Happy Birthday Engadget! Enter to win free Virgin America tickets

by Grant Martin on

Our sister blog Engadget turns four this month and what better way to celebrate than to give stuff away? They’ve teamed up with one of our favorite airlines, Virgin America, to give away six pairs of tickets to anywhere the airline flies.

Soon you too can be cruising the mood-lit skies while you browse through hundreds of movies, mp3, videogames and sip martinis. Or you could relax into your leather seats, log into the inter-cabin chat room and try to hit on the hottie in 13b. It doesn’t matter to us, just tell them that Engadget sent you.

Just remember, Virgin America doesn’t fly to Middle America. If you do plan on entering in this contest, take a look at their route map and make sure that you’re in the proximity of one of their airports. After all, it doesn’t make much sense to buy a ticket from Portland to San Francisco just to take a free ticket to Seattle, right?

Check out Engadget’s birthday bonanza and enter for your chance to win.

Another Virgin America 20% off code

by Grant Martin on

If any of you blue-staters want to get out to the opposite coast over the next eight weeks or so, Virgin America just released another 20% off code that should make your journey less expensive.

While the market values the Virgin America’s tickets seem to be slightly above the norm across the board, this code should knock prices down a bit lower. As always though, double check Kayak.com to see what other carriers like Frontier and Jetblue are offering before you pull the trigger.

Even if the price is close, you may want to consider Virgin for the swanky mood lighting and inflight entertainment. I’ve been itching to give the airline a try myself, but have yet to break free from the constraints of Midwest living. Some day soon, I hope.

Use code FLYVIRGIN to take the discount off your ticket. Travel must be between Feb 18 and May 21.

Virgin America adds a little humor to safety video

by Catherine Bodry on

Do you pay attention to flight safety presentations? I rarely do, except when I’m right in front of the flight attendant and I don’t want to be rude. As a teacher, I know how difficult it is to be up in front of a lot of people who really could care less. But the safety videos? As if. I’m all about the in-flight mag and my Asia-purchased Valium melatonin before the plane even takes off.

But Virgin America’s new safety animation grabbed my attention — and held it. All the usual safety information is included, but the airline makes the whole 4-minute presentation a bit more palatable. Watch it and let us know what you think!

Virgin America Now Selling Tickets

by Justin Glow on

Finally, Virgin America has started selling tickets! One-way tickets between SFO and JFK are roughly $139-$199 which — considering the amenities on board — is pretty cheap. Here’s the upcoming route map:

  • San Francisco (SFO) to Los Angeles (LAX)
  • San Francisco (SFO) to New York (JFK)
  • New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) begins August 29.
  • San Francisco (SFO) to Washington D.C. (IAD) begins September 26.
  • San Francisco (SFO) to Las Vegas (LAS) begins October 10.
  • Los Angeles (LAX) to Washington D.C. (IAD) October 24.

To purchase tickets, head to Virgin America’s website.

Here are some other VA facts:

  • Virgin America is the first U.S. airline with mood lighting.
  • There are 3000 MP3s onboard every flight.
  • You can plug in to 110v power at every seat. (!!)
  • You can order fresh food when you want it, from the screen at your seat.
  • Red, the in-flight entertainment system, has over 25 pay-per-view Hollywood movies on demand.
  • Virgin America is a cashless airline. Place your order, swipe your card, and you’re done.

Also: Our sister site, Engadget, got a sneak peak at the planes a few months ago. Check out their wicked photo gallery.

(Thanks, David!)