Richard Branson Says Goodbye to Virgin America

 David Ryder / Bloomberg / Getty Images

Sir Richard Branson and loyal Virgin America frequent fliers are bidding a fond farewell to the airline known best for its pink-and-purple mood lighting and forward-thinking flair.

On Thursday, Branson published a letter to the public on the Virgin website addressing the demise of the airline that he founded in 2004. According to the mogul himself, “many tears were shed” upon hearing the news that after purchasing Virgin America for $2.6 billion in 2016, Alaska Airlines plans to retire the brand in 2019.

The choice to retire the Virgin America brand likely stems from a cost-efficiency standpoint for Alaska Airlines. Since the acquisition, Alaska Airlines has been paying royalties to the Virgin brand. Retiring the brand will resolve any financial obligation that Alaska has to Branson and the rest of his mega-brand. In the meantime, Branson has the choice to restore the brand and resell it to another airline. But until that happens, the only white and red planes taking to the sky with the free in-flight entertainment and groovy ambiance that Virgin customers have grown to love will be Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia flights.

Throughout his address to bid the brand farewell, Branson takes the opportunity to recall the origins of the brand when all flights were flown on leased planes, the memories of the first in-air wedding that took place on a Virgin America flight, Oprah’s in-flight Skype session, and plenty of slight pokes to the “blah airlines” of the world.

Branson’s public letter of love and loss, which he titled “Dear Virgin America,” can be read in full here:











