Virgin America  Passenger Reviews and Virgin America Passenger Trip Reports

PAGE 1 2 3 4

VIRGIN AMERICA review :  2 February 2009 : by Brent Burney   (New Zealand)

LAX-JFK-LAX in First Class. On the return leg, I paid for Main Cabin Select and upgraded on the day; this was a very good deal. I would not have considered a First Class option on a short-haul flight, but transcontinental it was certainly worth it, not, though, for the food which, while free, was of diabolical quality! The cabin staff were outstanding on both trips - attentive, competent, friendly. The seats were very comfortable. I wished I'd followed advice on this website and booked row 2 rather than row 1. Bags off the carousel quickly at both airports (well, relatively quickly!). IFE system worked well (some minor fading in and out at times, but Virgin America can hardly be blamed for satellites circling the earth!). Overall, a very positive experience.

VIRGIN AMERICA review :  25 January 2009 : by Jeremy Denton   (USA)

Overall a good experience from online booking to online check in and beyond. Aircraft were new clean and took off on time. Crew very pleasant and IFE above the standards many. Although the satellite TV can get annoying as it loses connection quite often. Nice option to order food on the screen and delivered to you. A good airline that some of the legacy airlines could learn from. Finally the price if this trip $300.00 return was great value.

VIRGIN AMERICA review :  24 January 2009 : by J Rusnak   (USA)

I travel between SEA and LAX quite often, primarily on Alaska since I have frequent flier benefits there. I needed a last minute fare and Virgin's fare was half of Alaskas so I decided to give them a try. What a difference. Having live TV on inauguration day was amazing and both of my flights had been upgraded to support their new in-flight internet service. Speed was very fast and you just use your wireless connection on your laptop. I was about to turn my 2.5 hours of travel time into productive work. I was seated next to a woman and her younger son and he loved the games and shows for kids. I'm sure the experience would be even more worth it on a longer flight, but I recommend them even on the short run. My only negative observations were that it appears the shorter haul planes don't have power outlets at all seats as described online, but this was not an issue for me since my laptop lasts four hours. The other issue was that they only passed through the cabin once offering beverages where Alaska comes through twice on flights of this length.

VIRGIN AMERICA review :  21 January 2009 : by J Kenner   (USA)

I flew Virgin America on a recent trip between LAX and Seattle. I make this trip several times a year and have almost always used Alaska, but Alaska's service has gotten so bad over the last several years that I now refuse to fly them. I booked first class on VA for $480, which is a bargain given the service you get. A319 aircraft are new and clean, the first class seats have a 50" pitch - more than other domestic first class on any US airline. The food was better than any other US airline and the in-seat massage function is a nice touch. All staff were courteous and cheerful and flights were on time. My only gripe is that Virgin America's much touted "Red" inflight entertainment system still has a lot of bugs to work out and doesn't deliver what is promised. The satellite TV malfunctions often and there are always a handful of the 24 channels that are unavailable for the duration of the flight. The flight tracker sponsored by Google Maps causes the system to crash often, and opening a window only partway creates a huge glare on the screen. Also, their much advertised food-on- demand system through "Red" is only available on transcontinental flights, contrary to what VA tells its passengers during its pre-departure PA address. In sum, however, VA's domestic first class is superior to all other US airlines, with the exception of American's LAX/SFO-JFK premium service.

VIRGIN AMERICA review :  9 January 2009 : by L Reinstein   (USA)

LAX-JFK-LAX, A fun alternative to the legacy carriers. Check-in a breeze, though no lounges for First class pax. Ground personnel a bit sour, but FA's personable. Food quality high by current domestic standards. Portions are small, but they offer snacks throughout flight. Seat size and pitch are top-notch for domestic First class service. Entertainment options excellent, though my seatmate complained that live TV was not working on the return flight. A very good product that could maybe be a bit more luxurious for the money.

VIRGIN AMERICA review :  31 December 2008 : by N Akhavan   (USA)

I've flown Virgin America long distance and short distance. I have to say I prefer the long distance flights (like SFO-IAD) much more than short distance (SFO-LAX/LAS). Their cancellation and change policies are ridiculous, at $75 dollars per person for a flight that cost $100 round trip. Though I understand that you're essentially signing an agreement when you buy a flight, other airlines, like Southwest, offer MUCH better policies for the same price. Though the planes aren't as new and you don't have tv, etc., it's only an hour or so flight, so it doesn't matter. For a trip across the country where a lot of planning is involved and there's little chance of plans changing after you buy your flight, I would say Virgin's the way to go. But for shorter flights where driving could do just as well, or dates/times are likely to change, I will never fly Virgin America again. The hassle isn't worth the perks.

VIRGIN AMERICA review :  15 December 2008 : by Dave Robbins   (Australia)

SFO to LAS. By far the best experience I have had on a US domestic carrier. Comfortable seats and pleasant, modern cabin. Friendly staff both on the ground and in the air. IFE was excellent for short-haul however a few of the functions were a little buggy. Note that they are in the International terminal in SFO.

VIRGIN AMERICA review :  23 November 2008 : by C Richardson   (USA)

First Class LAS-SFO and back. Somewhat disappointed. Food portions for flight are adequate - if you are a small hamster. Snack from LAS-SFO was three shotglass-sized hors d'oeuvres, of prosciutto, mushrooms, etc which children will not eat. Flight attendant tried to get food from economy for the kids, but were out; gave them Pringles and a vending machine type pastry instead. No martinis (no Vermouth) but offered shaken Vodka as a substitute; wines were very dry (for food only apparently. if there had been any food). Seats were fine but in-flight entertainment must be well on its way to becoming an industry joke - on both flights two of our four headsets were inop and volume would not come on for some channels. SFO-LAS snacks consisted of weak coffee with two of those mini-muffins you can buy 18 of at supermarkets for $3.99. Flight attendant also stingy with sugar for coffee (??). First Class bathrooms used by most of the front end of economy class despite announcements not to - flight attendant sat idly by and watched (when not nodding off). In sum, Virgin America's seats may be worth a $50 upgrade if you need the extra room, otherwise forget it. If you spend full fare for First Class on VA you are criminally cheating yourself.

VIRGIN AMERICA review :  23 November 2008 : by Kenneth Fong   (USA)

I am a loyal customer of Virgin America and have flown them 6 times since their launch: SFO-JFK, SFO-IAD, SFO-LAS, SFO-LAX in both first class and economy, red-eye & morning departures. In general, I have found the overall customer experience to be excellent. To start with, I find their website to be easy to use and navigate; flight planning is very easy (unlike United's!). Check-in has always been speedy and I have never had to wait for more than 5 minutes at every airport. Departures have been timely, for the most part; and when they have not been, the staff takes great efforts to inform passengers to set expectations. Flight attendents have always been courteous, professional, and fun. The in-flight services (ability to order meals, TV, customization of music playlist, and especially, electrical plugs in every seat) are excellent. I like the ambient lighting (very calming), and the fact that the planes are consistently clean. I experienced some problems with the TV reception on a couple of flights, but it didn't upset me. I am looking forward to their internet service (I hope they expedite getting that service established). I would agree with others that compared to Southwest, the space between rows is shorter (I don't fly JetBlue). I can see how that could be noticeable for taller (or larger) persons, but since I'm only a 5'5" man, it's ok for me (one of the few advantages in life of being a short male!). Finally, the pricing is very competitive. I have signed up with their frequent flyer program, but have not cashed in on any free flights yet, so I don't know how easy or difficult that experience would be. They have a different rewards system / points collection process than legacy airlines (like United), and points collection is correlated with ticket price you paid (not distance). For instance, I've taken 2 SFO- JFK flights, but the points I got for each trip was very different because I paid different prices for each flight. Also, I believe that they do not yet allow point sharing with other airlines (like other Virgin carriers) hey should. All in all, I would highly recommend Virgin America. I have found it to be a great customer experience from end-to-end.

VIRGIN AMERICA review :  18 November 2008 : by Nancy Peters   (USA)

The comfort of the flight that we took from SF to NYC and back was great. The planes were on time. The reality is that on all fights now you are sandwiched in but the comfort of these seats allowed for more legroom and side comfort.

VIRGIN AMERICA review :  11 November 2008 : by T Cheung   (Hong Kong)

Round Trip SFO-LAS in first class. Very good and comfy seat. Better than most regional C seats in most Asian Airlines. Complimentary snack is tasty and the IFE has lots of variety. Service is excellent and even the Captain came and introduce himself to all F passengers - a thorough surprise for such a short domestic flight.

VIRGIN AMERICA review :  22 October 2008 : by J Campbell   (USA)

LAX to JFK and back. Live TV did not work. Flight attendant blamed it on the satellite. No apologies. They simply need to say that they will come down the aisle once with beverages, then serve screen-placed orders after that. Male flight attendant was pleasant. The females were 50+ and very confused. Not near the image VA promotes in advertisements. Both flights were on-time or early.

VIRGIN AMERICA review :  22 October 2008 : by P Tyrrell   (USA)

JFK-LAX. Excellent experience all around from bag drop to baggage claim in LA. Checked in online and at JFK it took all of 2 minutes to check bags, (no charge) and roll through security. Departed on time. In flight entertainment was awesome, (travelled with two teenagers and their blessing made this a home run). Seats very comfortable and the mood lighting was such an improvement over most domestic transcon in economy. Cabin crew was great, very friendly and in stylish uniforms that brought to mind the 60's and 70's. Arrived early and all bags arrived safely and quickly.

VIRGIN AMERICA review :  21 October 2008 : by W Corson   (USA)

SFO-LAX-IAD: Upgraded to first class for $285 (on top of paying only peanuts for the economy seat to begin with). Check in a breeze, flights on time and service was great. Although the food wasn't exactly gourmet, it was still a 3 course meal served on china with real cutlery. Excellent service. Saving the best for last though, the seats themselves are worthy of the extra cost. I'm a relative big guy (6 feet/250 pounds) and I had more than enough room. The seats are comfortable, the pitch generous (I believe 55 inches) and the recline and message features fantastic. Their economy product is superior to other carriers.