New Hawaiian motif of Virgin America
November 2, 2015
VX 50 HNL-SFO Lv1635 Arr2355 Airbus A320-200 Sharklet “Pineapple Express”
Virgin America’s check in was located in Lobby 6, right next to Westjet, and the setup was pretty typical of Virgin America. The agents are definitely more enthusiastic.
Security was a breeze and TSA Pre was opened this afternoon. The TSA agent even apologized for the little more scrutiny on my boarding pass, as it was her first Virgin America’s boarding pass check.
I love the open-air terminal.
Virgin America used gate 23 this afternoon, and I have a feeling that VX will use Central Concourse for the foreseeable future.
Some more shots of “Pineapple Express”
The return inaugural flight was definitely more low profile, but for most passengers, it was their first Virgin America experience. There was a Hawaiian band playing, along with more Hula dancing. There is a light refreshment buffet, which features, punches, coffee, water, and cup cakes.
Virgin America’s new station manager, Ross Yamanuha (man in red shirt), made a speech welcoming passengers.
I was glad that Virgin America allowed a longer layover, as it was evidenced that staffs were learning along the way.
Lei – available
Boarding began at 3:57pm and another great set of crew was welcoming us on board.
No more inaugural gift bag
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Beautiful mood light cabin
First class was actually a bit fuller, but I still got two seats to myself.
Captain giving everyone a personalized welcome… I also noticed that there were three cockpit crews for both inbound and outbound flights! It might be part of the ETOPS requirement for the beginning of its operation. Alaska Airlines went through that phase too.
I really got to compliment these four F/As, which were warm, personable and truly went out of their ways to make sure everyone was happy. They were definitely the best of the best. My cup/glass was never left empty. Marshe was the lead purser, and the two Hawaiian born F/As, Trista and Sha, along with Robert were simply outstanding. Sha even made her round around first class cabin talking to each passenger, and of course being born and raised in Hawaii, she was very proud of this flight. Compared to the inbound crews, these four F/As are more attentive, detail oriented, and a bit more personable, which is actually not common among all the Virgin franchise airlines. We had a great conversation prior to door closing at 4:29pm. Many ground staffs took the opportunities to visit the plane too, and most were pretty awed by the high quality products offered on these narrowbody planes – not something usual here.
We pushed back at 4:32pm and taxied past couple planes, as we taxied towards the Reef Runway.
We took off from R/W8R at 4:48pm for our scheduled four hours and fifty minutes flight. We initially climbed to 37,000ft, and then after passing midpoint, we climbed to 39,000ft.
Not going to say much about the amenities and entertainment system, but catering was at least Hawaiian-themed.
The Hawaii menu actually features three choices of entrées, and all the food items have this tropical theme.
Cocktail Snack
Warm Macadamia Nuts
Island Cocktails
POG Mimosa
Makena Rum Cocktail
Appetizer
Grilled fresh pineapple, cunchy spiraled daikon radish, red beets, carrots, and creamy goat cheese
Contains dairy
Fresh Guava Rolls
Entrées
Miso Yaki Salmon
Char-boiled miso marinated wild salmon served with wasabi mash potatoes and ginger roasted carrots, crunchy bok choy and a light miso sauce
Contains fish and soy
Crispy Thai Chicken
Crispy macadamia nut crusted chicken served with roasted fingerling potatoes, sautéed carrots, green beans and mushrooms, with a tangy Thai chili sauce
Contains poultry and macadamia nuts
Spicy Ginger Pepper Noodles
Lo mein noodles with sautéed Chinese long beans, red bell peppers and onions topped with sautéed shiitake and oyster mushroom mix and a spicy garlic ginger pepper sauce, garnished with optional scallions and cilantro
Contains wheat
Dessert
Tropilicious Likikoi Ice Cream (Passion Fruit)
Contains dairy and sugar
Snacks Anytime
Top Shelf Bites
Nibble on a spread of delectable Dean & Deluca snacks throughout the flight
Chocolate Squares
Kettlecorn
Black Truffle Pretzels
Cajun Mix
Cranberry Nut Mix
Sea Salt Chips
Cashews
Sweet Fish
Getting closer
We landed on R/W28L at 11:40pm and parked at gate 54A five minutes later. Once again the cabin crews were saying goodbye to everyone and it was a nice way to end the flight. This return inaugural flight definitely ranks as one of my best Virgin America flights.
In conclusion, Virgin America definitely has much faith on the new Hawaii service, and for first class, I am surprised that it really goes all out with the duvet and full premium service. Of course I am not sure if it is only for inaugural flights or a permanent feature. But at the least the Hawaii themed menu is here to stay, and the redeye from Maui will feature a hot meal too – more breakfast oriented. I just wish the breakfast menu on the outbound flight could be better. If Virgin America puts its heart on an inaugural, it can be fun, and today’s Hawaii launch is definitely another memorable one. I hope you will enjoy this report!
Carfield