Virgin America names new plane after Twitter hashtag

Virgin America increased its fleet to 39 planes last week, and the social media savvy company has decided to brand the newest plane after a Twitter hashtag: #nerdbird.

“For all our social media fans and followers, this bird’s for you!” announced the airline on their Facebook page. After three days in the air, the social media buzz is still soaring: travelers continue to tweet about the plane upon boarding and many are still announcing their hopes to take to the skies in the plane using the hashtag.

Virgin America tells Mashable that “nerdbird” is what the company’s regulars call flights between San Francisco and Boston, a commute often traveled by tech industry guests that the plane will fly. Other Virgin America plane names include Jefferson Airplane, the first plane christened in the fleet, and Air Colbert, named after comedian Stephen Colbert.

[Photo courtesy Virgin America]