Virgin America announces new flights to Honolulu

PHOTO: Courtesy of Virgin America

Virgin America today celebrated the launch of new daily nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Honolulu International Airport (HNL) with Richard Branson surprisingly hardworking Virgin team members by flying with them on the inaugural flight from SFO to Honolulu.

For those who couldn’t fly with Richard, Virgin America is marking the launch of these new flights with a deal to fly SFO to Honolulu or Maui for only $199 (taxes and fees included, restrictions applying). The deal is made all-the-more-special with flights including streaming Netflix for Netflix members, the first airline to do so.

“Our loyal Bay Area travelers, and especially our Elevate frequent flyers, have been asking for an island escape for some time, and as of today they have a fresh option for their Hawaii travels,” said Virgin America President and Chief Executive Officer David Cush. “We are thrilled to be bringing our unique service to Honolulu and next month Maui, and we look forward to building lasting community ties with the state and people of Hawaii.”

Also, today, Virgin America and Airbnb announced an expanded partnership program – the first partnership program of its kind for Airbnb. The airline’s Elevate program now offers travelers the opportunity to earn Elevate points for every Airbnb reservation they make. Members of the airline’s no-black-out date Elevate program can earn 1,500 Elevate points for their first Airbnb stay, and Elevate members who book through www.virginamerica.com will also get 1 point per $1 spent on completed Airbnb trips. Additionally, Elevate members who become Airbnb hosts will earn 20,000 Elevate points. For more, visit:virginamerica.com/airbnb.

But more importantly, Virgin and Airbnb pledged $100,000 (in cash, flights and Airbnb accommodation credits) to Make-A-Wish Hawaii to help fulfill the wishes of children battling life-threatening illnesses, and Virgin America is also providing $25,000 to Pnana Leo, a nonprofit that provides for and nurtures various Hawaiian language environments.