Alaska Airlines (ASA) has received a single operating certificate from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to combine its operations with Virgin America.

The certification has verified that ASA aligned its operating policies and procedures with those of Virgin America, which was acquired by the former in December 2016.

FAA has made it mandatory for airlines to align their operations before functioning as a single entity.

“We’re now recognised as one airline in the eyes of the FAA.”

The latest certificate was secured after both the airlines evaluated 346 different operational topics across 136 manuals; more than 39,000 pages of material, among others.

ASA president and Virgin America CEO Ben Minicucci said: “We’re now recognised as one airline in the eyes of the FAA.”

However, the passengers flying with ALK or Virgin America will still be able to use respective mobile apps, websites and airport terminals of the airlines for the time being.

The passengers are expected to have a more streamlined travel experience, once both the carriers are scheduled to move to a single reservations system in April this year.

All ASA and Virgin America travel requirements will also be provided through ASA’s mobile app and website.

Along with Virgin America and its regional partners, Alaska Airlines currently transport 40 million guests a year to more than 115 destinations across the US, Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba.