Virgin America

PHL-LAX and LAX-PHL - 6/15/2012 and 6/18/2012 - Check in was fast and the plane itself is great. Love the back seat TV and headphones. Headphones you can buy for $2.00 and they come in blue silver and pink. My girls loved them. The main complaint I have about this airline is that on both trips the flight attendants were rude and unfriendly. Very bad customer service! They should have better schooling for their attendants. This is the first and probable the last time I would travel with them if they don't correct this. Southwest is usually what I fly and their flight attendants are awesome.

LAX-SFO and SFO-ORD in early April 2012. Positives: check-in service at both airports was very professional. The planes were very clean the seats comfortable and there was more legroom than expected. On the other hand departure from LAX was delayed and there was very little information about the revised departure time and even which gate to wait at. Once onboard we waited for over one hour with very little explanation for the delay. Similarly on arrival at ORD the plane parked for over 45 minutes with very little explanation about when we could expect to disembark. I found that lack of communication to be quite frustrating and quite a contrast to the efficient experience in the air. I would use them again provided the price was right.

SFO-LAX. Very nice terminal at SFO and efficient boarding process. Onboard we sat at the gate for about 40 min. No word from the pilots/crew on the delay. Crew seemed aloof and didn't really care aside from the drink service. The flight was over an hour late arriving at LAX but the staff didn't seem to notice. I don't know if it is VA thing to keep passengers in the dark about delays flight time arrival time etc but it seems like a policy that assumes their passengers are idiots and won't realize things are behind if they don't mention they are.

One-way PHL-SFO. Since the airline was still new to Philadelphia the check-in line was completely empty. Onboard they offered noise cancelling headphones. The aircraft itself was new. The seats still pretty comfortable leather seats were a little stiff and wouldn't recline. The inflight entertainment seriously lagged when trying to play any of the games however the music and movie selection made up for it. Finally the staff were not only enthusiastic but they actually took the time to remember and refer to everyone by name.

JFK to LAX. Airplane was clean and looked good but my husband's seat kept falling into the gentleman behind him and then he had to manually bring it upright. Entertainment system was complicated. The crew were polite however the food was horrible and served cafeteria style. There was apparently a leak through the departure door. My feet were frozen solid. When the attendant was asked she said "hold them up" and laughed.

Two excellent flights from SEA-SFO then SFO-IAD a week later. SFO-IAD: easy check-in at home an efficient and airy terminal in SFO generally happy and helpful employees and a variety of entertainment options. I print boarding passes at home and don't check in luggage so I can't comment on the airport check-in process. My only gripe is the practice of blocking aisle and window seats from advance seat selection essentially forcing the customer to pay extra for "premium" or exit row seats. On both flights I managed to change to window seats so I know the airlines are deliberately blocking them in the hopes of generating extra revenue. Employees are aloof.

Round trip from LAX to JFK. In both cities the check-in and boarding procedure was confusing and chaotic with extremely long wait times. There appears not to be enough ticket agents. They are really cutting corners with customer service. While I was waiting in the ticketing line for 45 minutes an agent kept warning us that the plane gates would close 10 minutes before departure. Yet there was no concern for getting the line to move faster. It was very disorganized boarding the plane and we could not hear the agent's instructions. Employees are aloof.

San Francisco to San Diego in so-called "First" class. Compared to other North American carriers much newer airplane and better seat. However nothing special if you apply international standards. Only 3 guests in First but dedicated stewardess preferred to read a magazine rather than pay attention to customers we had to press the call button whenever we wanted anything. Flight was around 90 mins but 30 mins before landing they stopped serving alcohol. Snack platter was lovely for this short flight but drinks pretty cheap and nasty.

Flew 'main cabin select' from LAX to SFO. Flight was delayed. Seats were reassigned due to equipment change even though it was the exact same configuration. Main Cabin Select includes dedicated overhead compartment. We boarded ahead of the rest of the main cabin and put our blazers in the overhead compartment. Flight attendant told us it was a full flight and our coats had to go on the floor in front of us. (What happened to “dedicated overhead compartment?”) Flight attendants were aloof and came across as uncaring even on a 55-minute flight (that was delayed over 3 hours).

PSP-SFO-LAX overnight in San Francisco. On each flight ground and cabin staff were friendly professional and considerate. Seats were comfortable and I found many no-cost entertainment options. Non-alcoholic drink service was good in that they leave the drink can or give a generous filling as opposed to my previous experiences on similar carriers. Aircraft was well maintained and the ambience soothing with the cabin lighting.