VX 851 | SFO to LAX | 08AUG2007 | FIRST CLASS

DEPARTING AIRPORT EXPERIENCE
Check In
I arrived at SFO just a little bit after 12:00PM for my 4:15PM departure so I can catch a glimpse of the incoming VX flights from JFK and LAX. I was quickly greeted by Virgin America's staff and asked how they can help me. I told them that I have a confirmed reservation to LAX but had an issue with printing my boarding pass at home and also I would like to upgrade to First Class. He escorted me to the first class check in counter where another Virgin America crew member try and help out. There was some issue because I have "checked in" to the flight but did not have a boarding pass so they had to figure out how to print my boarding pass. Than it came to the question on how to upgrade me because I was already checked in. Eventually it took three crew member to figure out how to upgrade me and print my boarding pass. Along the way, they kept me in the loop as to what was going on. When it came time to pay for the upgrade, I handed them my jetBlue American Express card and one of the agent asked if I was "hopping the fence" and I said what do you mean? At that time he pointed out that jetBlue was right behind them. In a weird way, I was literally hopping the fence over to Virgin America. Anyways, once I got my boarding pass, they handed me a priority access card to by pass the long line at the security check point. It took about a good 10 to 15 minutes to check in, however, I am pretty understanding about everyone being new and still figuring out the system so I won't hold it against them. However, I do feel that Virgin America should of done a better job with training.
Gate Area
SFO was pretty decked out for Virgin America, there were long red balloons tied together and posters announcing Virgin America's first flight. Once at the gate area, there was a party going on with news reporter there and a buffet set up with a bunch of free food and Virgin America cup cakes. When the flights from JFK and LAX approach the runways at SFO, the whole terminal bursted out in cheers and applause. It was for sure a great celebration.

IN FLIGHT EXPERIENCE
Boarding and Preflight
When it came time to board the aircraft, they started with First Class and those that need to pre-board. I pretty much handed them my boarding pass but they had problem scanning it so they had to figure out what to enter into the computer. After they figure out how to enter the information, they handed me a bag of candy and headsets. When you approach the aircraft, all you see is an A320 with purple lights and as soon as you step onboard, it kind of felt like stepping into a night club. Everyone was friendly and when I got to my seat, there were cold bottled water that was all frosted up indicating it just came out of the fridge waiting for me. In addition to the bottled water, there was also a nice blanket and a pillow. To be honest, the pillow is kind of useless in first class because the headrest was perfect! The seat was really nice and featured everything from tray table that rotate and double as a book/magazine stand. I was able to charge my iPhone using just the USB cable, leaving the power outlet for other electronic toys. The IFE was a really easy to use. The only downside was the limited storage space, regardless if your seated in row 1 or 2. There is virtually no under seat storage in row 2 and row 1 have just a mesh net and slot behind it for storage. The seat have electronic recline and foot rest that make reclining easy, there was even three presets. The seat also feature a built in massage that didn't really work that well. The pillow seems like your typical airline pillow but the blanket felt great! Once seated, the crew member asked if I wanted a preflight drink. This was a true first class experience and the flight haven't even started.
The Flight
Once we got in the air, drink orders were taken and the drinks were brought out within a reasonable time. Once drink service was done, a light appetizer was served which featured three different items. First was a fresh mellon ball surrounded by prochutto(sp). Second was chocolate mousse that was to die for. Third was fresh mozzarella cheese and cherry tomatoes. I was really impress that food was even offered because it was such a short flight. What was even more impressive was the way it was served. It was served inside a white box which have three cup holders, and each plastic cups have a different food item in it that was nicely presented. This sure beats the nuts offered in first class on the legacy carrier on short flights. Just before landing, more chocolate was offered.

OVERALL EXPERIENCE
As soon as I got off the plane, I just kept thinking how that was the most awesome flight every. This was the first time where I actually wanted to stay on the plane and didn't want to get off. Those that knows me, know that I love jetBlue and how much jetBlue spoiled me. Every time I fly on a different carrier, I always have the "I wish I was on jetBlue" feeling. All I can say that Virgin America spoiled me even more. On top of that, this was the FIRST airline since jetBlue started flying where I didn't even think about or wish I was onboard a jetBlue flight. I may just end up really "jumping the fence" if Virgin America keeps up this level of service. The question now is what will I think when I fly jetBlue.

Skater, thanks for taking the time to post the trip report.

Thanks for the report. One question - did you flight leave and arrive on time?

From my daily following of the flight status on VX flights...it looks like 100% of the SFO-JFK flights are running late...really late (at least 60 minutes) and the LAX-SFO flights are also late alot except for the earliest flight.

This is quite surprising for a brand new airline. Usually this is a critical goal.

Thanks for the report. One question - did you flight leave and arrive on time?

From my daily following of the flight status on VX flights...it looks like 100% of the SFO-JFK flights are running late...really late (at least 60 minutes) and the LAX-SFO flights are also late alot except for the earliest flight.

This is quite surprising for a brand new airline. Usually this is a critical goal.

To be honest, for this flight I lost track of time and wasn't sure if we got to LAX on time. All I know was there was a delay boarding the aircraft but once I boarded the aircraft, it was like in a whole other world. The returning flight I know was delayed for about 20 minutes because there was an issue with catering the aircraft but I didn't realize we were delayed till we got to SFO and I realize that I was going to miss my connecting train service back to Sacramento. (I was too lazy to drive and sit in traffic to SFO, so just took Amtrak/BART) This is the thing about flying Virgin America, for some reason, I just don't realize we were delay at all.

To be honest, for this flight I lost track of time and wasn't sure if we got to LAX on time. All I know was there was a delay boarding the aircraft but once I boarded the aircraft, it was like in a whole other world. The returning flight I know was delayed for about 20 minutes because there was an issue with catering the aircraft but I didn't realize we were delayed till we got to SFO and I realize that I was going to miss my connecting train service back to Sacramento. (I was too lazy to drive and sit in traffic to SFO, so just took Amtrak/BART) This is the thing about flying Virgin America, for some reason, I just don't realize we were delay at all.

Nice reports. Virgin America will most definitely get off to a good start but I bet the honeymoon period will be short lived. A Jetblue E190 CA working for 80 hrs is making more than a VX A320 CA working 90 hours. There is no comparison between B6 and VX A320 CA rates. Additionally VX pays their cabin crews straight pay whilst B6 FAs make 150% for everything above 70 hours. I have been around the industry a long time and it all comes down to ones own compensation. In time if VX does not address their compensation issues they will see a gradual slide in service as employees become disgruntled, unfortunately its just the nature of our industry. I bet in time you will see unions on the property over here at B6.

If they allow clubhouse access I would buy first class.

I'm curious about the lack of underseat stowage in F. How is that possible? if the seat itself reaches down to the floor, can't you stand a simple bag up against the backside of the seat in front of you? I do that all the time in UA C (think upper deck 747) and never have any problems from the crew. Similarly, I do it in the aisle seats in domestic F, where there's usually insufficient space under the seat for my Tumi laptop bag. What gives on VX?

I flew LAX-SFO-LAX all in Y

Random thoughts:

Boarding:

LAX is a %$#*-hole and VX tried as best they could: the white desks at the gate are forward looking, and the way they are set-up reduce the "barrier" between you and the gate agent.
There were nice plasma screens, but they were not working.
Lots of employees at the door to board, but lots of confusion. There should have been a few announcements explaining the zone system.
Announcements were very friendly and a stark contrast to the UA agents rudely "barking" from nearby gates.


The Aircraft:

Wow, the light and look are calming and cool. This is not your dad's airline!
Pitch in Y was a bit tight. I hadn't done my homework and assumed VX had better pitch than the majors. I guess I was wrong.
The seatpocket is actually a hard slot with just a tiny safety card. No magazine. Remember the empasis is on the IFE.
The much touted water bottle/cup holder were absent on my flights. The FA said they were being re-designed and will be back.


In-flight:

I liked the hip boarding music. It reminded me of a W hotel lobby.
I like that mini bottles of water are included in the free beverages.
Didn't like that there were no pretzels/peanuts offered, nor was anything to eat available for purchase. It was beverages only.
Having the pilot come out to the aisle for the announcements was cool.


IFE:

it rocks! Sure it has a few kinks to work out, but it was by far the most advanced system i've seen.
The media selections leaned toward a younger/more hip audience.
I like that the IFE is on the moment you board. Because the announccements are routed thru the IFE and pauses anything you have going on, you are apparently allowed to keep the headset on during taxi/takeoff!^^^ (my iPod headset plugged right into the jack, but they were giving away free headsets.)
There was a lot of free media (music, music videos, TV, etc.) but there are also several paid options (TV episodes and movies)
I liked how the IFE remote was easily accessed in a cutout in the armrest
What I didn't like is that one side has general controls, but the back has a keyboard. When using the keyboard, my hands hit various buttons on the back, interrupting my typing. There should be a lock of some sort or toggle to have the remote only respond to one side at a time.
I love how you can order drinks & food via the IFE, but this was not active on my short LAX-SFO flights.


Suggestions for VX:

Since eleVAte is spend based, encourage in-flight purchases by counting them towards eleVAte. Same for upgrades and premium seat upsells.
Give out something to nibble on for the SFO-LAX flights.


Bottom line:

This really is airline 2.0.

For shorthaul's not problem, would do VX again in a heartbeat. Longhaul, the tight pitch would be a problem and I'd need to do a premium seat or first.

Having flown 1.0 carriers both before and after this flight, I was stunned by the difference in attitude from the staff both in the air and one the ground. IF VX can keep up the cool, casual but friendly attitude I think they will have great success at the expense of the other airlines.

I flew LAX-SFO in Y

Random thoughts:
Pitch in Y was a bit tight. I hadn't done my homework and assumed VX had better pitch than the majors. I guess I was wrong.

I did the same trip last Friday. Although the amenties--bottled Evian water, a bountiful music selection, and live TV are certainley nice, the difference between Virgin's seat pitch and United's Economy Plus on the same route is great. At 6'1" I had forgotten how tight 32" is on the knee. Unless I am in First Class, I will stick with United's 35"-36" in E+.

I did the same trip last Friday. Although the amenties--bottled Evian water, a bountiful music selection, and live TV are certainley nice, the difference between Virgin's seat pitch and United's Economy Plus on the same route is great. At 6'1" I had forgotten how tight 32" is on the knee. Unless I am in First Class, I will stick with United's 35"-36" in E+.

same reason why I'm sticking with jetBlue. With jetBlue its pretty easy getting a seat with at least 36" seat pitch if not worst case I'm stuck with a seat with only 34". Jetblye seems to not nickle and dime everything. I'll still fly vx if the fare plus upgrade to a premium seat is less than jetBlue or if I can get a seat in f for a reasonable price.

8/16 LAX - SFO

On-line check-in:
Checked in using VX's website because I was coming in on UA p.s. flight and didn't want to reclear security. The overall process was smooth, albeit a bit slow. A few quirks:


Upgrade buy-up was not explicitly offered. Rather, it's available by trying to switch seat into first class, and the offer will pop up. The up-charge was $50 for the flight. I declined.

It requires you to declare the number of bags you wanted to check. First one is free, second one is $10, and third is $50. Also, it has a dire warning that once the number of bags were declared, it cannot be changed, which I find that kind of strange.

Boarding pass was small (slight bigger than an index card) and colorful, with seat and boarding zone/group printed in same size. [more on this later]


Boarding

Boarding started 20 minutes before scheduled flight time (flight was delayed), although the boarding pass indicates that it's normally 45 minutes before the flight. Preboarding for first class and "those who required additional assistance". Boarding "zones" were announced, presumably WilMA since i was in an aisle seat and in group F. The GA was using boarding group and boarding zone interchangably, and that confused people. The group zone was small, in the same font size as the seat number, so that confused people as well. Lastly, they called Zone A, B, C, then everyone else. You get a headset upon boarding, although any headphone with standard plug will do.

The first thing you noticed is the purple mood lighting, and the purple plexiglass divider between first class and coach. Flight attendants are in white blouse (for women) or black shirt (for men), and there was a flight attendant wearing a red coat, presumably the purser. 4 flight attendants were onboard. The flight crew were in, surprising, in black shirts as well without the typical insignia, although I only caught a glimpse of them through the plane's front window as I was boarding.

The coach seat was in black leather with white shiny plastic backing. It was comfortable, better than Southwest's leather seats, although the pitch is similar to UA's E- seats. My seat had the cupholder feature, which I thought was really useful. There is a hardback pocket behind the seat for safety card, discomfort bag and instruction manual for RED. There is also a mesh pocket for storage

Live safety demo - nice touch about "the plane is one giant no smoking zone." the flight was about 80% full.

RED/Food/Drinks

RED (beta) is the star of VX's product. It provides entertainment and integrates food/beverage ordering, which I thought was a smart idea. However, it is still in beta stage, since my system clunked out half way through the flight, and it resetted itself. In addition, the system keeps track of all your media selections under "My Media", so you can always go back and resume playing some song/video if you have ADD like me.

The system has a touch screen interface and through the remote control in the armrest. Be careful with the touch screen, since my tapping was bothering my seat mate in front of me. The system also has a credit swipe built under the screen and on the remote control, as flight attendants do not take cash [more on this in the food and drinks section].

Video: There are a selections of movies for purchase, I believe for $8.99, as well as TV shows on demand for a fee. The flight was too short for a movie so I didn't buy one, although the person next to me thought it might be a good idea to offer a half price deal to watch half a movie and maybe catch the second half on the return flight. Not a bad idea.

There's a bunch of music videos for free as well.

There are 20 channels of Live TV, although 10 channels were not available. While watching TV, you can switch to food/drink ordering mode while the TV is in PnP mode. There is a section just for kids, and parental controls are available.

Music: You can build a custom playlist using the music library they have loaded. A good selection crossing many genre and artists, including classical music and jazz. There are streaming music stations as well.

Food/Drinks: All food/drink orders are taken through RED, although the flight attendant did stop by one point to ask us what we would like. The food/drink ordering option was activated about 10 minutes into the flight. Unfortunately, it was not working for me initially, so the flight attendant comped my wine. ^ Half way through the flight after the system resets, the option was available to me.

There were no free snacks on the flight. There were snack mix, fruit leather, chocolate chip cookies, granola bar, and buffalo wing flavored potato chips , all by Archer Farm (Target's private label) ranging from $1-2 each. They also had an offer where if you buy 2 you get a coupon for $1 off future purchase of Archer Farm products at Target. Because of the short flight, there were no meal options.

Bottled water, soda (Coke products), and juice were complementary. Alcoholic beverages were $6 each. They had Miller (i think), Heineken, Wente chardonnay and cab sauvignon, and a selection of other liquor.

Chat: several chat options were available, including the seat-to-seat chat and TV chat, presumably where people can comment on TV shows. However, only the seat-to-seat was operating, and no one texted me.

Games: About 14 games were available, and the controller is integrated with the remote control.

Flight Map: The Google map integrated flight map was awesome. It has the usual stats, including the flight time, altitude, and temperature, and the map clarity and details were superior than other flight maps that I've seen. However, it still has some kinks to work out, since at one point during the flight it shows that we were about to take off, or that we were landing at 10:30am, even though the flight departed 6:30pm.

Shopping: Wasn't activated, but looks like a future option.

Other info

There were 3 bathrooms onboard - 2 in the back and 1 in front. They were relatively spacious, and Method hand soap is used. No mood lighting in the bathroom. :D

There is a mini bar of bottled water in the back in between the 2 bathrooms. No evian water - just crystal geyser.

The flight arrives at A12 at the SFO international terminal. For UA RCC members, this means no access to the cherished Int'l terminal RCC, which is on the other side.

===

Overall, the flight was nice and pleasant, albeit with some system kinks to work out. Having used to flying E+, the seat pitch may be an issue for me. although I've taken SW cross country before. Nonetheless, I like my UA miles and status too much to take VX on longer flights, although I'm not so sure how long UA can continue to charge a premium on the p.s. flights.

has anyone utilized the chat feature yet?


I'm curious to see how it works and how people respond to it...


Definitely looking forward to doing that on my next flight, whenever that might be, but seems like a real cool idea to just talking to random strangers on the plane.


wonder if those chats will be moderated? could see it already people's words being taken out of context and causing problems... hmmmm

--Russ

There were no free snacks on the flight. There were snack mix, fruit leather, chocolate chip cookies, granola bar, and buffalo wing flavored potato chips , all by Archer Farm (Target's private label) ranging from $1-2 each. They also had an offer where if you buy 2 you get a coupon for $1 off future purchase of Archer Farm products at Target. Because of the short flight, there were no meal options.

This isn't a criticism, but an observation. The Archer Farm product placement seems like an odd choice to me:

So VX wants people to pay for generic brand products, whereas B6 will give namebrand products for free (such as Dunkin Donuts, Lipton Soup, and premium brands in the case of Bliss Spa Kits and Terra Chips).

It makes sense for Target to play off a brand like VX that not only is the same color as their logo,but also has an emphasis on affordable style and design elements. Even so, Target doesn't push its private label in its advertising. Its the exact opposite...their ads push their connection to accepted and comfortable brand names.

Maybe Target just assumes people on VX won't complain that they are being asked to pay for generic label stuff....but it strikes me as an odd choice.

has anyone utilized the chat feature yet?


I'm curious to see how it works and how people respond to it...


Definitely looking forward to doing that on my next flight, whenever that might be, but seems like a real cool idea to just talking to random strangers on the plane.


wonder if those chats will be moderated? could see it already people's words being taken out of context and causing problems... hmmmm

--Russ

Chats are not moderated, you must accept the terms and conditions (http://www.virginamerica.com/html/IFEUsePolicy20070711.pdf) associated with the chat before you can begin using it.

I'm glad to hear that they have seat-to-seat chat and food ordering up and running :)

When I flew on 8/8 and 8/10, seat-to-seat chat gave a "not just yet" message, and the food ordering menus were blank in Y.

Seems like they're making quick progress on getting Red out of beta and ready for prime-time.

This isn't a criticism, but an observation. The Archer Farm product placement seems like an odd choice to me:

So VX wants people to pay for generic brand products, whereas B6 will give namebrand products for free (such as Dunkin Donuts, Lipton Soup, and premium brands in the case of Bliss Spa Kits and Terra Chips).

It makes sense for Target to play off a brand like VX that not only is the same color as their logo,but also has an emphasis on affordable style and design elements. Even so, Target doesn't push its private label in its advertising. Its the exact opposite...their ads push their connection to accepted and comfortable brand names.

Maybe Target just assumes people on VX won't complain that they are being asked to pay for generic label stuff....but it strikes me as an odd choice.

I am very familiar (and like) Archer Farms products. The branding, quality and price are not indicative of it being Target's "generic brand." It's quite a good (and broad) line of "generic" products. It's not like you're buying supermarket generic candy bars, chips and snacks.

I think it's a very good attempt by Target and VX.

I am flying SFO -> JFK in a few weeks and I was wondering if anyone has an opinion yet on the meal options in Y? I have seen many in depth analyses of the food in F but nothing yet for the rest of the plane.

Sounds like a pretty cool LCC, it is a very reasonably priced even for first class, those white seats seem pretty cool and the food sounds pretty good for airplane food

I just traveled jfk to sfo last night... Food in Y was as follows.. Only two meal options.

muffeletta with salami, ham, and capacola w/ spicy mustard w/ Greek Salad (small) and a tolborne candy bar - $8 - I had this, it wasn't bad, the greek salad was good.

Cheese and fruit thing for - $7

Archer Farms products for $1-3.

All non alcoholic beverage were free

I decided to try both classes of VX service, so I flew yesterday from SFO-LAX in coach, in a regular seat, and flew back LAX-SFO today in First. Seats were 5D and 1D (aisles).

I'd echo a lot of the above: "W" Hotel music played on entering until pullback, slightly disorganized gate agents and boarding procedure, clean new plane interiors and generally attentive service, AVOD system was partially working but generally fun, coach provided drinks only, and First had a superb little three-element "appetizer" (Melon & Prosciutto, Caprese salad, and a Profiterole in my case). I, too, had difficulty printing my boarding pass at home; unlike the majors, though, I printed it before going to the airport at work, and it printed fine. My guess is that some of their code doesn't work well with all printers (I have an inexpensive HP Laserjet at home).

Additional thoughts:

-My flights were both exactly on time. What a relief from my usual AA MD-80.
-Staff was uniformly "happy". Again, what a difference from UA and AA. But they seemed more professional than WN's "happy" staff.
-I like the SFO International terminal. Note that T-Mobile hotspot service is available throughout the terminal. This is great since they have no lounge.
-Terminal 6 at LAX has dated, filthy bathrooms. Time to update.
-The headsets available from VX were uniformly unacceptable: both the over-ear and earbud variety provided poor sound quality, and, quite frankly, inadequate volume on BOTH flights. Luckily, I carry a set of Etymotic in-ear ones with me, and used them to great surprise on the VX system: It was AWESOME. The audio choices are not only very acceptable, but for the first time ever on an airplane I was amazed at the sound quality and lack of "HUM" or other distortion from the AV system. HUGE KUDOS to VX, and the RED designers for caring about this quality. Maybe it doesn't matter to most people, but I have HATED the "entertainment" on every airliner I've ever been on, until now--- this was at least as enjoyable as my MP3 player, and approached something as good as CD. Even SQ and other airlines with AVOD and great song choices have had a poor fidelity system. Now, if VX will just get decent earpieces, I might leave the MP3 thing at home.
-I went up to the cockpit and asked for a look around. VERY impressive all-video high tech instrumentation. The pilots told me they had experience on every Boeing airliner in service, and liked this A319 better than all of them. One had years of service with USAir, and the other had worked charters and regional airlines. They were very personable, and I felt welcome for having asked about their thoughts. They said VX was a great place to work.
-I watched the chief flight attendant clean the FC bathroom not once but twice during the flight. VERY civilized, gents. Hope this is repeated in Coach.
-The massage function in the First seats is too weak; I wish it had a real massager, and not a weak, slight effect.
-Got a full can of bloody mary mix without having to ask, in Coach. I don't recall anyone's serving of OJ, but it HAS to be better than the embarassing 3 oz. "sip" that AA begrudgingly gives you. Cheapskates.
-THE SEATS IN FIRST ACTUALLY RECLINE DECENTLY AND HAVE COMFORTABLE LEGRESTS! Former 737 & MD-80 sufferers unite in joy!
-Also, I found that the in-flight announcements were less intrusive and mechanical than on legacy airlines: a minimum of bureaucracy.... good.

Generally, after a couple of flights, I am very pleased with the possiblities of VX for the long-suffering N/S California commuter. If they can keep "F" reasonable, I may buy it occasionally, because quite frankly it puts the others to shame. My inclination is that Coach is better than the other airlines, except for seat pitch (UA E+ is superior).

I'll have to puzzle out how giving VX a share of my business flying will affect my FF balances and status; if the EleVAte program is worthwhile, maybe I'll take a break from one of UA/AA/WN. It is, however, pretty exciting to have something new under the sun.....

Ok, just took my first VA flight (or is it VX?) in first....agree with the above in spades...I don't usually fly the LAX-SFO route I took today, but I can say for sure, if I had a transcon F choice I would definitely pick VA (unless we were talking about three class 777 service). As for other short haul carriers, I don't know how to be more forceful here....VA absolutely crushes the competition (I will NEVER again take an AA MD-80 when the VA 320 is available.

I flew JFK-->LAX in Y - Aug 29, 2007 (inaugural flight)

Boarding:

* Boarding went super fast, the gate agent was obviously new to the job cuz she was just joking about the whole process.
* The boarding pass scanning machine was not working so 1 gate agent was reading off the sequence numbers while the other one was marking them down.


The Aircraft:

* The purple and blue lights really spice up the plane.
* Seat was very comfortable, not too much space in the seat pocket, oh and no magazine to read.
* The bathroom has music playing during the entire flight.


In-flight:

* The flight crew walk around with a computerized cart.
* No complimentary chips or peanuts...
* Remember, flight "team" NOT flight "attendants" (the pilot even apologized for saying flight attendants)

IFE:

* within 5 minutes after sitting in my seat I was already able to create a 50 song playlist!
* WA wide music selection with over 150 artists to choose from (all genres).
* I like that the IFE is on the moment you board, the headphones were not that good, although I used my own noise-canceling headphones.
* There was a lot of free media (music, music videos, TV, etc.) but there are also several paid options (TV episodes and movies), I was able to watch the Yankees Red-Sox game on ESPN2 live.
* At first it seemed that the remote was stuck in the armrest but after some wrestling with it I finally got it out.
* I think I had the luck of having an error message pop-up on my screen every 3 seconds until the system automatically re-booted. The woman sitting in front of me complained about my tapping on the screen, so I am assuming that something has to be done about that.
* I love how you can order drinks & food via the IFE, swiping a credit card.. how cool!

Other Issues:

* Boarding was on-time but due to the extreme traffic at JFK we waited 30/45 minutes to take-off
* Although we landed on-time in LAX (even after taking off close to an hour late), once we landed first the pilot said that since we share gates with United, they are at the gate and we have to wait. 20 minutes later the pilot said that now Delta "stole" our gate. After waiting 45 minutes we finally deplaned.


Summary:

Virgin America has finally shown the industry how it should be done!

Now all I have to do is test first class on my return flight.

Where there any other FT'ers on the JFK-->LAX flight?

Where there any other FT'ers on the JFK-->LAX flight?

I'll be flying VX in F Nov 3/10 IAD-->SFO-->LAS and LAS-->SFO-->IAD. I'll let you know after the trip. Its got to be way better than Ted...haven't flown the Blue.

I am very familiar (and like) Archer Farms products. The branding, quality and price are not indicative of it being Target's "generic brand." It's quite a good (and broad) line of "generic" products. It's not like you're buying supermarket generic candy bars, chips and snacks.

I think it's a very good attempt by Target and VX.

I agree. Many "generic" items, which are now referred to as "Private Label", are actually produced and packed by name brand manufacturers. "Generic" brands are not what they used to be.

I think VX knows its "target" market. Sorry, had to do it. ;)

Took VX SFO-LAX-SFO again this past weekend; coach this time, both ways. The boarding was fine, the plane was impeccably clean, the staff at the gate and onboard were accomodating and professional (one of the FAs was a repeat from one of my earlier flights).

A few technical difficulties: when I sat down onboard, I immediately started making a playlist of music on the "Red" system. Enjoyed the music, too, right up to gate pullback and beyond (interrupted, of course, by a few brief announcements). [Note: having brought my own in-ear phones, I didn't try the supplied headsets again, and perhaps this is why the music sounded so good!]. However, upon the cutoff for takeoff, I lost the audio (not unexpected), and I WAS NEVER ABLE to get it to work again! The FA even "reset" my seat--- . Got TV fine, but couldn't engage the music system again--- it was on a perpetual "pause" that couldn't be lifted.

Service was fine on drinks, plane flew on time, a lovely experience...... Given that it was $49 each way, UA AA and WN are in for serious competition. I'm finding I actually like the lack of crowds I've observed at both the SFO international terminal and LAX's terminal 6, too. Maybe I've just showed up at the right time, but I've never waited for security longer than about 5 minutes. And of course, the "TEAM SFO" Nazis (the TSA contractor) who man UA's SFO operation are nowhere to be seen.

Bravo for VX. I could get used to this (if they make the Red system work right, increase frequency a little, add BUR, and let me use my VX miles on VS. --my wish list--).

I flew SFO - LAX today on flight 843 which is supposed to depart at 11:45. Due to weather our inbound aircraft was late so we also departed about an hour late. The GA kept us well updated and the team turned the plane very quickly. Boarding was quick and efficient. I was in First and we had two open seats. Coach was less then half full. I felt the seats were comfortable and the seat pitch was great. On the downside, the entertainment system (Red) only had a few functions that were working which were limited to the map, seat to seat text, and games. About 20 minutes into the flight we were offered a snack which came in a small white box and included 3 separate small plastic dishes. One had a melon ball wrapped in prosciutto, the second had chocolate mousse, and the third had a cherry tomato or two with bits of mozzarella cheese. These were a nice touch on such a short flight. As we deplaned, the captain came on and apologized that red was not working. He said this was unacceptable and that the agent would have a credit for us to use on a future flight. Of course when we walked up to the agent she had the "deer in the headlight" look and just told us that the credit would be automatic. Others started to question her on exactly how that would occur, but I had to run. I'll report back if and when it happens.

I've been a loyal AA flier for the last 4 years and it felt awkward as we taxied by the AA terminal at LAX. I felt like I had cheated on AA.......and it felt good!

The credit you were told about would be associated to your name. The pilot has the ability to coordinate that with Guest Services.

Once processed, the credit would be available to use on future travel. Give them a bit of time to post it, then you could check with reservations as to any credit file attached to you and/or your eleVAte account (if you have one).

Thanks for the info SFO 1K!

My flight LAX-SFO today was flawless. The flight also provided some humor. There were two ladies sitting in 1A and 1C who REALLY liked the little cups the snack is served in. They packed up their empties to take with them and when one of the team members saw this he offered to get them some more. He gathered up all the rest of the empties from us and packed them up for them to take. He also threw in some clean plastic ware and a bottle of what I think was wine. How does the saying go............"one mans trash is another's treasure"?

I flew VX for the first time today. I took VX 852 today from LAX to SFO in F, and it was seriously the best experience I have ever had in so long. Everything was just so perfect, and just absolutely refreshing to see the change from other carriers that fly the route.

First, the check in counters are so stylish and fully staffed that there were barely a wait for both First and Main Cabin.

The gate information digital display is also very new and hype, and then you look around to see UA/CO's very old and traditional gate display. As the gate agent was announcing boarding, I overhead another UA agent from the already heavily-delayed SEA flight saying that there was a last minute equipment swap from A320 to A319, and many passengers required new boarding passes.

Flight was scheduled to depart at 4, but the flight arrived late from SFO at around 3:50, the crew managed to turn, clean, cater and board the flight is less than 30 minutes, and we departed at 4:18.

The first thing you notice is the overwhelming purple/red LED lightings everywhere - it is so calming and soothing. I saw the faces of other passengers when they board, and they were just marveling at the lights, and feeling the clear-purple divider in front. There were at least 3 people who commented on how beautiful the mood lighting is.

Also, the "team member" repeated three times that "please feel free to press the Flight attendant call button located at the overhead because that is what we are here for!" Wow!!!

In First Class, there was a small snack box with three options: tomato and mozzarella cheese balls, Parma ham and melon ball, and a mini chocolate cream puff, served with your choice of beverage in a real glass cup.

And also the crew carry around this portable screen/display that shows the food/drinks that Coach passengers ordered from RED, and would deliver them individually. I have never seen anything so innovative and personal before. Chips seem to be the most popular snack.

At the end of the flight, the cockpit crew came out and greeted every passenger upon disembarking. One of the flight attendant or "team member" as VX calls it, came from TWA/AA, and he said that the working environment is way better in VX. Everyone had nothing but praises to the cabin crew. I would also like to mention VX had 4 cabin crew on this A320, 1 above the minimum.

Overall, the experience I had in VX was just so perfect. I usually travel this route in UA, and I have eventually settled for the mediocre service/seats/cabin interior. But the VX experience just totally blew my mind. Last time I flew UA in F in this route (I am not sure if this had changed), but they used plastic disposable cups, and served only packaged nuts. And compare that to VX where there were real beverage glasses, fresh food, personal in-flight entertainment, and a 55 inch white leather recliner seat. The $149 fare I paid for in F is a lot cheaper than what I would have otherwise paid for.

Some very minor issues
- Even though it was clear that the flight would be departing slightly late because of the late arrival time, VX only delayed the flight at 3pm, when they clearly knew that the arrival flight departed at 2:20pm.
- The massage function didn't really work (or I couldn't feel it)
- Not enough First Class seats - these seats sell out so quickly that it really gives ticketed F passengers wishing to change flights a hard time
- have a later departure between the SFO and LAX. The current latest flight is at 6pm, which is way too early.


I highly recommend everyone to try out VX - it has a product and service that is so refreshing and different, and you'll never want to fly any other airlines ever again.

I tried out VX 239/234 SFO-JFK last week. I'll definitely be back. They need to work the bugs out with the RED in-flight entertainment system, but other than that, it was stellar.

For those used to E+ pitch in Y, it's probably worth it to pay the extra $25 for "premium seating"--exit rows and bulkhead. 3A had plenty of room, storage under the divider between F and Y, and a full-size fold down tray table off the bulkhead rather than an armrest one.

239 left SFO on time and arrived early, not surprising as SFO isn't too busy at 2300. The return was running late, but the earlier flight 230 was so late they let me on that (with a lot of persuasion) at no charge. They credited me back the $25 premium seat fee by Monday (even though I grabbed an empty exit row anyway.)

I'll be on the inaugural LAX-IAD flight on Wednesday. I'll post what I can remember. :)

Just flew VX 312 LAX-JFK Lv2115 Arr0545+1

A/C: N627VA

Check-in: Fully staffed and really nice check-in lobby... the agents are alright - not particular friendly, but good enough and remember to thank you for flying VX. No nonsense here, but can use some genuine smiles...

Boarding: Really smooth especially flights were not full at all. F boarding began at 8:44pm and door was closed at 9:08pm...

We took off at 9:26pm and landed early at 5:22am -- four hours and fifty six minutes flight...

F/As: Okay... the F Class purser was the most energetic ones and for this redeye, you can't really expect too much. During boarding, they helped passengers look for empty rows after boarding was completed and helped last minute pax with bags. The two F/As in the back were fine and I ordered tea and bought some really great Archer Farm's cranberry trail mix bars and it was brought to me at no time and all smiles... no attitude... The F/As came around with bottled waters twice throughout the night. Obviously a quiet night, but F/As did consistently check the monitors for any late night orders for those night owls like me.

Premium seats - definitely worth it for $25, but tonight's flight, most folks got their own rows... but the F/As really reinforced that the premium rows are for those who only paid for it. They warned passengers if they moved to the non-reclining exit rows that no recline and also the row ahead of it... they also make sure they do not move to Row 10 - the rows that require payment...

Cabin - still clean and nice... but for the seats, I really hope the armrest can go all the way up, instead of half way... I did not push for a whole row of seat in the back because the armrests just won't make it work.

VIRGIN RED - entertainment system is amazing, but not all TV channels are working again... some came back on after midflight... this DISH network thing is just not good... DL, which uses the same program, also has the same problem. Anyway, there are more than enough free TV to keep me happy... I gotta watch Anderson Cooper (CNN works) and various okay programs. Not as good as Jetblue's DIRECT TV, but okay... the other free multi-lingual TV works for me... and the sitcom and short programs are more reasonably priced at 1.99 now...

FOOD - still the really tiring Fruit/Cheese box or Sandwich box selection... I can really use some real hot meals and some sandwiches other than that same sandwich served since inaugural. But at least now, we got snacks to buy...

Loading: F was full (with two gate upgrades) and Y was less than 50%.

Baggage delivery: We parked at gate B20 at 5:30am, and the first bag was out at 5:40am and I got my bag with the second batch at 5:50am and I was on the car services back home at 6am. Really good -- beat my AA transcon experience just by this baggage delivery service.

Conclusion: Definitely an excellent well rounded service from check-in to baggage claim! VX really beats all other domestic US carriers, except Jetblue, which offers more seat pitches throughout the plane, but VIRGIN RED is definitely a step ahead of JETBLUE's DIRECT TV. All other US carriers just look pale compared to VX. That baggage delivery performance is on par with WN... good for VX. But VX makes sure to keep your team members smiling and keeps up the hype... genuine service is the key to success... and please more variety of sandwiches and please considered hot food soon.

Carfield

flew IAD-SFO yesterday

overall rating : more I fly VX and B6, more I'm happy not to be a slave to mileage tiers in a status program.

inevitable VX - B6 comparison : wish both had more destinations out of IAD, overall in-flight experience might give a slight edge to VX as long as you're in the exit row

Couple points :

-SFO Int'l terminal vs. OAK is like the Ritz-Carlton vs. Econo Lodge, plus no AirBart shuttle - big advantage over B6 coming from IAD

-the gate agents at IAD seemed like guys you would see at a DC or Arlington bar on a Friday night

-everyone tells you their name - GAs, FAs, etc

-cool cartoon safety video, actually paid attention to it

-nightclub music not only in the bathroom, but after you land throughout the plane, when a lot of airlines pump elevator music through the PA

-I don't eat much airplane food, but might try the seat back service on the way back, people around me seemed to enjoy it

-of all the IFE features, think I spent a good 10 minutes playing with the zoom in/zoom out on google maps, distance to destination nice feature

-don't think I've ever been on a plane that new, if that thing had done more than 10 cycles I'd be amazed - also first A320 I've been on where the no smoking light next to the seat belt sign has been replaced with a "turn off portable electronic devices" light

-seatback seemed higher than usual airplane seat, either way very comfortable

-I had work to do, but tv issue same as post above- only cnn working, walking back from bathroom you could see it on most pax Red screens

-plane was about 3/4 full

Quite a nice experience overall.

Check-in was at the counter and there was no line. Security had no line either so I didn't bother asking if there was a separate elite security line for F passengers.

There was quite a humorous site at the gate area - several employees dressed in colonial attire to cut the ribbon for the inaugural flight. It was a nice little ceremony. We boarded on time and departed 5 minutes early. No special goodie bag for the inaugural.

The reason we were able to leave early was because it was a VERY light load - maybe 40 people total. F had 4 customers and we each were re-assigned seats at check-in so we'd have our own row. It was thoughtful, although I'd rather have had my assigned row 2D seat for the slightly better legroom. I wound up with row 1.

The food in F was good enough. The presentation was a bit on the cheap side. The paper placemat, napkin and plastic utensils didn't exactly scream first class to me. We did have plastic salt and pepper shakers, which is certainly better than the salt and pepper packets that have made their way in to United F - although the cloth placemats, napkins, salad course and metal utensils were missed from my UA F flights. Granted, the price for the ticket was about $500 less than a discounted F fare on UA.

We had our choice the same appetizers and entrees mentioned in other posts. I had the chicken for the main course and it was very good. 3 small dessert choices as well. Toblerone bars were handed out prior to the arrival.

Service from the 3 FA's on board was adequate - not great. They pretty much disappeared after 2 hours in to the flight. Attitudes were pleasant from everyone.

We had a 30 minute delay landing into Dulles due to air traffic - nothing that was VX's fault.

Entertainment was by FAR the defining factor for me. Live TV (although a few channels were not working) and a big selection of video on demand choices were great - as was the extensive music library.

The load factor was definitely a concern. UA certainly has a stranglehold on this route - for now. That said, I'd certainly fly VX again, although I don't know if I'd go out of my way to do it like I did this time. Price will be a big factor, and I would like to see them improve the F service overall. The seat is certainly stellar. The soft product needs work.

- T