Virgin America is headed to the City of Brotherly Love.
The San Francisco-based airline announced Tuesday it will expand to Philadelphia (PHL) in April, starting with two daily non-stop flights from San Francisco (SFO) and three daily non-stop flights from Los Angeles (LAX).
“When more airlines compete, consumers win - with lower fares and better service," said Virgin America President and CEO David Cush. "Travelers deserve more options than just the typical legacy airline cattle car, and we hope our unique brand of low fares and inventive service will be a breath of fresh air for Philadelphians."
The inaugural flight from LAX takes place on Apr. 4. The service from SFO begins Apr. 10.
“This is a great development for the entire Philadelphia region, including northern Delaware, southern New Jersey and southeastern Pennsylvania,” said Philadelphia Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “New airline service not only lowers fares for travelers, but it is also a major economic driver - stimulating business travel, tourism and local job growth."
“In addition to being a historic and vibrant city, this market has strong business and leisure travel connections to California," added Cush. "We thank both Mayor Nutter and Philadelphia International Airport officials for welcoming our new service.”
Philadelphia fliers will have access to Las Vegas, San Diego and Seattle through connecting flights.
To celebrate the new service, Virgin America is launching "The City of Brotherly Love: Just Got Loverlier" sale, with PHL-LAX fares from $129 and PHL-SFO fares from $149. Visit Virgin America for fare restrictions, taxes and fees.
Virgin America is also holding a Facebook sweepstakes where the grand prize winner will win a trip for two between SFO/LAX and Philadelphia. Nine winners will receive a "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" prize package. For more information, please visit Virgin America's page on Facebook.
"We’re thrilled to welcome Virgin America to Philadelphia,” said PHL Chief Executive Officer Mark Gale. “Philadelphia travelers will undoubtedly benefit from the increased competition — both through lower fares and the airline’s award-winning service. Today is truly a great day for the entire Philadelphia region.”
Prior to the announcement, Virgin America held a Facebook contest to see if travelers were able to guess Philadelphia as the airline's 17th destination.
Correct guessers received a 20 percent discount off a future flight to Philadelphia. Incorrect guessers received 15 percent.
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