Virgin America and Google are teaming up for another world’s first – an online puzzle challenge that can be played on the ground and in the air.
Their “day in the cloud” is scheduled for June 24th and will let players on the ground compete with people flying with Virgin America. For this event, access to the Gogo Inflight WiFi service will be free.
Prizes include free flights on Virgin America, HP Netbook computers and a 1TB of Google account storage for email and photos.
A different airline had been telling us that they would be first to reach this milestone, but as of today, Virgin America is indeed the first airline in the world with Internet access on every single one of their flights. Internet access is provided by the Gogo In-flight service.
To celebrate, Virgin America will be airing an air-to-ground Skype call on the Oprah Winfrey show this Thursday May 21st (don’t worry, Skype is normally blocked on all flights).
This call is another first for the in-flight Internet world. Previously, Virgin America broadcast a live Youtube video stream from the air, and in February 2009, they hosted a live national TV broadcast over the coast of Massachusetts. In addition to this, they were also the first airline to inform customers which flights would be WiFi enabled at the time of booking.
It is refreshing to see an airline take a new technology, and promote it this aggressively, and on behalf of geeks, workaholics and Twitter addicts from around the world, I’d like to thank Virgin America.
Internet service on Virgin America costs $9.95 for flights up to 3 hours and $12.95 for longer flights. Red-eye flights offer a discounted rate of just $5.95 and passengers with a WiFi enabled PDA or Smartphone can get online for just $7.95.
Things move mighty fast in the world of inflight Internet access. A mere 6 hours after I posted about a different airline claiming to be the first with (upcoming) fleetwide Internet access, Virgin America has stepped forward as the new winner.
In fact, in just 2 weeks (on Memorial day), Virgin America will have the Gogo Inflight service available on all their planes, making them the first airline in the country to reach this milestone.
It was only 6 months ago that we celebrated the launch of their service on board Virgin America flight 8001.
And sure, it may be easier to get your entire fleet equipped when you are not as large as some of the legacy carriers, but their commitment to providing Internet on all their flights is one that deserves a round of applause.
Until their entire fleet has been outfitted, you can check whether your upcoming flight will be equipped with the service when you book a ticket on their site, just look for the little “WiFi” icon in the flight lineup.
Some people say that the Virgin airline brand is the epitome of overindulgence and tackiness. That in pulling away from the legacy carriers they’re backing themselves into a velvet lined, absinthe swigging corner. That the millions and millions of dollars they’re putting into their brand Virgin America is money poorly spent on a shrinking, penny pinching economy.
Virgin America‘s inaugural flight and launch party to Orange County fits those descriptions perfectly.
Picture this scenario: You’re standing on the John Wayne Airport’s tarmac with 4 cameras, 12 batteries, a note pad, three pens and a laptop. Up pulls an Airbus A320, out of which Richard Branson galavants, careening down the steps with shorts and a surfboard, followed by MC Hammer and joined by members of Real Housewives of New York City. People rejoice. Branson dances around the tarmac, revelers drink champagne, pretty women flaunt their wiles and the celebration of service to Orange County begins.
Wouldn’t you know it? We loved every second.
%Gallery-51512% Though times are tough in the airline business, Virgin America is moving forward with its expansion across the country, rocking every city as it descends in a blur of activity and excitement.
Last week’s OC launch started with a party on the SNA tarmac, and as the inaugural flight from San Francisco drew closer you could feel the excitement building. Luckily, we got a great spot on the tarmac for a view of the incoming airplane.
With the full crew on the ground including an alarmingly old MC Hammer and several members from Real Housewives of New York, the party kicked into full swing as revelers enjoyed more free drinks, appetizers and complimentary spray tans.
The party then moved over to the Pacific Edge Villa, where the Gadling crew enjoyed airline hobknobbing and excitement until the wee hours of the morning. Hats off to Virgin America for putting together an amazing event.
Ready to check out the madness for yourself? Book your tickets at virginamerica.com.
While there have been many reports and videos highlighting the inflight entertainment provided by Virgin America, Gadling thought it would be interesting to find out what kind of technology was available to the pilots and flight attendants at Virgin America.
Take a look as pilots Gabe and Eddie and flight attendant Rebecca give Gadling a look at some of the gadgets available to them on board their A319.