Virgin America Inc. today announced that the merger agreement with Alaska Air Group, Inc., the parent company of Alaska Airlines, Inc., was approved by an affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of the outstanding shares of Virgin America voting common stock. A report reflecting the complete voting results will be available on a Current Report on Form 8-K to be filed later this week by Virgin America.

Should the merger be approved, Virgin America will be one step closer to offering flights to Costa Rica. As reported by The Costa Rica Star last year, Alaska Airlines began flying to our two major airports, Juan Santamaria (SJO) and Daniel Oduber Quiros (LIR) just in time for the 2015 high tourist season.

Some of the eight weekly flights provided between LAX and Costa Rica by Alaska Air could be re-branded as Virgin America flights. This would give Virgin a larger overseas segment, as the airline currently flies in the United States and Mexico.

On April 4, 2016, Virgin America and Alaska Airlines announced they had reached an agreement to combine to create the premier airline for West Coast travelers. The two airlines anticipate they will obtain regulatory approvals and complete the transaction in the fourth quarter of 2016.

About Virgin America
Known for its mood-lit cabins, three beautifully designed classes of service and innovative fleetwide amenities — like touch-screen personal entertainment, WiFi and power outlets at every seat, Virgin America has earned a host of awards since launching in 2007 — including being named the “Best Domestic Airline” in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards for the past nine consecutive years and “Best U.S. Airline” in Condé Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards for the past eight consecutive years. For information, visit www.virginamerica.com.

About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines, a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group (NYSE: ALK), together with its partner regional airlines, serves more than 100 cities through an expansive network in the United States, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico. Alaska Airlines ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Traditional Carriers in North America” in the J.D. Power North American Airline Satisfaction Study for nine consecutive years from 2008 to 2016. Alaska Airlines’ Mileage Plan also ranked “Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Airline Loyalty Rewards Programs” in the J.D. Power Airline Loyalty/Rewards Program Satisfaction Report for the last three consecutive years. For reservations, visit www.alaskaair.com. For more news and information, visit the Alaska Airlines newsroom at www.alaskaair.com/newsroom.