E-MAIL CHRIS   PRINT   2008 COLUMNS   ARCHIVES   SEARCH ARCHIVES A FIRST-CLASS RIDE ON VIRGIN AMERICA By Chris Barnett April 24, 2008 -- It was a first in 40-plus years of flying: A flight attendant unplugged my laptop power cord, wrapped it up, lifted my "rolling office" luggage from the overhead bin and stowed the cord and computer inside. She was about to heft the bag back up into the bin when I finally came to my senses, jumped and did the heavy lifting myself. I was stunned. This doesn't happen when you fly the Big Six. But it seems to be common practice up front on Virgin America, the nine-month-old U.S. outpost of Richard Branson's far-flung Virgin airline empire. Branson only owns 25 percent of Virgin America, but his fingerprints are everywhere. Virgin America is a discount carrier with style, some wonderfully fresh ideas--and a few brainstorms that are a pain in the rear for anyone over 50. Like JetBlue Airways in the beginning, most coach seats are packed with vacationers and families. Business travelers are just now discovering Virgin America. Smart move. The Big Six recently have canceled flights in triple-digit numbers; they often route you through hubs for time-delaying connections; they fly aging planes; and they have generally grumpy cabin crews who have suffered deep benefit and pay cuts. But Virgin America is flying new Airbus A320s and mostly nonstops to main airports in seven major cities. Just this month, it launched Los Angeles-Seattle flights with inaugural fares of $79 one-way in coach and $199 one-way in first class. On its transcontinental flights, Virgin Atlantic has been selling advance-purchase coach seats for as little as $123 one-way and first-class passage for as little as $799 one-way. Still, a low-cost airline with eight first-class, black-leather seats with 55 inches of legroom and 165 degrees of recline? Seems counter-intuitive. But they are delightfully comfortable and extremely popular--and there's talk of adding another row of first-class seats on each aircraft. On a recent roundtrip between San Francisco and Washington/Dulles, I flew coach outbound and first class home to get a sense of Virgin America's service from both ends of the plane. As I said, Virgin America has some great ideas. There are 12 shades of mood lighting in the cabin, pegged to the weather outside. When I boarded, the lighting was a soothing shade of lavender and it was sort of like entering a nightclub. The coach seats are also leather, six across in a familiar 3x3 configuration. There's a 9-inch video touch screen in every seatback. All seats on the plane have 110-volt power plugs, USB ports and RJ-45 Ethernet jacks. In first class, plugging into the power outlets is a breeze and no adapters are needed. In economy, however, the plugs are virtually under the seat and tough to access. The economy seating feels a bit tight, but with 32 inches of seat pitch, it's an inch more than the industry standard. The chairs have adjustable headrests with "wings." A plus: Seats in coach do not recline into your lap, so you can use a notebook computer. Given Branson's entertainment-industry background, it's no surprise that Virgin America has a snazzy entertainment system called Red. Unfortunately, I found it a little too snazzy. It offers 18 channels of live DishTV satellite programming, including CNN, ESPN, Fox and about 20 on-demand movies The system claims it offers "seat-to-seat chat messaging with split screen" so you can see who you're chatting up. System controls are on one side of the remote control; there's a keyboard on the other side. Virgin America says WiFi is coming, but it has not yet been installed. The system has Google maps, which, I found, do not track the progress of the flight in real time. Virgin America is a cash-free airline, which means you have to order your drink or a meal--they cost extra in coach--via Red and pay with your credit card. That sounds convenient, but it's a bit of a hassle. You can't just verbally order a Bloody Mary and pay the five bucks to the flight attendant. In fact, drinks on Virgin in coach have broken the $5 in-flight barrier; you're anteing up six dollars for a split of Wente Brothers wine and the same for a mixed drink. One coach passenger told me that he likes being able to plug in his laptop and not worry about running out of battery power. "The seat pitch is not as good as Jet Blue or [United's] Economy Plus, but it's way better than Delta's or American's seats." First class on Virgin America really is first class and probably the best value for money among U.S. airlines. Both the chicken quiche breakfast and the turkey wrap were fresh and there were fruit and yogurt appetizers. Strong coffee, too. The flight attendant who so willingly packed me up had worked for Saudi Arabian Airlines for 17 years and was a real pro. The three male flight attendants on my outbound flight seemed more like rookies and their smiles were rare. Members of the airline's Elevate frequent flyer program and first-class flyers can access the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounges, which are among the best offered by international carriers. The price of entry: $40. Not bad at all. Most Big Six carriers charge $50 for a day pass and some don't even offer free drinks for the price. Palo Alto interior designer Elizabeth Nordlinger told me that she thought the "price of the first-class ticket is really good. I also like the design of Virgin's planes and the presentation of the food that actually tastes really fresh." Nordlinger even remembers a first-class lunch when the dessert was crème brûlée and she asked for another plate. "When is the last time you asked for seconds of airline food?"

ABOUT CHRIS BARNETT Chris Barnett writes about business-travel tactics and strategies that save time and money and help minimize hassles. He is based in San Francisco and has written for a wide variety of major newspapers and national magazines. Barnett on Business Travel is syndicated by Copley News Service. THE FINE PRINT Joe Brancatelli makes this space available to Chris Barnett in the spirit of free speech and to help encourage editorial diversity and the wider discussion of important travel issues. All of the opinions and material in this column are the sole property of Barnett. This material may not be reproduced in any form without the express permission of Chris Barnett. A NOTE TO EDITORS Barnett on Business Travel is available biweekly through Copley News Service. Contact: Glenda Winders. This column is Copyright © 2008 by Chris Barnett. JoeSentMe is Copyright © 2008 by Joe Brancatelli. All rights reserved.