It wasn't as much a failure as a money-making sale that put an end to Virgin America. After being approached by several airlines interested in a takeover, Virgin America was acquired by Alaska Airlines for a purchase price of £1.9 billion ($2.6bn) in 2016. They slowly retired the brand, painting over the fleet livery with their logo and colours. Sir Richard Branson expressed his sadness with an open letter published on his Virgin blog titled Dear Virgin America.

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