Virgin America will offer direct flights from New York JFK to Palm Springs, California for the winter season.

This new route will commence December 22, 2012, with one round-trip flight every Saturday during the winter season.

In a statement, Virgin America VP of Planning and Sales John MacLeod said: “Since entering these Palm Springs markets, we’ve seen strong demand for our unique flight service. We’re pleased to be expanding in the market and offering a new nonstop option for travelers coming from New York to the desert this winter.”

Virgin America will be offering direct flights between San Francisco  and Washington Reagen starting August 14, 2012. The initial schedule will be one round-trip flight each day between SFO and DCA airports.

“We are pleased to have the opportunity to bring our unique brand of service to this underserved route – and to better connect one of the world’s leading economies to our nation’s capital,” said David Cush, President and CEO of Virgin America.  “Until this year, San Francisco has been the largest travel market in the nation previously without nonstop flights to DCA, and local travelers and businesses deserved better. Thanks to the outpouring of community support for our application from Bay Area elected officials, civic groups and business organizations and the DOT’s decision today, we will finally be able to provide local flyers and businesses with more choice and meaningful low fare competition.”

Tickets are now available online through http://www.virginamerica.com/.

Virgin America will be offering direct flights between San Francisco  and Washington Reagen starting August 14, 2012. The initial schedule will be one round-trip flight each day between SFO and DCA.

Virgin America has announced that its 17th domestic destination will be Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

The budget airline will operate three daily non-stop round-trips to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) starting on April 4 and two daily non-stop flights from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) starting on April 10, 2012.

To mark the announcement of its new destination, Virgin America has launched a system-wide “The City of Brotherly Love: Just Got Lovelier” fare sale, with one-way PHL-LAX fares from $129 and one-way PHL-SFO fares from $149 plus taxes and surcharges.

Tickets for the new flights are now available at www.virginamerica.com and at 1.877.FLY.VIRGIN

Virgin America is bringing its stylish, low-fare service to Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) as of December 15, 2011: with tickets on sale now for its new nonstop seasonal flights from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to PSP and same-plane through-flights from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to PSP. Known for its reputation as “Hollywood’s Playground,” an enviable desert climate, world-class resorts and golfing, shopping, special events and modern and mid-century architecture, PSP will be the sixteenth destination in the award-winning airline’s growing network. As the only California-based airline, Virgin America will bring its unique brand of low-fare competition to the PSP market with a seasonal daily flight schedule operating from December 15, 2011-April 30, 2012. Virgin America will offer daily nonstop intra-California flights from SFO to PSP and daily same-plane through-flights from New York to PSP. To mark its expansion to the ultimate winter getaway, today the carrier also launches a “Get Some Playtime” fare sale with SFO-PSP fares from $99* and JFK-SFO-PSP fares from $199.*

“As the only California-based airline, we’re pleased to launch seasonal service to one of our state’s most popular getaway spots – Palm Springs and the surrounding desert resort cities,” said David Cush, President and CEO of Virgin America. “Our expansion to the region will inject some much-needed competition into the air travel market. With low fares and a quality of service that is unrivalled in the domestic skies, we hope our new flights will be a welcome breath of fresh air for Bay Area and New York travelers looking for an affordable escape to the desert oasis this winter. The destination also allows us to add seasonal capacity from our California base, as we continue to grow our network.”

Known for outstanding service, new aircraft with beautifully designed and comfortable cabins, and a host of high-tech amenities, Virgin America has swept the major travel awards since its 2007 launch, including being named “Best Domestic Airline” in both Condé Nast Traveler’sReaders’ Choice Awards and Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards. The airline offers custom-designed mood-lit cabins and inventive amenities like fleetwide WiFi, power outlets and touch-screen entertainment at every seat. The Red™ entertainment platform offers guests their own nine inch touch-screen TV with 35 on-demand films, live TV, Google Maps, videogames, seat-to-seat chat, music videos, a 3000 track MP3 catalog and an on-demand menu – so flyers can order a cocktail or snack right from their seatback any time during a flight.

“Virgin America is a world class brand and Palm Springs is a world class destination and we are thrilled to join together and provide this new air service at Palm Springs International Airport,” said Palm Springs Mayor Steve Pougnet.

“We work hard to deliver a high caliber airport to all of our tenant airlines and we are confident that Virgin America and its guests will be very pleased with the service provided at PSP Airport,” said Thomas Nolan, Executive Director of the PSP Airport.

Virgin America will serve Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) with daily flights from California’s West Coast starting June 23, 2010. The new service will launch with daily flights from both San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Toronto (YYZ). Virgin America offers business and leisure travelers a host of innovative amenities, including beautifully designed mood-lit cabins, fleetwide WiFi, standard power outlets near every seat and Red — the largest and most advanced personal touch-screen entertainment platform in the skies. Since its 2007 launch, the airline has consistently swept the major travel awards, including “Best Airline” in both Condé Nast Traveler’s 2009 Readers’ Choice Awards and Travel + Leisure’s 2009 World’s Best Awards.

In an unusual move, the airline today announces its expansion to Toronto via Twitter — without the support of traditional advertising. The first 500 Twitter followers who receive the airline’s expansion Tweet can score a 50 percent discount on flights to Toronto for travel June 23-November 17, 2010.* Virgin America is the only airline based in Silicon Valley, and its inventive use of technology, social media and design has made it a favorite among tech-forward flyers.

“Toronto is one of the largest cities in North America and a world-class travel destination — with strong ties to California — most notably in the entertainment and high-tech sectors,” said Virgin America President and CEO David Cush. “Our unique in-flight experience will be a perfect match for the diverse, tech-savvy flyers along the routes and we can’t wait to start welcoming them.”

The airline’s Toronto schedule:

* SFO-YYZ: one nonstop daily flight and one daily through flight
* YYZ-SFO: one nonstop daily flight and one daily through flight
* LAX-YYZ: one nonstop daily flight and one daily through flight
* YYZ-LAX: one nonstop daily flight and one daily through flight

“We are delighted to welcome Virgin America to Toronto Pearson,” said Lloyd McCoomb, President and CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority. “Virgin America’s expansion into Toronto is a testament to the strong business and tourism ties between Canada and the U.S. These routes show the importance of continued growth in the North American market.”

In addition to a Main Cabin that offers custom-designed leather seats with a deeper, more comfortable pitch, the airline’s First Class offers plush white leather seats with 55 inches of pitch, 165 degrees of recline and lumbar massagers. The carrier’s Main Cabin Select option offers 38-inches of pitch, free food and cocktails, an all-access pass to Red’s countless entertainment options, dedicated overhead bins and priority check-in/boarding. The airline’s Red platform offers over 700 hours of entertainment content, including 25 films, live and premium TV, Google Maps, music videos, videogames, seat-to-seat chat, a 3000 MP3 library and an on-demand menu — so guests can order a cocktail or meal from their seatback any time during a flight. In 2009, the menu was named best-in-class in Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards.

“Virgin America’s service is a great match for Toronto and we are thrilled to welcome them,” said David Whitaker, President and CEO of Tourism Toronto. “California’s sophisticated travelers coming to Toronto will find one of North America’s most exciting urban destinations and Canada’s entertainment and business capital.”

With outstanding service and beautifully designed new planes, Virgin America has captured a loyal guest following and experienced significant growth since its launch. In addition to Orlando and Toronto, the airline intends to announce at least three more new destinations in 2010. For Virgin America’s most recently reported quarter (the third quarter of 2009), the airline reported its first quarterly operating profit, a year-over-year revenue increase of 38 percent, record load factors and improved unit costs.

Virgin America flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Orange County (ends May 26), Fort Lauderdale, Toronto (starting June 23) and Orlando (starting August 19).