Virgin America Elevate - VX in-flight Wi-Fi quality/reliability?

Hi,

I'd like to get input on the quality/reliability of VX in-flight Wi-Fi. I found this thread from March, which is not promising, though apparently, VX will be upgrading their Wi-Fi in 2012:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/virgin-america-elevate/1196906-crummy-wifi-bos-sfo.html

My husband will be flying ORD-LAX in Feb 2012 and is deciding btwn UA exit row (he's a 1P and can book exit row for the time being) and VX Main Cabin. In-flight Wi-Fi is the only attraction of VX for him (unless VX has some other perks of which I'm unaware), so he would only want to fly VX if the Wi-Fi is reliable. Even if the Wi-Fi is reliable, he is still unsure which to pick since he would get several more inches of legroom in UA E+. He's 6'2", so that's nothing to sneeze at.

According to SeatGuru, the seat pitch in the UA 752 E+ would be 36":
http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/United_Airlines/United_Airlines_Boeing_757-200_A_After09JUN11.php?Orig=ORD&Dest=LAX&Date=
and the seat pitch on the VX flight would be 32-33":
http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Virgin_America/Virgin_America_Airbus_A319.php?Orig=ORD&Dest=LAX&Date=

Is the SeatGuru info accurate?

I'd appreciate your input/advice. thanks :)

Hi,

I'd like to get input on the quality/reliability of VX in-flight Wi-Fi. I found this thread from March, which is not promising, though apparently, VX will be upgrading their Wi-Fi in 2012:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/virgin-america-elevate/1196906-crummy-wifi-bos-sfo.html

My husband will be flying ORD-LAX in Feb 2012 and is deciding btwn UA exit row (he's a 1P and can book exit row for the time being) and VX Main Cabin. In-flight Wi-Fi is the only attraction of VX for him (unless VX has some other perks of which I'm unaware), so he would only want to fly VX if the Wi-Fi is reliable. Even if the Wi-Fi is reliable, he is still unsure which to pick since he would get several more inches of legroom in UA E+. He's 6'2", so that's nothing to sneeze at.

According to SeatGuru, the seat pitch in the UA 752 E+ would be 36":
http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/United_Airlines/United_Airlines_Boeing_757-200_A_After09JUN11.php?Orig=ORD&Dest=LAX&Date=
and the seat pitch on the VX flight would be 32-33":
http://www.seatguru.com/airlines/Virgin_America/Virgin_America_Airbus_A319.php?Orig=ORD&Dest=LAX&Date=

Is the SeatGuru info accurate?

I'd appreciate your input/advice. thanks :)

VX E+ is the same pitch as UA. He should consider that too. There are other perks. Read the FAQ at the top of this forum.

As far as the WiFi goes, it depends on the number of people using it. I've had very good success doing streaming video and whatever else I want, including video chat with the family. However, if you use it during the holiday season, it is terrible, because they generally give it away for free. February should be pretty good, especially since SFO is not part of the trip.

I've had difficulty on several occasions with video streaming and other things that require lots of bandwidth. For everything else, though, in my experience the WiFi on VX is pretty reliable.

Just flew VX last night SEA->SFO. The WiFi (accessed on my Android phone) was fine, and gave a measured 1Mbps down/375kbps up using the SpeedTest app.
Would definitely NOT suggest a tall passenger fly in economy transcon with the small seat pitch if a larger pitch is available, even on another airline. The E+ exit rows and front row on VX are not bad at all though, and often don't cost much more (and have minor bonuses such as free checked bag and free food and drink).

I've had difficulty on several occasions with video streaming and other things that require lots of bandwidth. For everything else, though, in my experience the WiFi on VX is pretty reliable.

Totally agree. I've had nothing but a poor, slow quality connection if you are attempting anything requiring decent bandwidth. Casual email and browsing is slow, but acceptable.

I won't pay for it though on a flight < 2 hours. Just not worth it.

I've had difficulty on several occasions with video streaming and other things that require lots of bandwidth. For everything else, though, in my experience the WiFi on VX is pretty reliable.

Yeah, I've never been able to stream video consistently.