Virgin America Takes to the Skies

by Jordan Yerman | August 9, 2007 at 08:43 am

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Globetrotting tech writer Xeni Jardin flew on Virgin America's virgin flight out of San Francisco, and turns in a rave review:

Much of the suck you're familiar with on other domestic airlines is absent, and there are a lot of nice little details that add up to a pleasant, smart experience.
[...]
Some simple spatial details are beautifully conceived. One of many small examples: those entertainment console box things that stick between your feet on other airlines, thieving precious legroom? They're under the floorboards here. Another example: there's a nice little ridge along the underside of those overhead compartments that serves as a grip, so you can pull yourself out of your seat to stand up.

I'm a huge fan of Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Blue (the Australian version): Like Singapore Airlines, Richard Branson's carrier has made a name for itself by doing simple things really well, especially in an industry characterized by inconvenience and poor value. We now just need Virgin to visit us up in Canada...

I'm not affiliated with Virgin, but I've flown with them quite a bit between NYC, London, Cape Town, Johannesburg, and throughout Australia. Their staff have always been really friendly, and this one time the flight attendants gave me a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream "just for smiling a lot". You can't hate that!