When I was little, I absolutely loved going to the airport, because it meant that I would be traveling to a different place. Going to the airport wasn't a frequent thing for my family, because we usually preferred to drive, which is why I had a mini obsession with the airport and flying on airplanes.

After I decided to go to college out of state, the airport and flying on airplanes became the norm for me. Flying back and forth from school to home is always an exciting task, but sometimes it does really get old. The only thing that keeps me sane during these sometimes tedious and extra-long trips is the fact that I will be flying on a Virgin America airplane.

When I first went off to college, my mom created us both accounts on the Virgin America website, so that we were members and could rack up points for bonuses every time we flew, which was very often. I grew to love Virgin and became used to the routine of their boarding process, their safety video, their food menu, and flight services. I have always loved every part that a Virgin flight has to offer, which helps on the long trips home or back to school.

Recently, it was announced that Virgin airlines and Alaska airlines are merging and that Virgin "plans to retire its name sometime in 2019." This news came as a shock and a disappointment to me, considering how much I love Virgin, and how so many other people I know love Virgin. I understand that difficult decisions such as these have to be made sometimes, which is why I can't necessarily be angry at Virgin America. But knowing that one day I won't be able to fly Virgin anymore in my easy routine that I have become so comfortable with is hard to wrap my mind around.

Read more about the Virgin and Alaska merger here:

https://www.virginamerica.com/cms/about-our-airlin...