This was our first time flying on Virgin America. It is a really excellent airline. As we boarded, I noticed that there were several celebrities on the plane. A couple didn’t want to be noticed, so they had their sunglasses on and heads down. I respect that. The one that stood out in a good way was Kelis (of “Milkshake” fame) – she was both pretty and personable. Initially, it was her baby that I noticed… not her. He was such a cute, happy friendly baby. Then I mentioned to my husband, “Oh, his mom looks like Kelis.” It turns out that I was right – she looked like her because it was her!
Moving on… I think that this was the longest flight that I have ever taken (5 to 6 hours each way) so I really appreciated the mix of both free and paid entertainment that was provided through RED, their in-flight entertainment system (music, television, movies, games, etc.) My husband listened to music and watched shows while I slept on the way out. I’m currently doing my write-ups on the way home. (Kudos to Virgin for having outlet power on board, since my laptop was about to die.) One other thing that stood out about this airline was that this was the first time that I felt like I would know what to do in case there was an emergency. Why? They had on-screen visuals showing where everything was at and how to use the safety features. They showed this at the beginning of the flight.
There were a couple of things that I didn’t like about the flight though – primarily what it didn’t provide. I think that every long flight should have free wi-fi (they had it for $12.95 through Gogo Inflight) and meals – or a snack at the very least. Like many other airlines, Virgin America had neither. My closing tips when using this airline: 1. Bring your own food (they have a few options for sale, but they didn’t seem particularly appetizing). 2. Bring a set of headphones. You will need them to experience the onboard media. (If you forget, it’s not a big deal – they sell headphones for $2 a pair. The only thing is that so many people left their purchased headphones on the airplane at the end of the flight…what a waste.) Overall, the good outweighed the bad by far. For now, this is my new favorite airline.