On my US Trip I decided to have a ride on Virgin America.
VX was being merged into Alaska Airlines during this period, so I thought I would get a flight whilst I had the chance in front of me and there was a route that worked perfectly!
I had to get back to LAX from Dallas and Virgin America seemed like an ideal choice given I had already done my AA mile-run earlier in the trip.
So with a mid-day flight I took the time to sleep in a bit then left my hotel which is just round the corner of the airport.
The security wait getting into the air side area was only 15-20 minutes and didn't take long. I got air side and found my Airbus A320 parked at the stand.
The A320 was N625VA "Jefferson Airplane" and it had recently come out the paint factory the previous week in full AS livery!
Getting on board and into the A320, it was still to be noted the VX interior remained despite the external make over.
So I would still get full Virgin style service on an AS plane!
Despite being majority Southwest operations, my AS A320 was not the only non-SW traffic operating commercial services at the time we left, we also had a Delta A320 & Alaska E-175 alongside.
Given that DAL is a lot quieter than DFW, we pushed back and made it off into the sky pretty quickly. Being airborne in less than 10 minutes after push back.
Cruising through Western America I tuned into a few episodes of Crime series "BONES" and also tracked the flight on the IFE in-flight map.
Taking $8 I bought myself a Virgin America snack box which I intended to keep after the flight as VX memorabilia would be nice to keep given they are going into history.
The flight went uneventful, but I took the time to get some cabin shots before the fleet would be re-fitted with AS interior design.
Also I ordered a cola drink on the plane using the IFE screen, a unique service offered by Virgin America.
We arrived on time at LAX and after a prolonged taxi we parked at our stand next to an Air Canada A321 in the new "Racoon" livery.
Of course I finished the flight with a visit to the flight deck and after getting off that ended what would be my only flight with Virgin America.
It is incomprehensible how to pay 8 USD for a carton of completely unhealthy diet and this rated at meals also with 9 out of 10 possible points. I probably still did not understand The American Way of Life.
I just wanted the box. $8 is worth £5.98 (plus free soft drink) which is bloody good value in English money for a 3 hour flight when you consider what I pay on the likes of Ryanair, easyJet, BA, Finnair etc.......
Thanks for this FR.
You got the best of both worlds with the AS gorgeous livery and the VX interior.
Wasn't there any free snack offered with drinks ?
Unfortunately, too many airlines drastically reduce their level of service. This is more and more connected with the loss of the free caterer in economy class.
Drinks were free (soft & hot) but the food was at a price.