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Virgin America Airlines : AWESOME!!

boingboing.net — This looks like the greatest airline, ever. In-flight WiFi, games, topic-based chatrooms, all in a touchscreen right in front of you. Now that's pretty shweet.

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  • whitezombie420, on 10/10/2007, -3/+32looks pretty sweet, i wonder when they will expand their service so i can take a flight.
    • thcobbs, on 10/10/2007, -9/+33Most of digg is wondering the same thing. As are all the virgins in America.
      • jeff419, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7I took Virgin Atlantic from LA to London, and I must say they have a sweet set up, I won't fly any other airline unless I can't avoid it.
      • tnoy, on 10/10/2007, -4/+2Isnt that a little redundant?
    • daridave, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Yeah, I wanna try that too, but up in Canada.

      Still, I have to say, it's all fun and sweet, but all I reaaaalllyyyy care about is "take me from A to B, and make it FAST." I'm still very fine with my Sudokus when I'm up there... as long as there isn't a freakin' cacophony of babies crying.
    • jferrari, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I would never fly with virgin, I've been on their trains.

      (I'm sure anyone British will understand)
      • snowpatrol, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7I would never fly with virgin, I've drank their cola.
      • bmxboy661, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1they're trains are good because they hardly check tickets. i save like £15 ($30) when i go from york to leeds.
    • RoyHobbs, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Doesn't look so great the first picture is a guy with a life-vest ;)
    • djpants428, on 10/10/2007, -4/+4I hear that if you upgrade to the "Richard Branson Special" your seat comes equipped with a pack of papers and a bag of pot...
    • rgodfrey, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2"looks pretty sweet, i wonder when they will expand their service so i can take a flight."

      I inadvertently double-entendred this in re virgins. Sorry!
    • ChileanGoD, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Will the crew have Zap Branigan style uniforms?
    • isaactwito, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1they've had all that stuff in japan for years. it was sweet, i just played nes games the whole flight.
  • canewediggit, on 10/10/2007, -4/+35any reports on pricing? are they going toe to toe w/ southwest/jet blue or closer to typical legacy carriers?
  • cusoman, on 10/10/2007, -2/+58Looks promising.

    The airline industry needs a refresh as it is incredibly stale and overpriced. On that note, if these guys are competitively priced, they're going to do very well in today's market.
    • drogo, on 10/10/2007, -7/+3Overpriced?? Bwaaaahahahahahah!!!! Riiiight. What it needs to do is get back to basic business. Stop undercharging and operating at a continual loss. Then they'd have the money to implement some new services and we (the taxpayers) wouldn't have to bail them out, yet again.
      • cusoman, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5Depends on what market you're in really. Here in MSP it is overpriced. Period.
      • ChildeRoland420, on 10/10/2007, -0/+4Look at the discount carriers that tend to keep pulling profits by simply having a better logistical model, and charging what it actually takes to keep that running with a profit. You're right, a lot of the major carriers are in trouble. They ch1arge more, but have more overhead and therefore operate at a loss. Why wouldn't they if they can just get Uncle Sam to cover the difference>?
      • Fozefy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1They operate at a loss, because of administrative overhead, with what they charge they should have no problem turning a profit.
    • battletrax, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Only Virgins? Aw
    • DarkTranquility, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1The ABSOLUTE KING of low pricing of airfare is SKYBUS... they started with $10 deals...That wasn't a typo...$10. But the only catch is that the central hub is located in Ohio, so all must flights must start/end there. Skybus and Virgin could potentially revamp the whole industry if more people jump on board with these carriers. GO SKYBUS!!


      http://www.skybus.com if your interested...
    • sbgskl, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Your analysis is both thorough and thought provoking.
  • mikesbaker, on 10/10/2007, -10/+3In flight wi fi sweetness. I'm taking them if I ever have to cross the pond.
    • witcompe, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9Virgin America is domestic US only. To go "across the pond" I will assume you mean to Europe, in which case you will need to take Virgin Atlantic.
    • mortigon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+17It's gonna be really funny when the 1 or 2 hot chicks per flight are getting 50 messages a minute from all the creepy guys
    • merreborn, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Note: the wifi doesn't actually connect to the internet til next year. So you can have an in-flight LAN party, but that's about it.
      • Cwo655321, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1k, in-flight lan party; but don't invite the german kid with the anger issues.
  • therealNofutcha, on 10/10/2007, -38/+1i hate richard branson and everything he does. Plus, it's a little overkill
    • johnn11238, on 10/10/2007, -1/+26Yeah, I know what you mean. All that comfort, convenience and class. Yuck.
    • therealNofutcha, on 10/10/2007, -10/+0it's mostly just my bias burning through. And trust me, it's killing me to try and hate this venture too. If it was any other airline, i'd be all over it. At least i can admit that.
    • DonSlice, on 10/10/2007, -0/+14Did Richard Branson rape you as a baby or something?
  • DaBrainiac, on 10/10/2007, -4/+87 One downside: You'll never want to get off the plane.
    • bhowell, on 10/10/2007, -0/+19Aw damnit! We're landing on time?
    • cnot3, on 10/10/2007, -0/+16...until it bursts into flames, or becomes full of snakes.
      • b-dizzle, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Unless both of those happen, I think I would still stay, if I was in first class.
    • cawpin, on 10/10/2007, -5/+1I won't want to get ON the plane. It says Airbus on it. That is a bad thing.
      • turpenine, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1have you ever flown ever? the planes are pretty much built to the carrier, the manufacturer doesn't do a lot that would affect you.
  • MasterThief117, on 10/10/2007, -1/+13Once everything falls through, I will be taking flights just to try this out.
  • 10goto10, on 10/10/2007, -4/+180I bet you the first time this in-flight chatroom phenomenon makes it to the news in a negative way, it's because someone typed "I GOT BOMB LOLZ" or something
    • blaaguuu, on 10/10/2007, -0/+54"2 out of 3 Virgin America passengers are solicited for sex online."
    • mortigon, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4it will be an awesome way to start up a conversation with the hot chick sitting next to you... especially for a shy/no balls guy like me.
      • ers35, on 10/10/2007, -0/+13If you were really that close to her, typing messages to her would be nearly the same as talking.
      • canewediggit, on 10/10/2007, -1/+20if you can't talk to her when she's sitting right next to you, using the chat feature is not going to help. don't worry, girls don't bite. unless you're lucky
      • cnot3, on 10/10/2007, -0/+48ChunkyLover42: Hay Baby want2go out sumtime?
        *****: No.
      • Vodka2389, on 10/10/2007, -0/+5May be there's a reason it's VIRGIN America.
    • WaterDragon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I am sure words like bomb or bomz will be blocked by their inline spam filers.
    • rjam710, on 10/10/2007, -0/+320/M/bathroom in 5 minutes ;)
    • EvilFerret, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1If I bomb did go off..... I'd have to be the first to type "PWNED!!!! lolol" /me diez
  • TheDHC, on 10/10/2007, -13/+2is there inflight fellatio service too?
  • Kiggle, on 10/10/2007, -27/+2I'm excited about the chat feature. I wonder if there are private rooms? I love exchanging glances with hotties on the plane, but starting a conversation is awkward because unless you happen to be seated right next to them you basically need to stand in the aisle and talk in earshot of like 10 other people. The idea that I could pinpoint them and just chat with them from all the way accross the plane is extremely appealing. I'll be visiting my estate in the mile high club on a much more regular basis I think.
    • JohnnyRad, on 10/10/2007, -2/+33Dude, that was the most creepy string of ***** i've read in a while. Seriously.
    • johnn11238, on 10/10/2007, -6/+3You're pathetic. Kill yourself.
    • healingcommoner, on 10/10/2007, -1/+4NPR said that was actually a feature of the chat
    • GeekySarah, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I really am hoping to get to try one of these planes... but I hope there's an ignore feature on that chat works *very* well. :P
    • thebigmatay, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9How pathetic you must be to try and get respect by posting your fake sex life on Digg...
    • SnuKs, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7Dateline and Chris Hansen will be on your next flight.
      • darnit, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Why don't you have a seat right over here....
    • canewediggit, on 10/10/2007, -1/+21a/s/seat?
    • canewediggit, on 10/10/2007, -5/+2a/s/seat?
  • lesty420, on 10/10/2007, -12/+1Advertising in articles, this sucks
  • cusoman, on 10/10/2007, -4/+14In case you're wondering, according to their website they will be (already are) servicing the following cities in the US:

    Boston, NY, DC, Miami, Orlando, Chicago, L.A., Vegas

    With codeshares with Continential (meaning you can connect via a Cont. flight) in: Albany, Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Norfolk, Providence, Raleigh/Durham, Richmond, and Rochester.
    • SnuKs, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6Damnit. Where's San Diego?
    • videographer, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Ummmmm....no. right now they are serving San Francisco to LA and SFO to JFK, and LAX to JFK. Within a month they will add Washington Dulles and in October they will add Las Vegas. And that's all they list on their (very nice, BTW) website.

      it's pretty easy to run a tiny airline...even JetBlue had a good run till they started to expand like a virus. The proof is in the long-term ability of Virgin America to do well when they serve 100+ cities. I'd like a ride on them too, but till they come to Flyover Country (something not even JetBlue or Southwest do except at Chicago) I'll keep from getting too excited. Good for Richard Branson, though. Nice to know someone out there is willing to stick his neck out a tad.

    • aMeta4, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1No service to or from Seattle until after 2012. Lame.
    • cusoman, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1Whoops, you are correct. I was looking at Virgin Atlantic's website mistakenly.
    • cusoman, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1Digg me down, this is incorrect information :P
    • fuzzmeister, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Wow, they're actually in Boston. Carriers usually aren't huge fans of Logan.
  • Pinhedd, on 10/10/2007, -24/+1every guy who uses this must be a virgin
    • MeruFM, on 10/10/2007, -4/+0At first I thought it was an airline for virgins because of the description about wifi and chatrooms
  • JohnnyRad, on 10/10/2007, -0/+85they sold me with the free cupcakes.
    • inbred, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3They sold me with the open-source love


      and the cupcakes.
    • neoq36, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0mmmmm c-u-p-c-a-k-e-s
  • acarr, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1They are based out of the international terminal at SFO because there is currently no room at the domestic terminal. I think Jet Blue and AirTran are also at the International terminal
    • quaxon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2they are, and what sucks is that the international terminals at sfo are so ***** bleak and boring. its the only international airport that id rather be in the domestic terminals.
  • malacor, on 10/10/2007, -10/+2I flew on this. Now its just known as American Airlines.
  • aresef, on 10/10/2007, -0/+8I really hope the airline succeeds and expands to other airports.

    (Okay, so I live in Baltimore and don't want to drive past BWI to go to Dulles to check this stuff out headed to LA. But that's just me.)
  • acarr, on 10/10/2007, -3/+0Wait a minute. The story says: "Newsom announced he was declaring today "Virgin America" day, and various landmarks around the city will be bathed in red light to commemorate".

    he already declared Wednesday as Barry Bonds day. http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20050481,00.html
    • dclowd9901, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Can you do that when you're mayor? Just declare days everywhere? *****, I want that job.
      • Urusai, on 10/10/2007, -2/+4Governor Bush declared "Jesus Day" in Texas. Then he went back to snorting a line of coke off a male prostitute's ass.
      • fuzzmeister, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1<smartass>
        I don't think anyone needs to "declare" days, they just seem to happen.
        </smartass>
    • asskicker32, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I think Gavin declared TUESDAY Barry Day and Wednesdya Virgin America day... or something like that...
  • RadiantBeing, on 10/10/2007, -2/+38Richard Branson is such a bad ass.
    • echan, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1yeah and he smokes pot with his kid. awesome.
  • superfusion, on 10/10/2007, -1/+11Give me two weeks in Italy or Costa Rica at a low price. I could care less what games I play on the way there.
    • turpenine, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1You clearly have never flown anywhere.
    • fuzzmeister, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Flying overnight from Frankfurt to Boston in Economy, I realized that nicer seats would really, really be worth the money when you need to catch some sleep.
  • torched, on 10/10/2007, -0/+16We need to get chris hansen in those chat rooms asap
    • mortigon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+15Hey, pigtails, I have caaandy... come to the seat behind you.
    • crashflow, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Welcome to Virgin Airline onboard chatrooms, where the 14 year old girls are STILL undercover FBI agents.
  • popstop785, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Looks pretty cool.
  • EarthernJar, on 10/10/2007, -1/+11I'm just impressed that Branson could hire on M. Night Shyamalan as a flight attendant
  • timusca, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3The reason they can afford to do this and make their prices so cheap is because they're the only airline in the world turning a profit. Amazing how a little customer service can go so far!
  • DoomMusic, on 10/10/2007, -9/+7Buried for using "shweet."
    • mortigon, on 10/10/2007, -4/+11buried for burying for using "shweet"
      • Tabris, on 10/10/2007, -4/+5buried for burying for burying for using "shweet"
      • colberrep, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1digging for burying someone who buried someone for burying "shweet"
        • rook441, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2digging for digging for ... eh screw it
  • skankyBacon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+39On the plus side, when you see people typing like morons in chat (click to enlarge the chatroom image) like "this is zackly like flying in sl omg" or "zomg we has liftoff" you can actually get up and smack them.
    • anaesthetica, on 10/10/2007, -2/+2Mile High Leet ought to be classified as terrorism.
  • ssteeg, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3I guess it's cool.. It's no Hooters Air though
  • Vedesh, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5i work(security) at JFK airport and we had to do escort for the media, so they can take pic and stuff. i got to say the plane is pretty fricking sweet on the inside. they had me with the lights. lol jetblue better watch out.
    • colberrep, on 10/10/2007, -4/+1I plead with you to do racial profiling. I'm as liberal as they get, but let's face it--muslims are the only ones hijacking planes.
  • landohlakes, on 10/10/2007, -4/+0They still don't allow cell phones.
    • canewediggit, on 10/10/2007, -0/+19yeah, because we all want to listen to you blabber about whatever stupid ***** is going in your life while stuck on a plane.
      • heypetray, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Exactly. They have you turn off your cell phone so that you don't get a call that your dog died and have a massive breakdown. The airlines want you as cut off from the world below as possible.
  • chrgrose, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7So flying doesn't necessarily equal Satan's asshole now?
  • SimonGray, on 10/10/2007, -7/+7A big thumbs up for using open source and Linux for this! It's probably the easiest and most economic way of making customised software anyway these days, but the open source game competition shows that they're not just in it for the money, they (meaning Branson or whoever made this possible) probably believe in the philosophy behind it.
    • SimonGray, on 10/10/2007, -7/+1Can I ask why the ***** I am being dugg down?
      • Tabris, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Because I'm positive they're in it for the money, or they wouldn't start an airline. Linux invariably lowers costs, and all these amenities probably counteract a lot of the savings while making the airline MUCH more attractive to people my age.

        I'd fly with them in a heartbeat as soon as Logan is added. Right now my fav is Southwest because they have all first-class seats and give you free cookies mid-flight, comparably priced with Delta and them.
      • Urusai, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Do you choose a restaurant based upon what point-of-sale package they use? Sheesh.
      • takamalak, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Plus, you are a ***** dork and no one likes you. But your mom is HAWT.
    • WaterDragon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Last time I flew on a plane, it was Windows based...and it crashed !
  • prz414, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1cool. i wonder though how sturby and robust those screens are....next time a 4 year old slams his fists on the touch screen in a fit, it's bye-bye monitor.
  • GruntGrunt, on 10/10/2007, -9/+1Roflwaffle, the company is HQ'd in my town of Burlingame.

    I dated one of the executives daughters for a period of time, free airline tickets FTW.
  • betobeto, on 10/10/2007, -0/+25I shudder at the mere thought of "mile-high-goatsing".
  • dsmx, on 10/10/2007, -0/+7This is why in Europe we like richard branson because while he is rich he still doesn't treat his customers like crap and gives them what they want. Imagine this a plesent flight experience in coach on airlines who'd of thought that?
  • agmilmoe, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2Nothing like a good user experience design to make people want to use your airline. (Product, etc.) I'm willing to spend an extra few bucks on a flight to not have it suck. We so often save a dollar and live with bad design. Life is to short to settle for crap!
  • WoollyMittens, on 10/10/2007, -0/+21Is one of the chat topics: "Please shut the kid up." ?

    It'd be wonderful to text the person in front of you: "Please return your seat to the upright position as you're spilling my meal over my lap."
  • chrisgeleven, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Wonder how they keep the prices low (some routes are cheaper then Southwest!). I can understand how Southwest does it since it is no frills flying...but this has just about everything you could want on a plane.
    • canewediggit, on 10/10/2007, -0/+9instead of conventional jet fuel the planes run on branson's good looks and charm
  • stuntant, on 10/10/2007, -3/+2As cool as it may be, over in England Virgin has been involved in price fixing.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6925397.stm
  • monknj80, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I looked at Virginair site and then i thought about my last 3 United Air Flights........no comparison, no competiton. I'm trying Virgin Air next time aroundand probably will never go back.
    • quaxon, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1goddamn i ***** hate united. in fact pretty much every american airliner is complete ***** now-a-days compared to all the international ones, even the ones from third world countries like mexico are MUCH better than ours. but ***** united especially.
      • heypetray, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Haha, my dad was a mechanic for United back in their prime (if they had one)

        The both of us agree with you. :D
  • shoovi, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Nice ;) I'd like to see that standard on regional European flights ;)
  • Meave, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2No flights to or from Atlanta?????
    WTF
    • skilgore, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0I was wondering the same thing. I absolutely LOVE Virgin Airlines. I flew to Europe a few years ago in their "Upper class suite", and it was the most incredible airline experience ever. Even after 9 1/2 hours of flying, I did not want to get off the plane! If they open a hub in Atlanta, they will definitely be my first choice for flying. Their style is so innovative, and their Customer Service is EXCELLENT.
  • Bamborzled, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Wish they'd extend this to Canada. I might actually fly into the US if that were the case.
  • jtopliff, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5did you just ***** say shweet?
  • SAOSiN, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1I wonder how much it would be to fly over-seas, 200-300 bucks for a cheap seat and i'd fly like every two or three months. My last flight cost me almost 2k from Frankfurt, Germany to Denver, CO.
    • videographer, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0I fyou are looking for cheap overseas travel, don't look at Virgin Atlantic. Their fares are no lower than any others, and oftentimes are much higher.
  • Msoltanian, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1This will help all those people who are scared of flying. So much to do on board, you won't even think of being scared. Your mind is busy with other things. Not to mention, free cake. Sign me up
    • skilgore, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0On my flight on Virgin, I went to their little in-flight spa and got a professional hand massage. I also drank a couple glasses of some incredible French wine. Their food was awesome too! I tell ya, this airline is the best!
  • Warblade, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2I hope these things are durable. People can't have nice things. Individuals can, maybe, but not the general person. How long before these things break and it costs Virgin too much to replace them?
  • oceanbourne, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Oh my: they do have sweet rolls! ::squeee!::
  • kidboyblue, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Its gonna suck to sit in front of the guy who thinks he has to beat the touch screen, ever see the average person on a supermarket touch screen?
  • gromnie, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2Am I the only person on the planet who hates in-seat touch screens?

    I was on a flight coming back from Europe a few years back where the old lady in the seat behind me couldn't figure out a light touch was as good as slamming her finger into the screen. While I was trying to sleep, all I got was a constant WHAM WHAM WHAM into the back of my head.

    I eventually snapped and loudly threatened to break her damned finger. This certainly didn't get me any cool points, but on the plus side she did stop using the screen.
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