Hackers hit Virgin America website as ticket sales start

SAN FRANCISCO —  Virgin America began selling airline tickets Thursday but found sales slowed by an apparent hacker attack on its website, the company said.

Spokesman Gareth Edmondson Jones said the airline was trying to fix the problem and identify the culprits.

The airline’s inaugural flights are scheduled to take off Aug. 8 from Los Angeles International Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and arrive at roughly the same time in San Francisco, which will serve as Virgin America’s hub.

Tickets for the flights went on sale early Thursday through Virgin America’s website and via telephone. A one-way ticket between Los Angeles and San Francisco started at $44, while one-way tickets between San Francisco and New York started at $139.

Virgin America, based in Burlingame, Calif., also is selling tickets for flights to Las Vegas and Washington, scheduled to start in September and October.

Conceived by British billionaire Richard Branson, Virgin America is promising to shake up the U.S. airline industry by making flying a more luxurious experience at affordable prices.

Virgin America’s fleet of aircraft will include the latest high-tech equipment so passengers can order food from their seats, watch movies or television, listen to music and even plan their travel itinerary using online maps by Google.

A first-class ticket, which will start at $149 for one-way flights between San Francisco and Los Angeles, will buy seating in a massage chair, among other amenities.