Virgin America (San Francisco) today (June 5) launched its new service to Portland, Oregon – the 18th city in the carrier’s expanding network. The new destination is being served with two daily nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and two daily nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

The airline has teamed up with IFC around its hit show “Portlandia” to help launch the new service.  “Portlandia” Mayor and award-winning actor Kyle MacLachlan joined the real Portland Mayor Sam Adams onboard the airline’s inaugural SFO-PDX flight today.

Guests onboard Virgin America’s first SFO-PDX flight today were welcomed at the Portland-themed celebration in an aircraft hangar – just steps off the PDX runway.  Guests at the hangar event included winners of a unique “Portlandia” promotion.  In a nod to one of the show’s cult favorite sketches — “Put a Bird On It” — where characters apply pictures of birds to everyday items turning them into instant “art,” the airline and IFC teamed up to create an “Arts & Aircrafts” Facebook competition that invited guests to upload their favorite photos and “put a bird on it” to score a discount off Virgin America’s new PDX flights. For more, visit:  http://apps.facebook.com/artsandaircrafts/tab. The top voted photo winners scored an invite to the Portland event today, where celebrated DJs AndrewAndrew will take the spirit of the “Portlandia” sketch “Everybody’s a DJ” to new heights, with interactive iPad DJ sessions for guests.  IFC and Virgin America continue their partnership later this summer, offering guests the chance to win a walk-on role in season three of the hit original series.

Copyright Photo: Mark Durbin.

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