual benefits soon after the merger closes, instead of waiting until the integration is complete!

If you’re interested in the Virgin America Visa Signature and Virgin America Premium Signature cards, sign-up soon! They’ll likely be discontinued in the near future!

If you liked this post, why don’t you join the 25,000+ readers who have signed-up to receive free blog posts via email (only 1 email per day!) or in an RSS reader …because then you’ll never miss another update!

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Apply Now

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Earn 50,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening. That's $625 toward travel when you redeem through Chase Ultimate Rewards®
Chase Sapphire Preferred® named a 'Best Travel Credit Card' by MONEY® Magazine, 2016-2017
2X points on travel and dining at restaurants worldwide & 1 point per dollar spent on all other purchases.
No foreign transaction fees
1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and cruises through Chase Ultimate Rewards. For example, 50,000 points are worth $625 toward travel
No blackout dates or travel restrictions - as long as there's a seat on the flight, you can book it through Chase Ultimate Rewards