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Flying the Virgin America Skies

Sure, it’s been more than a month since I flew Virgin America to get to a wedding in New York but I haven’t stopped talking about it. There’s been a lot written about the new domestic airline since it launched this year but here's my first-hand take.

Some perks:
The mood lighting on the plane. I had read about it but didn’t really realize how calming the blue-ish, purple-ish lighting could be and made it feel like I had paid much more than $144 one-way from LAX to New York. For that kind of fare I’d expect fluorescent lighting and canvas uncomfortable chairs, not plush black leatherette.

A separate cup holder in the tray table so the entire tray table doesn’t have to come down just for a drink. Ingenious.

You can pre-order food and drinks so that when the stewards come down the aisle they know your exact order. Even if you seem them making their way down the aisle you can still make an order, like I did, because it’ll register on their computer tablets they carry with them. Unfortunately there are only a few free beverages. Food will cost you.

Some quirks:
Be prepared to nudge your neighbor for access to your keyboard/video game controllers that sit in the shared armrests.

They offer Nip/Tuck episodes for $1.99. I won’t even get into the silly pricing considering its just a rental, but I wouldn’t watch that show with my parents in the same room let alone on a plane with strangers.

Music is alphabetically arranged so you’ll run across some entertaining musical groupings like this one: The Pussycat Dolls, The Rolling Stones, The Temptations, The Who and finally, The Wiggles.

The music playing in the cabin after the plane lands is something out of a nightclub which would be all well and good toward fulfilling the cool, hip vibe except for the grating siren-like sound it carried. But it may achieve something ingenious, getting people off the planes as soon as possible lest they linger to enjoy the mood lighting and iPod chargers.

Some things to look forward to:
A few features “not yet available” on the airline’s entertainment system on the back of each seat include “read,” “shop,” and “E-mail & Text.” I’m sure all will likely come with a price but so far I’m intrigued.