Inside Virgin America’s “Stay Golden” launch event (photos)

by Stephen Greenwood on

I looked around and tried to absorb what was unfolding before me.

VIP’s and Virgin employees mingled on the patio of the beachfront W Fort Lauderdale. Nearby, a reality TV crew set up a shot for a new series about the lives of Virgin America flight attendants. Lights and loud music infiltrated the senses. It was a perfect backdrop for television, even though it didn’t quite feel like reality.

And in a sense, it wasn’t reality; but merely a splash of Richard Branson’s reality.

Then, somewhere between the gold-suited synchronized swimmers, the beverages sprinkled with gold, and the musical performance from Santigold, it hit me: Virgin America is dedicated to (and very good at) one thing. They design brilliant experiences… and in their world, there’s no such thing as overindulgence.

The morning started with an early but high-energy flight out of San Francisco with press, contest winners, and CEO David Cush all onboard. I stepped into the cabin of the A319 and immediately appreciated the attention to detail in the environment.

Stylish mood lighting. Glossy white plastic seatbacks. Bright touchscreens. AC outlets at every seat. Fast (and temporarily free) wifi. I think I even overheard someone say “It’s like flying inside of an iPod!”.

Even the safety video was creative and entertaining; and apparently so different from the standard that the FAA had a hard time approving it. To me, that says it all. Virgin America knew from the beginning what type of experience they wanted to offer, and has executed that vision despite strict regulations and an unfavorable market.

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As the day went on, it soon became clear that the favorite buzzword was “startup”. Anybody from the company speaking about the airline referred to it as a startup, because it’s truly their advantage over the competition. They’ve been able to execute this vision by being nimble, building from the ground up, and yet staying in line with the ethos of the Virgin brand.

Many other airlines have fallen short with the in-flight experience because of a lack of vision or a reluctance to invest in overhauling their cabins. VX has done it right, and offers fares at the right price. Which is fine until you go wild with your credit card on the in-flight payment system; all on demand movies, food, and snacks cost a small fee, though live satellite TV and gaming is free.

Upon landing in Fort Lauderdale, our plane was met by Richard Branson and his billion dollar smile, calmly waving from the top of a water-spraying fire truck. It was a completely appropriate reception – why wouldn’t Richard Branson be on top of a fire truck to kick off the launch of two new routes?

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The disembarking was followed by speeches from the CEO, Branson, and FLL Airport authorities expressing their pleasure with Virgin America’s arrival. The tarmac was lined with music, models, press, a large crowd of spectators… and enough Patron for everyone. Nothing but fun.

The energy from the tarmac eventually transferred to the main event, where I had my moment of realization about Virgin America’s brilliance. I almost laughed at the thought of it. Had I ever heard of Jet Blue throwing elaborate parties to celebrate the launch of a new route? No. Is there anyone that could even try to pull this off like Branson could? Not with the same style.

Virgin has the sex appeal that few other corporations can match, and has certainly succeeded at bringing a unique and enjoyable experience to the low-cost domestic market.

Virgin America launches SFO/LAX to Ft. Lauderdale!

by Stephen Greenwood on

Greetings from 35,000 ft! Right now, we’re onboard Virgin America’s inaugural flight from San Francisco to Ft Lauderdale, which touches down in the Sunshine State at 3:30 PM.

Today’s expansion marks the tenth destination for Virgin America and the first connection from the Golden State to the Gold Coast. In celebration, Virgin America has brought along a handful of winners from their “Stay Golden America” competition, and will be donating $1 to budding entrepreneurs for every tweet containing the tag #HelpVirginUnite.

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This afternoon, there will be a tarmac reception from Richard Branson and CEO of Virgin America, David Cush. The event will conclude with a launch party hosted at the W Ft. Lauderdale – where Gadling will be posting full event coverage and getting the down-low on Virgin America’s expansion plans.

Be sure to track our feed for updates, photos, exclusive interviews, and reviews of the entire Virgin America experience.

Update: Check out our full coverage of the event – Article / Photos & Exclusive Video

New Virgin Atlantic iPhone app helps people with a fear of flying

by Katie Hammel on

I suffer from serious anxiety while flying. I’ve tried learning about the mechanics of flight, popping Xanax, I’ve even taken a flight lesson in an effort to cure my fear. Sometimes I can stay calm, but on other flights, for apparently no reason, I’ll suddenly have a panic attack. It’s more than a small problem.

For people like me, Virgin Atlantic has created a new iPhone app based on their Flying without Fear class. According to a press release, their course has a 98% success rate for helping fearful flyers cope. The iPhone app takes elements of the course (which recently helped Whoopi Goldberg manage her fear) and offers a mobile solution for use during the flight. Passengers can watch a video explanation of how planes work, read answers to frequently asked questions, and follow along with deep breathing and relaxation techniques.

There’s also a “fear attack” button for emergencies. The problem with that idea being, of course, that when I truly panic – shaking and hyperventilating – I don’t really have the capacity to hit my fear button and read and process the information. I’m too busy trying not to cry. But perhaps reviewing the information beforehand might help if a moment of panic strikes.

The Flying without Fear course usually costs about $350; the iPhone app is $4.99 in the iTunes store. Even if the app only helps a little, it sounds like a sound investment to me.

Plane Answers: Why can’t airlines wait at the gate vs. in a queue on the taxiway?

by Kent Wien on

Welcome to Gadling’s feature, Plane Answers, where our resident airline pilot, Kent Wien, answers your questions about everything from takeoff to touchdown and beyond. Have a question of your own? Ask away!

Mike asks:

Hello Kent,

There are times when I find myself on a plane that is waiting in the queue to depart and I wonder if this makes sense. After all, having 10 airplanes push from gates only to idle their engines for 20-30 minutes waiting to take off does not seem to be a good idea for an industry where fuel is the largest single cost.

Can you explain who decides when an aircraft pushes back and queues up to take off? Is there a reason that airplanes get in line to depart as opposed to just being assigned a number and waiting at the gate until it’s their turn (other than if the gate is needed for an arriving plane)?

It doesn’t really make sense, Mike. But some airports have adopted a gate hold program that does just what you’re talking about; hold airplanes at the gate until the line begins to clear out. London and Paris both use this technique. However, even after holding at the gate for 15 minutes to an hour, we still often find ourselves waiting in line for departure as we approach the runway. It’s simply a matter of the required spacing for departures combined with the number of flights scheduled to leave at the peak times that causes this.
There is also a concern by ATC that there may be no aircraft ready at the end of the runway for departure if they’re held at the gate at the last minute, which would result in even more inefficiency.

Other airports (especially in the U.S.) will advise flights of a ‘wheels up’ time, allowing the pilots to push back at their discretion as long as they can be ready by the time given by ATC. This works to some extent, but flight crews are paid only after they push back from the gate, so the incentive to begin taxiing early is something that admittedly factors into their decision.

To prevent this, our company has a system in place to start the pay clock for pilots and flight attendants once an ATC delay is given which, in theory, would eliminate this incentive. In practice, many pilots don’t trust the system to log the time or have been denied the extra pay in the past and would rather take the delay off the gate – possibly to an area where ATC will allow them to shut down the engines.

Richard Branson at Virgin made an attempt to think outside the box and looked into a tug system that could tow the airplanes to the end of the runway. Such a system could have saved hundreds of pounds of fuel per flight. Unfortunately, it was discovered that the extra wear and tear on the nose wheel would cost more than the savings generated by the reduced fuel burn.

Do you have a question about something related to the pointy end of an airplane? Ask Kent and maybe he’ll use it for next Monday’s Plane Answers. Check out his other blog, Cockpit Chronicles and travel along with him at work.

Virgin Atlantic rolls out the red carpet for its 25th Anniversary

by Jeremy Kressmann on

As both Grant and Scott have mentioned recently, Virgin Atlantic is celebrating its 25th year in operation. As we’ve come to realize here at Gadling, the team at Virgin Atlantic is never one to turn down an opportunity to party. This past Monday in New York City, the Virgin crew once again made good on this reputation for star-studded celebration, inviting friends and family together for a raucous soiree at the Tribeca Rooftop event space in celebration of more than 25 years in service.

On hand was a roster of celebrity attendees including airline founder Sir Richard himself as well as Samuel L. Jackson and some surprise musical acts (more on that shortly). Upon arrival, guests were invited to land a virtual Virgin Atlantic plane on the party’s flight simulator, play free old-school 1980’s arcade games, and plop themselves down in models of Virgin’s comfy business class seating arrangements. Upstairs was an open-air roofdeck with panoramic views of downtown Manhattan and the Hudson River. As the evening ramped up, attendees were treated to a surprise private concert by 80’s pop star Deniece Williams as well as some bombastic DJ moves by Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim.

In service of our dear readers and knowing what’s best in travel, the writers at Gadling forced themselves to stop by this fun little event to see what was up. Rest assured, we’ll invite you guys along for the fun next time. In the meantime, you can take a voyeuristic peek at the good times in our gallery below.

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