Virgin America (VX) is set to take off for Seattle. Service begins on January 31, and VX is offering deals as low $77+ each way from San Francisco.

Since its maiden voyage in 2007, Virgin America hasn’t shied away from taking on more established carriers, and their new service to Seattle will put them squarely on Alaska Air’s turf. Alaska Air isn’t taking things lying down, though. As the Cranky Flier reports:

“Alaska has effectively decided to turn their Seattle - California services into a shuttle-style operation with flights either on the hour or half hour starting April 27. From Seattle to LAX, southbound flights will depart 15 times daily on the hour (up from 12 daily) while northbound flights will depart on the half hour.”

It will be interesting to see if Virgin America’s promise of better service, more amenities, and that smooth mood lighting can win travelers away from Alaska Air.