Virgin America airlines announced this morning it will begin service to Toronto this summer, turning away from traditional advertising and using Twitter to promote the launch instead. Virgin customers are tech-savvy and appreciate the airline’s in-flight Wi-Fi, says Abby Lunardini, director of corporate communication for Virgin America, which is why the brand thought social media was the best way to connect with its consumers.

The airline tweeted its expansion plan this morning, offering a discount to the first 500 followers who click on the offer. Virgin America has more than 70,000 followers, and was one of the first brands on board for Twitter’s new ad revenue model.

‘Our flyers always carry a laptop on board and they tend to fly with us for a lot of the tech amenities. So we just found this is a great channel to connect with folks who are engaged with the brands,’ Lunardini tells MiC.

But that doesn’t mean the airline is placing a moratorium on traditional media marketing, says Lunardini – a digital and OOH campaign will launch this Friday, developed by the brand’s AOR, San Francisco-based Eleven.

Virgin will offer daily flights from both San Francisco International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport to Pearson starting June 23.