Courtesy: Flickr/Andrew Hitchcock
Alaska Air will become the country’s fifth largest airline if its purchase of Virgin America is approved by federal regulators and Virgin’s shareholders.
The $2.6 billion deal would mean a combined 1,200 daily departures from West Coast hubs in San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles, Anchorage, and Portland, NPR reports. The company’s headquarters will be in Seattle, and it will have 280 aircraft.
Critics of the deal fear it will create less competition and higher fares.
