April 5: Virgin America Discovers Price Beats Mood Lighting (Bloomberg)
April 5, 2016
The $2.6 billion sale of Virgin America Inc. shows that it just doesn’t pay to be different.
Despite the mood lighting, club music, touchscreen food orders, and additional frills that made it a customer favorite, Virgin America couldn’t escape the reality that ticket price is king. For a niche player, the new world order for airlines means passenger goodies and competitive industry pricing are an almost impossible combination.