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American Express and Virgin America Take Flight;; Invite Flyers to Elevate Their aPlaina Seat to Score Plane Seats

^{Published on 2011-10-06 19:20:47 - Market Wire}
 

NEW YORK--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--American Express (NYSE:AXP) today welcomes award-winning airline, Virgin America, to the industry-leading Membership Rewards program. American Express Cardmembers can now transfer Membership Rewards points into Virgin Americaa™s frequent flyer program, Elevatea". To celebrate, Virgin America and American Express have kicked off a acheekya two-week Facebook promotion that offers Cardmembers the chance to win prizes that include of a pair of free first-class roundtrip tickets to any Virgin America destination.

"With world-class service and innovative amenities across all of our cabins, we hope to elevate the typical travel experience above the ordinary a" and are thrilled to partner with American Express to offer our loyal guests one more way to earn rewards"

aWe are always looking for new and innovative partners that will make redeeming Membership Rewards points even more flexible for our Cardmembers,a said Lynne Biggar, executive vice president and general manager for U.S. Consumer Services at American Express. aCelebrating our partnership with the aElevate Your Seata™ promotion gives consumers who love flying Virgin America and those who havena™t yet flown Virgin America a chance to enjoy the experience.a

How to Elevate Your Seat

• To play, consumers upload a photo to their Facebook profile of themselves striking their best glamour pose in their favorite aplain seata (from recliners to office chairs a" anything goes), then go to [ http://elevateyourseat.com ] to share their best shot.
• Once enrolled, they are eligible to win grand prizes, runner-up prizes or daily prizes. If camera-shy, participants can also vote for their favorite achair modela to be entered to win daily prizes.
• Prizes include:
  • The top two photo submissions will win a grand prize of two First Class round-trip tickets on Virgin America and an annual Aircell Gogo WiFi pass*.
  • A random voter or achair posea entrant will be chosen daily through October 20 to receive two round-trip Main Cabin tickets, plus 30-day Gogo WiFi passes.
  • Three runners up who submit a photo will also receive two round-trip Main Cabin Select tickets on Virgin America and a 30-day Gogo WiFi pass.

aWith world-class service and innovative amenities across all of our cabins, we hope to elevate the typical travel experience above the ordinary a" and are thrilled to partner with American Express to offer our loyal guests one more way to earn rewards,a said Brett Billick, director of Customer Relationship Management at Virgin America.

Transferring Your Membership Rewards Points into Elevate Points

American Express Cardmembers enrolled in Membership Rewards are now able to convert their points into Virgin America Elevate points and redeem online for any unsold seat, on any Virgin America flight, at any time, without blackout dates or restrictions. American Express Cardholders will receive 100 Virgin America Elevate points for every 200 Membership Rewards points transferred.

The Virgin America Elevate program is based on a simple apoints per dollara system, instead of typical miles or segments flown. For example, while Elevate points needed to redeem vary based on price and seat availability, a flyer booking a roundtrip ticket from New York to L.A. with Virgin America at a cost of about $320, could redeem that flight for 15,399 Elevate points, equivalent to 30,798 Membership Rewards points, which is comparable to other airline programs that would require up to 50,000 miles. Elevate members earn five points per dollar on their base fare and the ability to earn even more points with Virgin America's Elevate partners. Reward flights can be earned with as few as four roundtrips or 2,500 points.

Virgin America joins 16 other industry-leading airlines in the Membership Rewards program through American Express, including Delta, Air Canada, Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue, allowing Cardmembers to top off their preferred frequent traveler program to redeem award flights.

About The Membership Rewards Program

The Membership Rewards offers more than a million rewards from over 500 brands. The program allows Cardmembers to earn one point for virtually every dollar charged on eligible, enrolled American Express Cards, with many opportunities to earn points faster. Membership Rewards points are redeemable in a wide selection of reward categories. Points have no expiration date, and there is no limit on the number of points a Cardmember can earn. Membership Rewards was recognized as a key factor in winning one of the companya™s most recent awards. For the fifth consecutive year, J.D. Power and Associates ranked American Express first in customer satisfaction for 2011, recognizing the companya™s superior commitment to customer-centric services and experiences. For more information about the Membership Rewards program, visit: [ www.membershiprewards.com ] or call 1-800-AXP-EARN (297-3276).

About American Express

American Express is a global services company, providing customers with access to products, insights and experiences that enrich lives and build business success. Learn more at [ www.americanexpress.com ] and connect with us on [ www.facebook.com/americanexpress ], [ www.twitter.com/americanexpress ] and [ www.youtube.com/americanexpress ].

About Virgin America

Headquartered in California, Virgin America offers guests attractive fares and a host of innovative features aimed at reinventing air travel. In just four years flying, Virgin America was named aBest Domestic Airlineain the Cond© Nast Traveler 2008, 2009 and 2010 Readersa™ Choice Awardsand aBest Domestic Airlineain Travel + Leisurea™s 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 Worlda™s Best Awards. The airlinea™s base of operations is San Francisco International Airport (SFO). In April 2011, the airline became an anchor tenant at SFOa™s new sleek and sustainable Terminal 2. Virgin America flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Dallasa"Fort Worth, Los Cabos, Cancun, Chicago, Puerto Vallarta (as of Dec. 2, 2011) and Palm Springs (as of Dec. 15, 2011). For more, visit: [ www.virginamerica.com ] For photos/video of the airlinea™s new aircraft and higha"tech interiors, visit: [ http://www.virginamerica.com/about/airlinea"photos/virgina"americaa"pictures.html ].

Virgin Americaa™s unique cabin experience has swept the major travel awards since the airlinea™s 2007 launch, including aBest Domestic Airlinea inTravel + Leisurea™s Worlda™s Best Awards and aBest Domestic Airlinea inCond© Nast Travelera™sReadersa™ Choice Awards. The carriera™snew aircraft offer[ a host of upscale amenities ], including custom-designed seating, mood-lit cabins, power outlets, fleetwide WiFi and the Reda" platform a" the most advanced in-flight entertainment system in the skies. In addition to a Main Cabin that offers each guest a personal TV, power outlets and a leather seat with a deeper, more comfortable pitch, the airlinea™s First Class offers plush white leather seating with 55 inches of pitch, 165 degrees of recline and lumbar massagers. The carriera™s Main Cabin Select option offers 38-inches of pitch, free food and cocktails, an all-access pass to media content, dedicated overhead bins and priority check-in/boarding.

About Elevate

Elevate is Virgin Americaa™s firsta"ofa"itsa"kind loyalty program, which offers guests the ability to redeem points for any unsold seat a" on any Virgin America flight, at any time. Elevate offers one of the industrya™s most generous and easya"toa"redeem flight reward programs, as few as four roundtrips or 2,500 points can earn members a reward flight. Elevate members are able to retain their points indefinitely, as long as they either earn or redeem points at least once every 18 months. Elevate members receive exclusive offers that only the worlda"class Virgin brand could provide, such as tickets to star-studded Hollywood premieres and the chance to compete to earn a seat on a Virgin Galactic suba"orbital space flight.

* NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES & D.C. 18 AND OLDER. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Ends 10/20/11. For Official Rules, which govern, and complete details, visit [ www.facebook.com/virginamerica ] or [ www.facebook.com/americanexpress ].

Abbreviated Rules for Online Banner Ads

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Ends 10/20/11. To enter and for Official Rules, visit [ www.facebook.com/virginamerica ] or [ www.facebook.com/americanexpress ].

Photos/MultimediaGallery Available: [ http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50020983&lang=en ]