This flight actually took place back in October of 2012. I didn't post it at the time partly out of laziness and partly because I didn't think I had enough pictures. However, considering that there are still only a handful of reports on Virgin America, I decided to go ahead and post it.
We left home at around 8:30AM for a 10:30 AM departure. Normally it takes between 35 minutes and 45 minutes to get to Dulles Airport but the traffic was pretty bad that morning so it took a full hour. We were already checked-in online and didn't have any bags to check so we went directly to the security checkpoint.
Quick picture on the way to security. As you can see, 2 out of the 3 Virgins serve Washington-Dulles. I can't ever see Virgin Australia flying to IAD considering no aircraft even has that kind of range and a one-stop flight would probably not be very economically feasible. Anyway, I digress…
I rarely fly on airlines on which I do not have Elite status and remembered why that morning. Security was a nightmare, as it can often be at this hour of the day, and not having access to fast-track lanes was a bit painful. I'm sorry Delta, I'll never cheat on you again :-)
As I mentioned earlier Dulles has both Virgin Atlantic and Virgin America. The two, as two separate compagnies, have completely separate operations at Dulles, ticket counter, gates, offices, etc. They do, however, share the wonderful Virgin Clubhouse. I have had the pleasure of trying the Virgin Clubhouse on an IAD-LHR flight on VS back in February of 2011. Too bad FR didn't exist back then; that was a great flight!
Considering the traffic was bad and security was a mess, there is not much time for spotting so I head directly to the gate.
Hmm…is it me or is that a bit tacky? I get VX is an LCC but charging for bad headphones is kind of silly. But who am I to say–it could very well be a huge revenue generator for VX, LOL.
Boarding begins on time with First Class, then Elites. I have to board with the regular cattle call. Sooooo not used to that anymore.
A few pics of our plane with a pretty ANA 77W passing behind.
Boarding goes relatively smoothly. It appeared that pax did not have as much carry-on luggage as I am used to seeing on Delta flights. I believe it has to do with the fact that many of VX's fares allow for a free checked bag.
A320 or nightclub? I feel like there should be some lound House music thumping as we board, LOL
The cabin is really new and modern and I really like the mood-lighting colors. It's kind of a cool vibe and definitely conveys VX's image of being young and hip. At the same time, I can understand that this type of atmosphere isn't for everyone.
IFE with AVOD which is nice, some content is free and some you have to pay for (I can't remember, honestly)
Safety Card…surprisingly kind of tattered.
Pretty decent pitch for a domestic flight which is nice since it's a 5h+ transcon.
The IFE remote is in the armrest which can be a little annoying
View of the cabin at the end of boarding. The flight looked to be over 80% full.
I remember push-back being about 15 minutes late and having a pretty long taxi time.
Patriotic winglet!
One cool thing on VX is that you can order the BOB right on the screen and FAs bring you your selection a few minutes later.
The prices are a bit high but not outrageous. Here's my selection; it was pretty decent.
After eating I pretty much slept the rest of the flight. We landed in SFO and got to the gate about 15 minutes late, no big deal.
Parked next to another VX plane.
So that's it. Sorry, I don't usually do short reports like this.
Thanks for reading!
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Verdict
Virgin America
7.9/10
Cabin7.5
Cabin crew7.5
Entertainment/wifi9.0
Meal/catering7.5
Washington - IAD
6.2/10
Efficiency4.5
Access5.0
Services7.5
Cleanliness8.0
San Francisco - SFO
7.4/10
Efficiency7.0
Access7.5
Services7.5
Cleanliness7.5
Conclusion
Good comfort for Y. Modern cabin with comfortable seats and decent pitch. Good crew, very friendly and professional but they pretty much disappeared after drink services. Good choice of BOB items PTVs with AVOD big +++ on a long transcon 15 minute delay on departure and arrival
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Thanks for this FR ! 2$ is a bit expensive for bad PINK headphones x) I love the cabin atmosphere and the winglet. The BOB seems OK. It's weird that VX doesn't have any kind of alliance with other Virgin carriers...
It really is! That's really the only Low-cost thing I saw on this flight. Everything else is better than the legacies. I believe the Virgins have code-shares and mileage earning/redemption on each other, but it would be interesting to see an actual alliance. Although personally I'd like Virgin Atlantic to join SkyTeam for my selfish purposes but at least I get mileage on them since Delta owns 49% of VS.
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26 reviews
9 Comments
@THAI-THAI:FR is now in French and English (afin d'internationaliser le site)
2$ is a bit expensive for bad PINK headphones x)
I love the cabin atmosphere and the winglet. The BOB seems OK.
It's weird that VX doesn't have any kind of alliance with other Virgin carriers...
Very pretty cabin <3 I like that mood-lighting !
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