Trip Reports - A tale of two "first class" experiences flying SFO-LAX with plenty of pics.

Hi everybody,

Last week I took a short trip from SFO to LAX and decided to try DL's recent route operated by Expressjet and get close and personal with the new Virgin America. As you can read from the title, my experience on both carriers was excellent. DL's Expressjet service was faultless and more than I expected. As for Virgin America, I might have became "virginized" for life.

The day started beautifully on this sunny and mild day. Temperature in SFO was around 68 degrees F and slightly higher in LAX. I will fly down to LAX on DL and return the same day on VX. I was dropped off at SFO International Terminal and tried to check in on the kiosk for my return trip. An agent immediatedly greeted me and offered her help. Unfortunately I did not have any luck at the kiosk, perhaps because I was departing from a different city and was escorted to the counter to have an agent assist me. I asked if my inability to check in at kiosk was due to not being in the originating city and the lady at the counter said that she would not have problem doing it for me provided that it is within 24 hours. So she quickly issued my boarding pass and on I went. My first impression of the counter area was very positive. The area is welcoming with nice kiosks set up. There are flower arrangements on the tables where the computers are located and that alone sets them apart from all other carriers. A thoughtful touch made even better by cheerful and helpful attendants. I noticed that all agents are polite and tend to make eye contact and smile frequently. It's a refreshing attitude that I hope will be a trademark of VX. Also, some of the agents were pretty good looking, approximating something out of modeling school. No doubt a Branson's influence. Here's a glimpse of the check in area in SFO. I was in a bit of a hurry so I did not have time to take a lot of pics:

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DL's check in kiosks are nicely set out at the end of the counter. However, their instructions tend to be a bit confusing. When using it, it asks for the barcode of your passport. Well, I don't have a passport today so I chose the "MORE OPTIONS" button. Under that it asks for either your confirmation or Skymiles number. For some reason I thought that you could access it by flight number, date and last name but that was not an option. Finally I inserted a credit card and it promptly found my reservation. For those that are not computer savvy this can lead to some frustration. I could have checked in online but I am a boarding pass collector so I avoid doing that. Personally I find CO's kiosks to be more user friendly.

As an aviation enthusiast I love airports and flying. The rush of adrenaline is always present when you are about to take a flight, whether you are in F or Y, on a long trip or short one. The excitement is there and you can feel the butterflies in your stomach. An indispensable companion to the enthusiast is the camera. In a lot of ways it is the perfect travel partner - silent and accommodating making for memorable trips. :D

DL 7828 - Embraer 145
SFO - LAX Dept 11:40A - Arriv 1:10P
Y/C - Seat 9A

The flight was full and the gate area was crowded with people from nearby gates. The crew was hanging around the gate counter and it seems that today's flight was slightly delayed due to inbound. I couldn't help notice how the new uniforms for the gate agents and the true DL crew was so relaxed. One gate was wearing a t-shirt llike garment under his coat and I saw a female crew wearing jeans. I had to take a double take on that one. Our flight finally arrived at the gate and the departure time was changed to 12:00P now. The pilot did some preliminary check up and I took the opportunity to take some shots.

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Pretty soon it was time to board and this was done quickly. Upon boarding the FA positioned at the door was handing out bottles of water to each passenger. A nice touch ^. While leaving the gate I caught the NZ inbound flight from AKL.


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Take off was smooth and since I had a window seat I took some more shots of the landscape below. Up here you can truly appreciate the diverse scenery of the Bay area and realize how beautiful this corner of the world is.

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Once we reached cruising altitude the inflight service began. Our sole FA did an excellent job. He was attentive, professional and highly efficient. To my surprise there was a choice of snacks on this flight. According to the DL website on flights that are under 449 miles or 1.5 hours only 1 snack item is available. This flight was 1.5 hours and about 338 miles. The FA passed around offering Sun chips, peanuts, granola bars or peanut butter cookies. This was followed by a beverage service. We encountered some choppy air close to LAX. It never ceases to amaze me what a big sprawling metropolis the LA area is.

Inflight service

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Approaching LAX

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DL (Song) plane taking off

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At the gate in LAX with a change of crew

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One thing I love about LAX is that it is such an international hub. The variety of carriers that one can come across this airport is overwhelming. Of course, I dutifully tried to make the most out of my short layover and started taking shots of all the different carriers here. I also took the shuttle to "In and Out" and what a great spot to watch planes it is. In front of the restaurant there were a couple of airplane aficionados waiting to take shots also. Here's a sampling:

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Air Tahiti Nui crew

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More planes:

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Next...how I got "virginized"

Highly enjoyable TR, and excellent pics as well! Keep it coming!

Thanks as219. Sorry to everyone about the large image size and the time it took to download this report. I did not realize that until now when I tried to access it. I already resized the pics so hopefully this will work. Enjoy.

Great report so far...looking forward to the rest tomorrow!

Thanks DiscoPapa. Well, the moment of truth has finally arrived and after all the things that I have read and heard about VX, I will plunge myself into the Virgin experience.

VX 852 - A320
LAX - SFO Dept. 4:00P - Arriv. 5:20P
F/C - Seat 1D

It has been said that the "devil is in the details" and Richard Branson is one clever one. Nobody does marketing like him. Period. Virgin appeals to a niche market. Its brand is associated with style, sophistication and know how. That influence is definitely palpable at Virgin America as I came to experience first hand, starting with the ticket counter. Let me tell you - better yet, show you WHAT A COUNTER that is. The self check in kiosks is composed of what look like four personal laptops set up on a table with flower arrangements. Not only is this pleasing to the eyes, but also contributes to make a great first impression providing a civilized way to start a trip.

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You can usually count on a friendly face to guide you through the steps if you are not computer smart, but should you prefer to interact with a live person the counter staff is always there to asssist you. From my limited experience I have found them to be polite and approacheable, looking at you and smiling most of the time. As I mentioned earlier, a couple of them are stunningly gorgeous too. The majority seem young and this applies to the inflight crew as well.

Inflight crew
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The counters are tastefully decorated and it is one of the most beautiful set ups that I have seen for an airline ticket counter as evidenced by these pictures:

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This sense of aesthetics extends to the gate area as well:

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VX uses Terminal 6 at LAX, which somewhat reminds me of the 60's through its decor and corners.

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Today's flight is running slightly late by about 10-15 minutes. Announcements were made at the gate advising passengers of the delay and judging by the crowd gathered at the gate this was not going to be a full flight at all. I stationed myself by the large windows to catch a glimpse of the arriving aircraft.

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The cleaning crew rushed to action when the plane landed and soon an announcement was made inviting us to board the aircraft. There was a container with earphones positioned by the door and the agent invited us to take one. They were tiny and not the best quality in my opinion, better to bring your BOSE or own headsets.

A FA was waiting at the door greeting us as we boarded. The women in their red outfits and the men in their black ones look smart. The white leather seats seem inviting and music was playing as people boarded. The FA in front never missed a beat. She promptly took coats to hang and offered pre departure drinks. Not the usual water or OJ but anything you wanted from the galley. Nothing was too much trouble. Small bottles of water, pillows and blankets were already set up on the seats.

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One thing I noticed with the galley up front is that there is no privacy for the FA's. No curtains to hide behind. The only partition separating the seats from the galley is the purple transparent wall.

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The cabin had a modern feel to it. Very unconventional from other planes that I have been. It felt "artsy" in a refreshing and unique kind of way.

to be continued....

As I mentioned earlier, a couple of them are stunningly gorgeous too. The majority seem young and this applies to the inflight crew as well.

Inflight crew
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Best picture so far, haha! Anymore of this "stunningly gorgeous" flight crew?

Sorry, I couldn't resist... :cool:;)

Fantastic pictures and overall report. I am looking forward to trying VX.

Thanks ebayj. - DiscoPapa, haven't you heard that too much candy is bad for you? :p I'm afraid this is the only picture that I have of the crew. Didn't want to be so obvious and get on the crew's bad side. ;)

Now back to the report...

Things at VX are different from other airlines and that sets them apart. Take the seats for instance. The way that the seat controls are arranged on the side shaped like a person sitting is unique. Also, the way that the overheard lights gradually turn on or off is soothing. Let's not forget about the mood lighting although I did not get to experience that feature on today's flight.

Seat controls
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Once everybody boarded the door was shut and FA's did a live safety memo. Minutes after the engines roared and as we climbed high above we were treated to a spectacular view of the ocean on this sunny day.

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Once we reached cruising altitude our purser proceeded to take drink orders and distribute snack boxes. She was thorough and efficient providing an explanation of the contents of the box as she delivered it to each passenger. The snack consisted of three individual bite size containers of mozzarella and tomatoe in balsamic vinegar, melon ball wrapped in prosciutto and a cream puff bathed in chocolate sauce.

Snack box
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Mozzarella and tomatoe
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Melon ball in prosciutto
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Cream puff in chocolate sauce
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The box contained a set of plastic utensils wrapped in paper napkin. The snack was pretty satisfying and generous considering the short duration of this flight. I normally do not take partake in the movie options offered onboard when flying preferring a good book instead, but in this flight I decided to explore the entertainment options that VX's RED offered. I did not have any earphones with me so upon seeing this the purser brought me a set and asked if I needed one. Now, that is service. ^ One feature of RED that I truly liked was the google map showing the status of your trip.

Talk about details, check out the wing tip of the plane with the US flag. This is also a feature of Virgin with its corresponding Union Jack.

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Soon we started our descend into the Bay area and I took some shots of the scenery below:

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We finally touched down ending this great trip.

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In conclusion my experiences at Delta (Expressjet) and Virgin America were top notch. I believe that DL offers the best coach product flying from SFO-LAX offering a choice of snack and a cabin layout on the Embraer that guarantees either a window or aisle seat. VX's F cabin is amazing. It is the best value out there for this route and it's the only carrier that offers something "substantial" to munch on for such a short trip. Also, the international style seats, entertainment system and staff attitude put them way ahead of the other competitors. The only negative that I have perceived is the propensity for delay of flights. For those of us who are not type A's and who travel for leisure from point A to point B this is not such a big deterrent. VX is a work in progress but so far it is turning out to be quite a contender.

Thanks for your time and I hope you enjoyed the report and the pics.

Great pics and thanks for the excellent report. ^

Great report and pics! I'm flying Virgin next week and can't wait to try them. I'm flying LAX to SFO in coach, but hope that I can upgrade to first for $50 bucks (according to their website). I want to try it and $50 ain't bad...I'm sure I can get 3 or 4 drinks guzzled down! That's about $40 right there! :D

Nice report and the pictures are an asset. I watched as the Virgin America staff helped set up their check in area one day. They seemed eager and ready to face the crowds in 2 days when the launch happened. It's a nice addition to the dowdiness of T6. Glad you enjoyed your trip.


airline brat

Great report and pics! I'm flying Virgin next week and can't wait to try them. I'm flying LAX to SFO in coach, but hope that I can upgrade to first for $50 bucks (according to their website). I want to try it and $50 ain't bad...I'm sure I can get 3 or 4 drinks guzzled down! That's about $40 right there! :D

Well I checked in on-line 24 hours prior to my flight tomorrow and got to change my coach seat to first class...1F, which looks like where you were seated. It was $50, but for the experience I think it's worth it (plus I only paid $108 r/t). I will probably never fly them to the east coast, so this will be nice. Thanks for "warming" me up to what I can hope to expect!^

Very nice report!^ Wow, it's amazing that DL Connection offers substantial snacks on that flight while UA doesn't offer anything, even snackmix. I have to say VX F looks very impressive! Thanks for taking the time to write this report.

I remember taking a DL Shuttle back in 2000 or so, between BOS-LGA. They passed snack boxes around, and a full bev service. I was rather surprised at the service, and told an FA, who answered that they "did this to attract business customers".

BTW, great write-up on VX. I think the propensity for delays will lower as they mature as an airline, adjusting turnaround time, and quicker turnarounds too.

JP

Very nice report!^ Wow, it's amazing that DL Connection offers substantial snacks on that flight while UA doesn't offer anything, even snackmix. I have to say VX F looks very impressive! Thanks for taking the time to write this report.

Thank you guys for all the comments. There is no greater compliment than those from fellow FT's. You guys rock ..I mean WE ROCK ^ :D

AJLondon and AirlineBrat53 - glad you enjoyed reading this. The pleasure was all mine.

Egtravel - I hope you had a great experience flying on VX. Do let us know. By the way, if you really pay attention during the safety demo, the FA might throw you a smile in appreciation.

Lucky - DL overall is not a bad carrier at all. At least they make an effort to provide "something" in the back of the bus on all their flights. I even saw the plastic shaker for the cocktail drinks in front of the beverage cart as the FA was serving. Pretty impressive for such a short flight. I can think of someone who will be happy to hear these praises on DL. ;)

HereandThereSC - from your lips to God's ears. I really hope this carrier makes it big time and starts service to more cities.