Yesterday I took a Virgin America flight from San Francisco to San Diego. It was my first time flying with them (so I guess that makes me a Virgin virgin?) Anyway I was pleasantly surprised at what a terrific experience I had. For those of you who may not know, I travel quite frequently by plane. The only kind of air travel I remotely enjoy anymore is being on a private jet. All other times when I am flying commercial, it just isn't an enjoyable experience anymore. Except on Virgin America. These guys know how to make flying fun. I checked in on what looked like an Apple touch screen monitor, which printed a small boarding pass, which seemed so efficient. From the moment I stepped onto the plane and entered the cabin, I was in awe of the decor. It had mood lighting, black leather seats and hip and trendy music playing.Each seat had a nice size TV screen, with touch screen applications to order up your choice of news, music, TV, music videos or games. It also had a Google map with the flight, weather and travel facts.
above: the interior of the Virgin America cabin. I felt like I was in a hip nightclub.
Following are a few facts Virgin touts about their US domestic air service
* Virgin America is the first U.S. airline with mood lighting.
* There are 3000 MP3s on board every flight.
* You can plug in to 110v power at your seat.
* You can order fresh food when you want it, from the screen at your seat.
* Their in-flight entertainment system has over 25 pay-per-view Hollywood movies on demand.
* Virgin America is a cashless airline. If you want to buy something in flight, you can place your order, swipe your card, and you’re done.
Finally, a Safety Video Worth Watching:
So that's my opinion. Now all they need to do is add more flight routes so I can start flying them more often. Well other than when I'm not on the private jet that is...
-Rick Rockhill
I hear ya, Rick. I ALWAYS prefer the private jet when I travel the 3 mile commute from the outskirts of Palm Springs to my job in downtown Palm Springs, but if the boss happens to be using it for a run to the liquor store, then VIRGIN is definitely the way to go!
ReplyDeleteI love being on board those beautiful planes and enjoying the mood lighting, MP3s and pay-per-view for those glorious 14 seconds of commute time.
In all seriousness I always wanted to know this - do private jets have bathrooms?
ReplyDeleteSharon- yep, they sure do!
ReplyDeleteI love this new thing whereby I don't have to "click here to comment"....and it's already for my comments. Yippee. I've heard mixed reviews from fellow VA travelers. Some loved the cool and trendy. Others not so much. Definitely new and cutting edge.
ReplyDeletethat was really cute! i have never flown virgin. and i hate to fly!!!
ReplyDeletesmiles, bee
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo
makes you not want to reach your destination I imagine!
ReplyDeleteI hope to someday catch a VA because I doubt I'll have a PJ.
happy thursday,
ebs
I flew Vrigin to England back in the 1980s. It was a pretty cool airline back then...
ReplyDeleteAir travel is no longer fun anymore... We drive whenever we can.
I wish I could say the same about Virgin Atlantic's "party plane" from the UK to Vegas. It was one of the worst flying experiences of my life!
ReplyDeleteI think it was reviews on the outbound UK longhaul flights that put me off buying the ticket that brought me to NYC with Virgin.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had now. Maybe if I ever visit London again I will. I am going to check out their domestic routes too.
P.S. Because my experience on British Airways was crap. I never want to fly with them again, except I do have airmiles accumulated over the last 10 years to use up. And it wasn't really worth it.
ReplyDeleteA "Virgin virgin" huh? Pretty good one there!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a cool airline. As much as you travel, it's nice to experience something new and positive.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE Virgin! I've not flown Virgin American because it didn't exist when I was still traveling, but I sure would have if it had been in existance! I've flown their oversease flights four times back in the early 1990's....And it was GREAT, in every way...I nust say that this sounds fantastic and like an even better flight experience now....
ReplyDeleteI've never flown on a private jet...It must be great!
I used to fly MGM Grand back in the day...And THAT was fabulous! It was a sad day when they closed down.
I so want to fly that airline. Loved the artwork on the video!
ReplyDeleteRic, interesting to hear that generally the only type of flying you like these days is in a private jet. I haven't flown Virgin Airlines yet but glad you had a positive experience. Best experience on a commercial airline I've had in a long time was flying Jet Blue from Virginia to California and back. Very comfortable seats, extra legroom, DirectTV on back of seat in front of me with lots of channels, etc. A pleasant flying expereience, a definite rarity nowadays when commercial flights are a real pain in the you know what the vast majority of the time. However, like you, I too would of course prefer to ride on a private jet when given a choice. By the way, speaking of private jets, I came across an interesting article about why private jets are not just for the rich and famous these days. You can read it at http://www.privatejetsalesandrental.com
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Jito