Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Virgin America shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Virgin America offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Virgin America at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Virgin America? Wrong! If the Virgin America is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Virgin America then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Virgin America? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Virgin America and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Virgin America wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Virgin America then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Virgin America site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Virgin America, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Virgin America, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
{{Infobox_Airline |airline=Virgin America|logo=Virgin America logo.png|fleet_size=12|destinations=5|IATA=VX|ICAO=VRD|callsign=REDWOOD|company_slogan=|parent=VAI Partners LLC
Virgin Group|key_people=Fred Reid ([CEO)
Donald J. Carty (
Chairman of the Board)|hubs=
San Francisco International Airport that began service on [8 August 2007. The airline's stated aim is to provide low-fare, high-quality service for "long-haul point-to-point service between major metropolitan cities on the Eastern and West Coast seaboards". " On the Record: Fred Reid,"
The San Francisco Chronicle,
March 19 2006.
San Francisco International Airport is Virgin America's principal base of operations.
Virgin America, though the brainchild of British entrepreneur Richard Branson, is a U.S. airline. By law, no more than 25% of a US airline may be owned by foreign interests and must be under the "actual control" of U.S. citizens;See " Actual Control of U.S. Air Carriers" (Supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking), 71
Federal Register 26425, May 5
2006. VAI Partners LLC owns 75% of the capital stock and is responsible for appointing two-thirds of the voting members of the board of directors. The remaining 25% of the company is owned by Virgin Group, which also licenses the Virgin brand to the airline. Virgin America is separate from
Virgin Atlantic Airways and as such is under no obligation to work with Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Blue,
Virgin Nigeria Airways,
Virgin Galactic or any other companies that share the Virgin brand name.
Approval process
In early 2004,
Virgin Group announced its intent to start a new, U.S.-based low-fare airline it was calling "Virgin USA." After considering Boston, Washington, D.C., New York and San Francisco as headquarters for the new airline, it announced on June 4 2004, that its flight operations center would be located at San Francisco International Airport and its corporate headquarters would be located in New York City." SFO Lands New Carrier Virgin USA — 1,500 Jobs; Airline Sets Sights On Low-fare Market; Corporate Center To Be Based In N.Y.,"
The San Francisco Chronicle,
June 5 2004. At the time, Virgin USA expected to be flying by mid-2005.On
June 16 2004, the airline was officially named "Virgin America." It also announced its U.S. management team and that its fleet would consist of Airbus planes." Virgin To Buy Airbus Airplanes; Branson Names Carrier; Executive Lineup Announced,"
The San Francisco Chronicle,
June 16 2004. Although plans seemed to be moving along well, the new airline had trouble finding U.S. investors willing to gamble on a new airline, given the state of the U.S. airline industry. Virgin America announced in April 2005 that it was delaying its first flights until 2006 at the earliest." Start Of Virgin America Delayed; Branson's Airline Apparently Needs More Investors,"
The San Francisco Chronicle,
April 9 2005.
On
December 8, 2005, Virgin America announced that it had secured $177.3 million in funding and submitted the required U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) certificate application. The company also announced that its headquarters would be moved from New York City to Burlingame, California, in the
San Francisco Bay Area and that regulatory approval would take from six to 12 months." Taking To The Air: Low-fare Startup Virgin America Says It Has The Funding To fly,"
The San Francisco Chronicle, December 9 2005. However, the application was denied by the Department of Transportation on December 27 2006." Virgin America gets the no-go,"
The San Francisco Chronicle,
December 28 2006.
Virgin then proposed that the airline be restructured, with the voting shares held by a trust approved by the DOT, and with only two Virgin Group directors on the eight-person board. In addition to removing the Virgin Group's veto and consent rights, Virgin America said that it would consider removing Richard Branson from the board, and possibly even dropping the "Virgin" brand entirely." Virgin Group makes concessions to get Virgin America flying,"
Air Transport World, January 19, 2007. The company was also prepared to remove CEO Fred Reid "should the DOT find that necessary."Aviation Week and Space Technology, January 22, 2007, p. 16.
On
March 20 2007, The U.S. DOT tentatively cleared Virgin America to fly. However in order to get full permission Virgin America must still change its business structure by enacting several reforms specified by the DOT, these include replacing Fred Reid as CEO and limiting the influence of Virgin Group over Virgin America's operations. United States Department of Transportation ruling Later, Virgin America attempted to get the DOT to reverse its demand that Fred Reid be fired, but was ready to implement the rest of the changes." Virgin America fights to keep CEO Reid,"
Air Transport World,
April 12 2007. A speech given by Branson at the end of the airline's inaugural flight, however, revealed that Reid was legally unable to retain his position as CEO of Virgin America.
On
May 18 2007, The U.S. DOT granted final approval for Virgin America to begin operations. The airline conformed with all conditions specified from the tentative approval on March 20 2007. However, CEO Fred Reid will only be allowed to retain his position until six months after the airline certification. The airline planned a mid-summer launch that occurred in August 2007. " Virgin America given green light,"
Unregistered News, May 20 2007.. Fred Reid was allowed to stay an extra three months as a consultant (in addition to six months as CEO) but the airline has asked that he be allowed to remain as CEO during the entire nine month period. World Breaks, Aviation Week and Space Technology, September 17, 2007, p. 24
On
July 11 2007, The U.S. DOT granted approval for Virgin America to sell tickets in advance of their launch. The airline began selling tickets on
July 19 2007.
The airline made its inaugural SFO/JFK flight on
August 8, 2007, as well as its SFO/LAX flight. Its inaugural LAX/JFK flight was on
August 29, 2007.
Support and opposition
During the approval process, there were many supporters of both sides of the debate. City and state representatives led the support for the airline. Arguments by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Letter from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to Deputy U.S. Secretary of Transportation,
April 20 2006.and San Francisco Mayor
Gavin Newsom Statement of approval from Mayor Newsom, March 20 2007.included opinions that Virgin America would create jobs and have other economic benefits for the San Francisco Bay Area.
The biggest opposition came from the Air Line Pilots Association (a national aviation labor union) and U.S. "legacy" airlines (led by
Houston-based
Continental Airlines). The review of Virgin America's DOT certificate application was prolonged because of this opposition. The opponents' strategy was to try to block or delay approval by claiming that Virgin America will not be under U.S. ownership or control. By filing motions that Virgin America's responses to inquiry were not sufficient to prove that the airline is a "U.S. citizen", the application opponents urged the DOT to require Virgin America to produce additional documentation.See " Virgin America Inc. - Certificate - Interstate Scheduled Air Transportation", U.S. DOT Docket OST-2005-23307.
Destinations
California
:Virgin America will compete with
United Airlines (a legacy carrier that provides substantial long-haul domestic service from San Francisco) and with
Southwest Airlines and
JetBlue Airways, low-cost carriers that serve all three
San Francisco Bay Area airports.
District of Columbia
See Virginia for Washington, D.C. service
Nevada
New York
Virginia
Fleet
Virgin America's fleet will consist of 34 Airbus
Airbus A320 and Airbus A320 airliners (19 purchased, 15 leased) that will bear the Virgin logo.filler Virgin America received their first A320 on February 24
2006.
Virgin America is also soliciting the public's help to name their aircraft.See www.nameourplanes.com On October 11, 2006, the first aircraft was christened
Jefferson Airplane after the San Francisco band. Former lead singer Grace Slick christened the plane along with San Francisco Mayor
Gavin Newsom and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The two inaugural flights on
August 8, 2007, were on A320s named
Air Colbert, named after comedian Stephen Colbert, and
California Dreaming. Other upcoming names include
Mach Daddy,
Virgin & Tonic,
An Airplane Named Desire,
Jane (as in Plane Jane) and
Unicorn Chaser. Name Wire: August 09, 2007
In late February 2007, the airline announced that it would lease some of its fleet to other carriers on a short-term basis. Virgin America Leasing Planes to Others (Reuters: February 23, 2007)
The Virgin America fleet consists of the following aircraft as of September 2007: FAA.gov Virgin America Certification and Fleet Information
{]| 2
(6 orders)| 118 (8/110)| 2 leased to [Skybus Airlines| 10
(6 orders)| 146 (8/138)||}
Cabin
First Class
First Class is offered on all flights and all aircraft types. Seats offer 55 inches of pitch as well as 28 inches of width. Passengers aboard this class receive complimentary meals, refreshments, and alcoholic beverages. All seats are equipped with a personal
in-flight entertainment (IFE) system which offers free live satellite television, free movies, a selection of games, power-ports, adjustable headrests, a massaging function, and various recline controls.
Main Cabin
The Main Cabin is offered on all flights and all aircraft types. Seats offer 32 inches of pitch as well as 19.7 inches of width, while being 1.5 inches thick. Passengers aboard this class can purchase snacks, meals and alcoholic beverages. All seats are equipped with a IFE system which offers free live satellite television, pay-per-view movies, a small selection of free games as well as a larger selection of games for purchase, power-ports, and adjustable headrests.
References
External links
- Virgin America Official website
- V-Flyer Customer created community site
- Virgin America Flight Review
{{Infobox_Airline |airline=Virgin America|logo=Virgin America logo.png|fleet_size=12|destinations=5|IATA=VX|ICAO=VRD|callsign=REDWOOD|company_slogan=|parent=VAI Partners LLC
Virgin Group|key_people=Fred Reid ([CEO)
Donald J. Carty (Chairman of the Board)|hubs=
San Francisco International Airport that began service on [8 August 2007. The airline's stated aim is to provide low-fare, high-quality service for "long-haul point-to-point service between major metropolitan cities on the Eastern and West Coast seaboards". " On the Record: Fred Reid,"
The San Francisco Chronicle,
March 19 2006. San Francisco International Airport is Virgin America's principal base of operations.
Virgin America, though the brainchild of British entrepreneur Richard Branson, is a U.S. airline. By law, no more than 25% of a US airline may be owned by foreign interests and must be under the "actual control" of U.S. citizens;See " Actual Control of U.S. Air Carriers" (Supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking), 71
Federal Register 26425,
May 5 2006. VAI Partners LLC owns 75% of the capital stock and is responsible for appointing two-thirds of the voting members of the board of directors. The remaining 25% of the company is owned by Virgin Group, which also licenses the Virgin brand to the airline. Virgin America is separate from
Virgin Atlantic Airways and as such is under no obligation to work with Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Blue,
Virgin Nigeria Airways,
Virgin Galactic or any other companies that share the Virgin brand name.
Approval process
In early 2004,
Virgin Group announced its intent to start a new, U.S.-based low-fare airline it was calling "Virgin USA." After considering Boston, Washington, D.C., New York and San Francisco as headquarters for the new airline, it announced on June 4
2004, that its flight operations center would be located at San Francisco International Airport and its corporate headquarters would be located in New York City." SFO Lands New Carrier Virgin USA — 1,500 Jobs; Airline Sets Sights On Low-fare Market; Corporate Center To Be Based In N.Y.,"
The San Francisco Chronicle, June 5
2004. At the time, Virgin USA expected to be flying by mid-2005.On
June 16 2004, the airline was officially named "Virgin America." It also announced its U.S. management team and that its fleet would consist of Airbus planes." Virgin To Buy Airbus Airplanes; Branson Names Carrier; Executive Lineup Announced,"
The San Francisco Chronicle, June 16 2004. Although plans seemed to be moving along well, the new airline had trouble finding U.S. investors willing to gamble on a new airline, given the state of the U.S. airline industry. Virgin America announced in April 2005 that it was delaying its first flights until 2006 at the earliest." Start Of Virgin America Delayed; Branson's Airline Apparently Needs More Investors,"
The San Francisco Chronicle, April 9 2005.
On
December 8,
2005, Virgin America announced that it had secured $177.3 million in funding and submitted the required U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) certificate application. The company also announced that its headquarters would be moved from New York City to Burlingame, California, in the
San Francisco Bay Area and that regulatory approval would take from six to 12 months." Taking To The Air: Low-fare Startup Virgin America Says It Has The Funding To fly,"
The San Francisco Chronicle, December 9 2005. However, the application was denied by the Department of Transportation on December 27 2006." Virgin America gets the no-go,"
The San Francisco Chronicle,
December 28 2006.
Virgin then proposed that the airline be restructured, with the voting shares held by a
trust approved by the DOT, and with only two Virgin Group directors on the eight-person board. In addition to removing the Virgin Group's veto and consent rights, Virgin America said that it would consider removing Richard Branson from the board, and possibly even dropping the "Virgin" brand entirely." Virgin Group makes concessions to get Virgin America flying,"
Air Transport World, January 19, 2007. The company was also prepared to remove CEO Fred Reid "should the DOT find that necessary."Aviation Week and Space Technology, January 22, 2007, p. 16.
On March 20 2007, The U.S. DOT tentatively cleared Virgin America to fly. However in order to get full permission Virgin America must still change its business structure by enacting several reforms specified by the DOT, these include replacing Fred Reid as CEO and limiting the influence of Virgin Group over Virgin America's operations. United States Department of Transportation ruling Later, Virgin America attempted to get the DOT to reverse its demand that Fred Reid be fired, but was ready to implement the rest of the changes." Virgin America fights to keep CEO Reid,"
Air Transport World, April 12
2007. A speech given by Branson at the end of the airline's inaugural flight, however, revealed that Reid was legally unable to retain his position as CEO of Virgin America.
On
May 18 2007, The U.S. DOT granted final approval for Virgin America to begin operations. The airline conformed with all conditions specified from the tentative approval on
March 20 2007. However, CEO Fred Reid will only be allowed to retain his position until six months after the airline certification. The airline planned a mid-summer launch that occurred in August 2007. " Virgin America given green light,"
Unregistered News,
May 20 2007.. Fred Reid was allowed to stay an extra three months as a consultant (in addition to six months as CEO) but the airline has asked that he be allowed to remain as CEO during the entire nine month period. World Breaks, Aviation Week and Space Technology, September 17, 2007, p. 24
On
July 11 2007, The U.S. DOT granted approval for Virgin America to sell tickets in advance of their launch. The airline began selling tickets on
July 19 2007.
The airline made its inaugural SFO/JFK flight on
August 8, 2007, as well as its SFO/LAX flight. Its inaugural LAX/JFK flight was on
August 29, 2007.
Support and opposition
During the approval process, there were many supporters of both sides of the debate. City and state representatives led the support for the airline. Arguments by California Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger Letter from California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to Deputy U.S. Secretary of Transportation, April 20
2006.and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Statement of approval from Mayor Newsom, March 20 2007.included opinions that Virgin America would create jobs and have other economic benefits for the San Francisco Bay Area.
The biggest opposition came from the Air Line Pilots Association (a national aviation labor union) and U.S. "legacy" airlines (led by Houston-based Continental Airlines). The review of Virgin America's DOT certificate application was prolonged because of this opposition. The opponents' strategy was to try to block or delay approval by claiming that Virgin America will not be under U.S. ownership or control. By filing motions that Virgin America's responses to inquiry were not sufficient to prove that the airline is a "U.S. citizen", the application opponents urged the DOT to require Virgin America to produce additional documentation.See " Virgin America Inc. - Certificate - Interstate Scheduled Air Transportation", U.S. DOT Docket OST-2005-23307.
Destinations
California
- Los Angeles, California (Los Angeles International Airport)
- San Francisco, California (San Francisco International Airport) Hub
:Virgin America will compete with
United Airlines (a
legacy carrier that provides substantial long-haul domestic service from San Francisco) and with Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways, low-cost carriers that serve all three
San Francisco Bay Area airports.
District of Columbia
See Virginia for Washington, D.C. service
Nevada
New York
Virginia
Fleet
Virgin America's fleet will consist of 34 Airbus Airbus A320 and Airbus A320 airliners (19 purchased, 15 leased) that will bear the Virgin logo.filler Virgin America received their first A320 on
February 24 2006.
Virgin America is also soliciting the public's help to name their aircraft.See www.nameourplanes.com On October 11, 2006, the first aircraft was christened
Jefferson Airplane after the San Francisco band. Former lead singer
Grace Slick christened the plane along with San Francisco Mayor
Gavin Newsom and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The two inaugural flights on
August 8,
2007, were on A320s named
Air Colbert, named after comedian
Stephen Colbert, and
California Dreaming. Other upcoming names include
Mach Daddy,
Virgin & Tonic,
An Airplane Named Desire,
Jane (as in Plane Jane) and
Unicorn Chaser. Name Wire: August 09, 2007
In late February 2007, the airline announced that it would lease some of its fleet to other carriers on a short-term basis. Virgin America Leasing Planes to Others (Reuters: February 23, 2007)
The Virgin America fleet consists of the following aircraft as of September 2007: FAA.gov Virgin America Certification and Fleet Information
{]| 2
(6 orders)| 118 (8/110)| 2 leased to [Skybus Airlines| 10
(6 orders)| 146 (8/138)||}
Cabin
First Class
First Class is offered on all flights and all aircraft types. Seats offer 55 inches of pitch as well as 28 inches of width. Passengers aboard this class receive complimentary meals, refreshments, and alcoholic beverages. All seats are equipped with a personal
in-flight entertainment (IFE) system which offers free live satellite television, free movies, a selection of games, power-ports, adjustable headrests, a massaging function, and various recline controls.
Main Cabin
The Main Cabin is offered on all flights and all aircraft types. Seats offer 32 inches of pitch as well as 19.7 inches of width, while being 1.5 inches thick. Passengers aboard this class can purchase snacks, meals and alcoholic beverages. All seats are equipped with a IFE system which offers free live satellite television,
pay-per-view movies, a small selection of free games as well as a larger selection of games for purchase, power-ports, and adjustable headrests.
References
External links
- Virgin America Official website
- V-Flyer Customer created community site
- Virgin America Flight Review
