Alaska Air Group, which for roughly $4 billion last April acquired Virgin America and its purple-lit cabins and generally happy customers, is doing away with the popular boutique brand in two years time, despite some predictions they might not. "After much learning and listening, the difficult decision has been made to retire the Virgin America name sometime in 2019," an email to Virgin customers revealed today.

Alaska execs were dodging questions about their plans for Virgin as recently as December, and in an effort to quell concern that a match between the relatively bare-bones Alaska operation and the more consumer-focused Virgin brand was an awkward one, Alaska launched an ad campaign — maybe you've seen this around airports or in downtown San Francisco — extolling the virtues of other odd pairings like guitars and electricity and bacon and doughnuts.

Now the question is how much of the bacon will be on the doughnut. Alaska's press release announcing its decision to ground the Virgin brand explained that it would absorb some of the more popular Virgin America practices. "The combined airline will adopt many of the brand elements that Virgin America enthusiasts love about their favorite airline, including enhanced in-flight entertainment, mood lighting, music and the relentless desire to make flying a different experience for guests. The goal is to create a warm and welcoming West Coast-inspired vibe." The Business Times, meanwhile, mulls the fate of in-flight on-demand food and beverage service, a particularly crowd-pleasing amenity — and it's not like Alaska's fleet of older planes are suddenly going to get a whole lot nicer.

Virgin America, headquartered in Burlingame, California and first based out of SFO as its central hub, was a brand created by the British Virgin Group in 2004 that began operations in 2007. Founder Richard Branson, who was recently seen kitesurfing with Barack Obama and exuding little to no concern, is shedding some tears today in a parting message/love letter to the Virgin America brand.

"Businesses come and go but beloved brands make lasting impressions and remain in your heart," Branson writes, later quoting George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass," which was surely about the tragic mortality of brands.

Finally, Alaska Airlines recently announced a major Bay Area expansion, NBC Bay Area reminds us, with 125 daily nonstop flights leaving San Jose, Oakland, and San Francisco airports, including some new routes using Virgin's newer fleet of planes.

Looks like you've got 20 months, give or take, to sing along to that safety video before it becomes a relic of YouTube.

Previously: Alaska Airlines Still Being Cagey About Plans For Virgin Brand