Virgin America ticket offer heats up Love Field battle with Southwest

Virgin America is taking on its Dallas Love Field rival in the airline's latest marketing campaign by offering two tickets for the price of one.

While Southwest Airlines "invented low fares," Virgin contends in the marketing campaign that it invented "higher expectations" for passengers, including better amenities and technology.

"We're excited to launch our latest campaign and set the record straight—you can have the lowest fares and a better travel experience at the same time," Luanne Calvert, CMO for Virgin, said in a press release.

Customers can sign up here by referring three friends to fly Virgin. The customer gets 50 percent off two tickets while the friends who were referred get 20 percent off. All the flights must be in or out of Love Field. Friends don't have to buy tickets for the original customer to get a deal.

Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, a minority investor in Virgin America, poked fun at Southwest in his latest YouTube video. He's shown getting a lobster and Dom Perignon while another customer orders a salad and a water at a bar. Both cost $19.99.

It ends with the phrase: All fares being equal, awesome wins.

The man who ordered the water and salad at least gets some free peanuts, another dig at Southwest, while Branson pops the cork on his fine wine.

Virgin started nonstop service at Love Field Oct. 13, the same day flight restrictions ended at the airport.

Virgin now flies from Love Field to New York's La Guardia Airport, Ronald Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C., Los Angeles International Airport and San Francisco International Airport.

The airline will add flights from Love Field to Austin in April.

The San Francisco-based airline's goal is to max out with 20 daily flights from its two Love Field gates by September, possibly adding a DCA and SFA flight while trimming some Austin flights.

Southwest will add 10 new destinations to Love Field in April and eight more destinations in August using two gates it plans to sublease from United Airlines.

That brings Southwest's total flights to 180 per day by August.

It's unclear where this shake-up leaves Delta Air Lines because it's agreement to use United gates at Love Field ends in July.

(Nicholas Sakelaris - Dallas Business Journal)