Richard Branson is a damned genius. That's why I consciously bypassed conveniently located Reagan-National Airport to fly to Los Angeles on Tuesday evening via Virgin America from Dulles International Airport, which is quite a haul from downtown D.C. I was tired of crisscrossing the country on the big, boring airlines and needed something fresh and new -- and boy, did Branson deliver.
From the time I boarded the plane, I knew I was in for a treat. The "mood lighting" blanketed the cabin in a pinkish-purplish hue and I made my way to my surprisingly comfortable coach seat (It's worth noting that the first class recliners are equipped with a massage feature). The safety video was kitschy and the on-board announcements were casual and friendly.
Now, comes the good part (and the part that makes this blog post a bit relevant for Tech Daily Dose) -- the in-flight technology smorgasbord. Everything a passenger needs for a 5+ hour flight from Washington to California is contained in a nifty little seatback touch-screen monitor/remote control. The system is known as Red, it's still in beta version and it totally rocked my world.
Watch: There are new release movies, music videos, live television, on-demand premium TV and multi-lingual TV offerings. Plus, as an extra special treat for techies: videos from popular blog BoingBoing. I watched "Across the Universe" for $7 because I missed it in theaters. Oh and there's a program guide that lets you set reminders for upcoming TV shows and Google Maps to let you know where you are in the sky.
Listen: The music player boasts an impressive track listing from a variety of genres and artists -- and passengers can create their own playlists that can be revived on future flights. Radio stations include rock, alternative, hip-hop, jazz and many others. If you're a fan of Cantonese or Mandarin pop music, they've got that too.
Play: Games, games and more games. I'm not a gamer but those who enjoy the pastime can flip over the TV/music remote control to reveal a fully functional game controller. There's "Doom," "Tower Toppler," "Penguin Command" and other odd and presumably amusing diversions.
Talk: There's seat-to-seat chat, a chat room, e-mail, text messaging. The code of conduct says: "Conversations in this area are with real people, so please be courteous and use good judgment." I'm not sure if begging first class passengers for a glass of champagne and some time in their massage chair would be considered poor judgment so I refrained.
Eat: Order drinks, snacks, meals from the comfort of your seat. Simply select, swipe a credit card and enjoy.
Read: I'm not sure what this function will offer but it's not yet available.
Shop: This function also wasn’t up and running.
Finally, about halfway through this post my laptop battery started to die -- and miraculously I located the power source under my chair, plugged in and was back in business. If/when they start offering high-speed Internet, I will be officially hooked on this airline.
That, my friends, is why Richard Branson is a damned genius.
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Responded on July 29, 2009 4:58 PM
Lynn
I just arrived in LA using the same Virgin America (VA) flight. I must say I was very impressed with the overall journey that VA supplied, but what really got me was this one radio station. I'm a huge house (dance) music fan and the station did not disappoint me, in fact, it surprised me. I've flown other airlines that have a dance station but the VA just blew them out of the sky, and that's a bad way to compare airlines! But it was more than the music, the crew was very helpful in every way. Even the check-in and gate crew was over the top! Delta, United, and the others should start to step up there game before VA knocks this one out of the park.
Responded on July 29, 2009 4:57 PM
Lynn
I just arrived in LA using the same Virgin America (VA) flight. I must say I was very impressed with the overall journey that VA supplied, but what really got me was this one radio station. I'm a huge house (dance) music fan and the station did not disappoint me, in fact, it surprised me. I've flown other airlines that have a dance station but the VA just blew them out of the sky, and that's a bad way to compare airlines! But it was more than the music, the crew was very helpful in every way. Even the check-in and gate crew was over the top! Delta, United, and the others should start to step up there game before VA knocks this one out of the park.