Airlines
Alaska Air Group Closes on Virgin America Acquisition
Combined fleet now consists of some 280 aircraft averaging 8.5 years of age

Alaska Air Group on Wednesday completed its $4 billion acquisition of Virgin America, about a week after the deal gained U.S. Justice Department approval and Alaska settled a lawsuit filed by private plaintiffs seeking to block the merger on antitrust grounds. Alaska added that it and Virgin America will spend the next year working to secure Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification to allow the two airlines to operate as a single carrier, while Alaska Air Group sister carrier Horizon Air continues to operate on its own certificate.