The airways between tropical South Florida and sunny California are about to become busier.

Virgin America's new nonstop service from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco International and Los Angeles International airports kicked off with a tarmac party Wednesday, one day after JetBlue began flying passengers between Fort Lauderdale and San Francisco.

Headlined by Virgin founder Richard Branson, Virgin America's celebration featured music, martinis and speeches by elected officials and airline professionals.

The two airlines have created increased options for travelers looking to fly between the West Coast and South Florida, sparking questions of whether a price war would ensue.

``When we announced that we were coming here . . . another airline managed to get their flight plans sorted out in five hours, and announced they were also coming here,'' Virgin founder Richard Branson told a crowd gathered in front of two planes that had arrived from Los Angeles and San Francisco.

``They're only flying once a day, we're flying four times a day.''

Nicki Grossman, president of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the new planes coming into FLL from the West will translate into more jobs and tourism spending in Broward County.

She estimates each plane will represent $4 million worth of spending in the area.

``It's going to open up that skyway so that [Californians] can visit us. . . . It means about 400 passengers, four times a week -- that's 1,600 new bodies coming into Greater Fort Lauderdale every week.''

The Virgin and JetBlue flights from California are the latest in a push to raise Fort Lauderdale's profile on the national scene, Grossman said, noting that the world's largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, and the city's first five-star hotel -- the Ritz Carlton, Fort Lauderdale -- are likely to draw new attention to the region as well.

Prices for the cross-country flights start at $99, one-way.

The new routes come during a trying time in which the airline industry has suffered amid the global recession. Worldwide airline losses are expected to be $11 billion in 2009, according to International Air Transport Association. Losses are forecast to continue through 2010, with $3.8 billion in losses expected next year.

The five-hour flights between Florida and California offer free Wi-Fi, video touch-screens on each seat and power outlets. Leather seats with built-in massagers are available for first-class flyers. Virgin filled the inaugural flights from California with celebrities and contest-winners, offering music, drinks and a sing-along on the flight.

``It was fantastic,'' said Ruth McCartney, the sister of singer-songwriter Paul McCartney. ``We expect nothing less from Richard.''

Founded in 2007, Virgin America, flies to 10 destinations. It is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area.