The airlines celebrate halloween

by Grant Martin on

Oh, to be part of the airline industry. As we recently saw in great detail, Southwest Airlines takes the holiday very, very seriously. Out at their headquarters on Friday, I was privy to a celebration of epic proportions — several departments decked out completely in costume and decoration, some with meticulous construction and weeks put into planning. I heard that some departments hired professional choreographers to coordinate their dance moves. More on that later this week though.Elsewhere in the industry, Virgin America also hosted a smaller celebration at their headquarters in California, complete with over-the-top costumes and decorations. I also heard that some Northwest employees dressed up as Delta employees. Wild.

In other news, the candy jar at my office has been empty for about a month now. I’ll cross my fingers on the Halloween celebrations getting kicked off next year.

Social network jokes result in 13 Virgin Atlantic employees being fired

by Scott Carmichael on

13 Virgin Atlantic cabin crew members have found themselves in hot water (and without a job) after they posted inappropriate jokes about their employer on social networking site Facebook.

The jokes involved the crew members calling passengers “chavs” (the British equivalent of the US Redneck) and making jokes about faulty engines that had to be replaced 4 times a year. Other jokes claimed that Virgin Atlantic planes were full of cockroaches.

The Facebook group was setup by crew members based out of Gatwick airport. When Virgin Atlantic discovered the Facebook group, all 13 members were fired and the Facebook group was removed.

While the punishment may seem a little harsh, Virgin Atlantic is in a very competitive market, where jokes like this could cost a significant amount of money.

Virgin Atlantic has a more friendly (and official) Facebook page, with close to 7000 friends as well as links to their hottest deals and some video footage from a Virgin Atlantic cameo in the newest Bond movie.

Guess who else has been naughty in the air?


Virgin America Delays Start of Service from O’Hare

by Josh Lew on

Virgin America has been flirting with Chicago O’Hare for several months now. The airline had hoped to launch its service in the fall of ’08, but, obviously, that isn’t going to happen. Now Virgin is telling fans that the first take-off from the famously busy airport will be in Spring of next year. Fair enough. It hasn’t been a good year for airlines. Why not back off and wait for calmer skies?

But the delay has nothing to do with economics. At least, that’s what Virgin is saying. Rather, the failure to launch from ORD is due to the high demand for gates at the airport. O’Hare was not able to provide the gates that Virgin wanted because they are already being used. That is not a new scenario for those familiar with the airport. Even hyped and hip airlines like Virgin have to wait in line like everyone else. But don’t fear, jet-setting hipsters of Chicago, Virgin America will be losing its O’Hare cherry soon enough.

Which airlines let you watch porn?

by Mike Barish on

Last month, fellow Gadling blogger Grant Martin wrote about airlines filtering in-flight wireless content. Now MSNBC has an article on exactly which airlines are filtering adult content. So, who is letting you join the mile high club alone?

Well, if you are flying on American or Delta, be prepared to pack your own copy of Juggs, because they have asked their wireless provider, AirCell, to filter adult content. Coincidentally, these are two of my least favorite airlines to fly. Southwest is currently testing the use of in-flight wi-fi and their partner, Row 44, will also be filtering content. You’re now free to move about the country. But not your own genitals.

Air Canada will begin offering wireless next spring and their spokesman said that it is too early to comment on filtering. Their fellow hosers at Alaska Airlines have no immediate plans to filter content but will include “a few key bullets in the terms of service area” that will outline what they mean by “appropriate use.” That sounds hot.

Meanwhile, those rebels over at Virgin America have no plans to filter their wireless access. And they also do not filter their seatback touch-screen entertainment. It’s basically a flying peepshow. Kudos to you, Sir Richard Branson. I’d give you a high five, but I think I know where your hand has been.

So there you have it. Armed with this knowledge, your laptop and a 3 oz. container of hand lotion, you are now prepared to indulge in whatever internet habits you deem appropriate while crammed inside a flying tube. Remember: The only safe travel is self travel.

More improvements to Virgin America’s operations

by Grant Martin on

As Virgin America evolves out of their infancy, they’re starting to tweak some of their operations to make frequent passengers happy, cater to niche interests and maximize profits. Over the last few weeks the airline has unrolled a series of small changes to their operations; we’ll fire through them quick for you so you can stay on top of things.

  • Redemption of EleVAte points: Virgin America’s frequent flyer program, EleVAte, has so far allowed you to accrue, but not spend points. The big advantage in this program among others is that members should be able to spend their miles on any flights – there won’t be any blackout dates that prevent you from traveling on weekend/evening/holiday flights.
  • Main Cabin Select: If you sit in the bulkhead or exit rows, in addition to the extra leg room you’ll enjoy the amenities of first class: movies, food, premium checkin and the like. And yes, it does cost a bit more.
  • Fully refundable fares: While the vast majority of us don’t use fully refundable fares, the 10% of people that do book the tickets haven’t been able to do so thus far. Fully refundable fares, while significantly more expensive than a regular “economy” fare give one the ability to change/return tickets at the last minute, which is why they’re good for business travelers on tight schedules. Adding this flexibility now lets Virgin America try to capture some of that business traveler market. Note, that to get fully refundable fares you still have to call the airline to book — they have yet to integrate that feature into their booking engine.

These small changes should add further leverage to the product that VA has been building and eventually broaden their market share – in case fun mood lighting and top notch In-Flight-Entertainment weren’t enough. I’m glad that the airline is adapting and responding to user feedback and desires.

Now all they need to do is start flying to the Midwest and I’m sold.