The Virgin America name is being permanently grounded. When Alaska Air merged with Virgin America, it became the fifth-largest airline in the country with 1,200 daily flights and nearly 300 planes. Virgin America was created by billionaire Richard Branson in 2004 with the goal of creating a different kind of airline. "Many tears are shed today...over Alaska Airlines’ decision to buy and now retire Virgin America," said Branson on his blog. "It has a very different business model and sadly, it could not find a way to maintain its own brand and that of Virgin America."

Source: Forbes March 23, 2017 13:34 UTC