Here's what it's like to fly on Alaska Airlines, which just bought Virgin America for $2.6 billion

alaska airlines Ted S. Warren/AP

Diehard Virgin America fans had their hopes dashed on December 14, when Alaska Airlines announced it closed a deal to acquire the Richard Branson-founded airline for $2.6 billion.

The newly merged carrier will create the fifth largest airline in the US with 40 million customers, Business Insider reported.

When Alaska Airlines made the bid to buy its rival in April, loyal Virgin customers freaked out about the merger on social media. Virgin would lose its "cool factor," they worried. One fan told The New York Times leaving Virgin for Alaska was like "giving up your sexy imported sports car for a reliable but unsexy sedan."

It's unclear what parts of the Virgin brand will survive, but Alaska Air confirmed this week that there will be no immediate changes to Virgin's "onboard product or experience."

On a trip from San Francisco to Seattle in April, I flew Alaska Airlines. Here's what it was like.

The company has dropped $100 million in the last five years on improving the interior of its fleet. This plane seems to have missed the makeover.

Melia Robinson

Source: Alaska Airlines

A spokesperson for Alaska Airlines tells Business Insider that my plane probably came from a fleet of older 737-400 planes, which are scheduled to leave the fleet in the coming year.

A flight attendant performed the safety instructions. It just wasn't the same as Virgin's catchy in-flight video, which I've probably watched on YouTube a dozen times.

Melia Robinson

I could even order food for my flight starting a week in advance. The app was user friendly, much like the one developed by Virgin America.

Alaska Airlines screenshot

It still didn't have an entertainment display, though I later learned you can stream movies and TV to your personal device using the plane's WiFi network.

Melia Robinson
Melia Robinson

But Virgin America still dominates in terms of delivering quality trips with consistency. The flights I've had over the years are almost indistinguishable from one another.


SEE ALSO: Meet America's 5th largest airline: The newly-merged Alaska Air and Virgin America

More: Features alaska airlines Virgin America Airlines