March 2009 Archives

You gots to give props to Virgin America: low fares, maximum service, flight attendants who seem to actually enjoy their work -- what's wrong with this picture? As soul immortal Edwin Starr might put it: Absolutely nothin' (Say it again)!

Why is Virgin America the better, 21st century air buggy these days? Creature comforts like 110v power outlets at every seat; 3000 mp3s to listen to; "Red," the in-flight entertainment center, with touch-screen access to flicks, television programming and a menu of actually edible food you can order from your seat without making a bloody nuisance of yourself. Coming next: in-flight broadband internet access.

It's also nice to know you're flying on brand new hardware -- in this case, the Airbus A320, with nice leather seats and plenty of legroom. They even have mood lighting that changes with the time of day -- no more fluorescent glare to blind you when it's time for a night landing. Routes keep expanding on both coasts: from San Diego to Seattle, LA and SF, Vegas and Orange County and NYC, DC and JFK, acronymically speaking. Lastly, all these creature comforts come at a postmodern low price: e.g., less than a hundred bucks roundtrip from Frisco to Seattle, less than $260 between Hollywood and the Big Apple.