![\"Virgin](\"https:\/\/planesintheair.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Virgin-America-300x162.jpg\")
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Virgin America has reportedly put the airline\u00a0up for sale. News first broke that the airline\u00a0was shopping for bidders\u00a0last week. It is rumored that Virgin America investors are ready\u00a0to cash in now\u00a0that airline stocks are trading at elevated levels. The time may be right for those investors to get out, as the airline has struggled with intense compitition and low fares on the routes that it serves. Virgin America has been an easy target for its competitors to engage in these battles, as\u00a0the air carriers small size means there are fewer routes for them to\u00a0compete on. The recent additions of Honolulu and Kahului in Hawaii only brings the airlines total up to 24 airports in the US and Mexico. The decision by the airline to move its base of operations in Dallas from DFW to Love Field was also viewed as a very poor idea. The airline is being squeezed at Love Field by gate space capacity, with only two available for their use. Southwest Airlines’\u00a0Bags Fly Free and no cost ticket change or\u00a0cancellation policies has made it even tougher to compete there. American Airlines was a competitor that\u00a0Virgin was far better matched up against from a fare and service standpoint.<\/p>\n
Alaska Airline\u00a0<\/span>and JetBlue are said to\u00a0have already made offers for Virgin America. A\u00a0merger with JetBlue\u00a0is believed by the street to be the best\u00a0match. Its hubs in the East include\u00a0Boston, Fort Lauderdale, New York (JFK), and San Juan Puerto Rico. The only JetBlue hub in the West is based in Long Beach, California. Virgin America\u00a0has 2 hubs in the West, at San Francisco (SFO)\u00a0and Los Angeles (LAX). JetBlue also operates the same types of\u00a0Airbus aircraft as\u00a0Virgin America, improving crew and\u00a0maintenance synergies. The two carriers also offer a higher quality\u00a0of passenger\u00a0service, with both ranking high in\u00a0consumer satisfaction polls.\u00a0The fit with Alaska Airlines is viewed as having less benefit from a route overlap view. However, with both carrier\u00a0networks primarily\u00a0based on\u00a0the west coast, a merger between the two could help Alaska Airlines reduce seat capacity and improve ticket prices.\u00a0Alaska Airlines has been under pressure from\u00a0Delta Air Lines, which has been aggressively expanding in Seattle where Alaska is based at. Other airlines may still\u00a0decide\u00a0to place a\u00a0bid as\u00a0well, so it looks like time will tell what happens with Virgin America.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n