Review: Virgin America - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Halx · 10-14-2007, 10:07 PM

Virgin America prices its flights to compete with bargain airlines, but in my opinion, you don't get what you should. If you want to get even, you have to pay.

Flight Services

Flight from New York to Los Angeles: $149
Charge for choosing first row of coach or exit row: $25

Non-alcoholic drinks are the only things that come complimentary on the flight. They don't even serve peanuts for free. You have to pay $2 for snacks and $6-$8 for a cold meal. You order at any time through the touchscreen entertainment system in front of you. The flight attendants don't bug you for anything except to buckle up during turbulence, which is a good thing.

Movies are $8, which is more than average. I'm surprised they didn't charge me for my pillow and blanket.

The seats were comfortable, with an adjustable head rest. I took the first row charge so that I could stretch out completely. The blue lighting didn't do much for me, but I guess it was calming. I was appreciative of the power outlets at each seat (2 for every 3 seats) and plan on making use of them on the return flight.

Entertainment System

The Virgin America personal entertainment system is run on Linux, and it definitely has that cheap open source feel to it. You control it through the tandem of a remote that you remove from your arm rest and through just touching the screen. There are plenty of bugs that remind you that its still in Beta, and plenty of features that haven't even been instituted. From the home menu, you are given the options for Watching, Listening, Playing, Chatting, Shopping, and Eating.

The Dish Network TV services are horrible. They are nowhere on par with the quality or selection given by JetBlue. I only found a handful of channels that could maintain a solid signal. I didn't spend too much time on this.

The movies that are offered are both studio and student films. The studio ones, mostly new releases, cost $8 to watch and the short student films are free. There are also premium TV episodes "on demand" that cost $2 per viewing. They really want every last penny.

I didn't check out their radio stations, but Virgin America's MP3 selection is rather accommodating for the popular music lover. They have a large range of genres and artists, featuring a smattering of their greatest hits. The sound quality could not match my MP3 player though, and the bad words are censored. Audiophiles like me need not approach. At least listening was free.

Virgin's games were a huge disappointment. This is where the Linux thing is really evident. The games that were offered looked like some 14 year old's programming class midterm project. The only remarkable ones were DOOM and Mahjong. Unfortunately, the controls were nowhere near easy for DOOM (By the 3rd level, I was getting frustrated. I commend anyone who has beaten this game using these controls.) and Mahjong only had one level.

The plane has several central chat rooms that you can join and talk with other passengers. I was only able to strike up a conversation with one other person (my wife not included) on this empty flight, but the typing on the too-small and too-resistant buttons on the controller grew tedious within a couple lines. I made a bad joke about not being able to surf porn and left.

As stated before, if you want any food from the flight attendants, you have to order things from the Virgin America system. It works like an online store; you fill up your shopping cart and then check-out. The only sustenance that you get for free are regular drinks. Everything else will make you whip out your credit card. They don't take cash. I starved myself until my wife finally forced me to order a meal because she didn't want my dead body slowing her down when we landed.

I still have the return flight to reconsider my feelings about this, but I feel like JetBlue is a better value at this point.

Here are some things that Virgin America can do better:
1. Serve some complimentary food, damn it. Even JetBlue has a few snacks they pass out that generally hold you over on a CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT.
2. Fix up that TV service. Right now its a total drag.
3. Its not a stretch to assume that you can find better open source games. Do it. Start with solitaire. Add a poker game. Anything.

xepherys · 10-15-2007, 04:22 AM

Halx, great review. I've not flown VA yet, but I've been intrigued. In the end, I believe Richard Branson and his top crew are probably on to something. Frankly, I think free snacks on continental flights is useless. In the end you DO pay for it in the cost of the ticket. It's a bit like the study of on e American airline putting one less olive in a salad or something and saving hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. That CAN get passed on to you. Also, remember how the Virgin Megaprise operates. Many people have not flown "value" airlines because they either are too unfamiliar or there are too many horror stories (ValuJet anybody?). Virgin is a big name, especially outside the US, though the brand is growing here finally. Expect improvements over time, and quite possibly even more competitive prices. Richard is a smart cookie after all!

Halx · 10-15-2007, 08:02 AM

A JetBlue flight would have been cheaper, would have come with some form of solid sustenance, and the TV channels would have worked. Sure, the experience is worth it in comparison to more traditional airlines, but they're by no means the best choice when it comes to spending 6 hours in flight.

kutulu · 10-15-2007, 09:07 AM

I flew from Phoenix to Philly and then from Philly to the Virgin Islands and then back the same way, all on United. The only free food they were giving out was a bag of pretzels on each flight. You had to pay $5 for a 'snack pack' (retail value of components about $3), or a sandwich (which they didn't have in stock anyways). Headsets for the movies or radio were $5 each.

Seriously, you saved hundreds of dollars and you complain about lack of free peanuts?

Halx · 10-15-2007, 09:38 AM

I usually fly JetBlue. I'll complain all day.

10-14-2007, 10:07 PM	#1 (permalink)
Halx Please touch this. Owner/Admin Location: Manhattan	Review: Virgin America Virgin America prices its flights to compete with bargain airlines, but in my opinion, you don't get what you should. If you want to get even, you have to pay. Flight Services Flight from New York to Los Angeles: $149 Charge for choosing first row of coach or exit row: $25 Non-alcoholic drinks are the only things that come complimentary on the flight. They don't even serve peanuts for free. You have to pay $2 for snacks and $6-$8 for a cold meal. You order at any time through the touchscreen entertainment system in front of you. The flight attendants don't bug you for anything except to buckle up during turbulence, which is a good thing. Movies are $8, which is more than average. I'm surprised they didn't charge me for my pillow and blanket. The seats were comfortable, with an adjustable head rest. I took the first row charge so that I could stretch out completely. The blue lighting didn't do much for me, but I guess it was calming. I was appreciative of the power outlets at each seat (2 for every 3 seats) and plan on making use of them on the return flight. Entertainment System The Virgin America personal entertainment system is run on Linux, and it definitely has that cheap open source feel to it. You control it through the tandem of a remote that you remove from your arm rest and through just touching the screen. There are plenty of bugs that remind you that its still in Beta, and plenty of features that haven't even been instituted. From the home menu, you are given the options for Watching, Listening, Playing, Chatting, Shopping, and Eating. The Dish Network TV services are horrible. They are nowhere on par with the quality or selection given by JetBlue. I only found a handful of channels that could maintain a solid signal. I didn't spend too much time on this. The movies that are offered are both studio and student films. The studio ones, mostly new releases, cost $8 to watch and the short student films are free. There are also premium TV episodes "on demand" that cost $2 per viewing. They really want every last penny. I didn't check out their radio stations, but Virgin America's MP3 selection is rather accommodating for the popular music lover. They have a large range of genres and artists, featuring a smattering of their greatest hits. The sound quality could not match my MP3 player though, and the bad words are censored. Audiophiles like me need not approach. At least listening was free. Virgin's games were a huge disappointment. This is where the Linux thing is really evident. The games that were offered looked like some 14 year old's programming class midterm project. The only remarkable ones were DOOM and Mahjong. Unfortunately, the controls were nowhere near easy for DOOM (By the 3rd level, I was getting frustrated. I commend anyone who has beaten this game using these controls.) and Mahjong only had one level. The plane has several central chat rooms that you can join and talk with other passengers. I was only able to strike up a conversation with one other person (my wife not included) on this empty flight, but the typing on the too-small and too-resistant buttons on the controller grew tedious within a couple lines. I made a bad joke about not being able to surf porn and left. As stated before, if you want any food from the flight attendants, you have to order things from the Virgin America system. It works like an online store; you fill up your shopping cart and then check-out. The only sustenance that you get for free are regular drinks. Everything else will make you whip out your credit card. They don't take cash. I starved myself until my wife finally forced me to order a meal because she didn't want my dead body slowing her down when we landed. I still have the return flight to reconsider my feelings about this, but I feel like JetBlue is a better value at this point. Here are some things that Virgin America can do better: 1. Serve some complimentary food, damn it. Even JetBlue has a few snacks they pass out that generally hold you over on a CROSS-COUNTRY FLIGHT. 2. Fix up that TV service. Right now its a total drag. 3. Its not a stretch to assume that you can find better open source games. Do it. Start with solitaire. Add a poker game. Anything. __________________ You have found this post informative. -The Administrator [Don't Feed The Animals]

10-15-2007, 04:22 AM	#2 (permalink)
xepherys <3 TFP Location: 17TLH2445607250	Halx, great review. I've not flown VA yet, but I've been intrigued. In the end, I believe Richard Branson and his top crew are probably on to something. Frankly, I think free snacks on continental flights is useless. In the end you DO pay for it in the cost of the ticket. It's a bit like the study of on e American airline putting one less olive in a salad or something and saving hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. That CAN get passed on to you. Also, remember how the Virgin Megaprise operates. Many people have not flown "value" airlines because they either are too unfamiliar or there are too many horror stories (ValuJet anybody?). Virgin is a big name, especially outside the US, though the brand is growing here finally. Expect improvements over time, and quite possibly even more competitive prices. Richard is a smart cookie after all! __________________ The prospect of achieving a peace agreement with the extremist group of MILF is almost impossible... -- Emmanuel Pinol, Governor of Cotobato My Homepage

10-15-2007, 08:02 AM	#3 (permalink)
Halx Please touch this. Owner/Admin Location: Manhattan	A JetBlue flight would have been cheaper, would have come with some form of solid sustenance, and the TV channels would have worked. Sure, the experience is worth it in comparison to more traditional airlines, but they're by no means the best choice when it comes to spending 6 hours in flight. __________________ You have found this post informative. -The Administrator [Don't Feed The Animals]

10-15-2007, 09:38 AM	#5 (permalink)
Halx Please touch this. Owner/Admin Location: Manhattan	I usually fly JetBlue. I'll complain all day. __________________ You have found this post informative. -The Administrator [Don't Feed The Animals]

10-15-2007, 09:07 AM	#4 (permalink)
kutulu Junkie	I flew from Phoenix to Philly and then from Philly to the Virgin Islands and then back the same way, all on United. The only free food they were giving out was a bag of pretzels on each flight. You had to pay $5 for a 'snack pack' (retail value of components about $3), or a sandwich (which they didn't have in stock anyways). Headsets for the movies or radio were $5 each. Seriously, you saved hundreds of dollars and you complain about lack of free peanuts?