Don’t expect Virgin America to fix the horrible US airline problem
This week I flew Virgin America round trip from Los Angeles to New York JFK for the first time. Having heard rave reviews about this new airline, I decided to give it a try. My experience was so disappointing that I will never fly Virgin America again.
Launching a new airline to compete with American must have seemed like an irresistible challenge to Richard Branson, considering the horrendous quality of the typical US airline. Great idea, lousy execution.
The time was ripe. Ever since 9/11, US air travel has fallen into an abyss of deep despair. Misery begins at the airport, where the frequent flier has to put up with plenty of headaches even before reaching the jetway: sullen security personnel shuffling dully through routine searches, long lines of rookie travelers who are seemingly mystified by TSA rules, then, finally at the gate, endless delays with no explanation, garbled announcements blaring on the loudspeaker, unhealthy food options and $3 water, lousy seating and no power outlets in the lounge area. The waiting areas are overcrowded because the airports weren’t designed for huge numbers of travelers arriving 2 hours early, milling around while the aircraft is hastily cleaned. Half of the passengers mill around looking for a seat.
The typical ordeal continues during the boarding process because US airline flights are routinely oversold and refugees from cancelled flights are scrambling for standby seats. Seasoned travelers haul everything onboard so they can avoid the risk of losing their checked baggage. So you are herded into narrow metal tube crowded with anxiety and desperation. Typically the airplane has been sitting on the tarmac without power, baking in the sun for hours: in the height of the summer travel season, walking onboard a parked airliner from the jetway is like walking into a sauna. If you fly from JFK on a summer afternoon, you can expect to sit sweating on an muggy airplane for two or three hours while your jumbo jet queues for a takeoff slot. And once the plane are finally airborne, it’s best to keep your expectations low: brace yourself for miserly service from irritable flight attendants who should have retired years ago, nasty cheap beverages and indecent meals. In flight entertainment consists of insipid straight-to-video films that you wouldn’t rent from Blockbuster, with badly modulated audio pumped at high volume through terrible headphones only to be defeated by the relentless high-pitched whine of the jet engines. Planning to work during the flight? Good luck when you are shoehorned into a coach seat and the passenger in front of you reclines so far that you cannot open a laptop. After a few hours in the air, you can expect your lower back and tailbone to hurt where the high density seat cushion was replaced with a cheaper, lighter cushion to reduce weight (and thereby reduce fuel consumption). Would you like a nasty Dacron pillow to add a layer of extra padding to your seat? That will cost you an additional $5, even though the pillow was very likely previously laying on the filthy floor or crushed under a dirty suitcase. Just as you drift into a shallow sleep, you’re jolted awake by a high-decibel announcement from the cockpit or the crew.
Given the miserable level of quality of the typical US flight it’s no surprise that an outsize ego like Branson’s felt like he could improve upon the experience with aplomb. And Virgin America deserves credit for coming up with some interesting innovations. But the product is ultimately just as terrible as other American airlines, only different.
I flew Virgin America from Los Angeles to NYC and back again this past week. Of course both flights were beset by the typical delays and hellish airport conditions (I’ve flown out of JFK nearly every week this summer and each flight has been delayed by at least two hours)… but those glitches are not really attributable to Virgin America.
Instead, consider how Virgin’s cleverly-conceived-but-poorly-executed innovations diminish the in-flight experience.
- Groovy lighting. When you walk on board, the entire aircraft is mood-lit in a purple and pink glow with all of the windowshades down. This nightclub atmo is a typical Branson flourish, but it would have been better to provide decent reading lights. It’s basically quite dark inside. On both flights, the reading lights were miscalibrated, pointing in seemingly random directions (not towards my lap where my paperback book was).
- RED entertainment center. On paper, this feature sounds pretty cool: TV, on-demand movies, plenty of digital music, even video games (including an old favorite, DOOM). Bad news: the system just doesn’t work. On both flights, the RED system crashed several times and had to be rebooted repeatedly. During one flight, we couldn’t see any TV, just the default infomercial for DirectTV looping endlessly. Plus, the idea of putting an interactive touch screen in the headrest behind each passenger’s seat is just plain gormless: imagine how annoying it can be when the passenger behind you jabs at the screen, endlessly drumming at the back of your skull.
- Two bathrooms in coach. The aircraft is configured with two bathrooms for first class (a grand total of four seats!) and two in the back of the plane for 30+ rows of coach. Imagine a completely full coast-to-coast flight with only two bathrooms for 200+ passengers. Throughout the entire flight, a long line of uncomfortable passengers stood in the narrow walkway, waiting for the restroom. Passengers who were seated in aisle seats in the back of the aircraft enjoyed the dubious pleasure of the endless bathroom queue brushing past them during the entire six hour flight. Plus, thanks to Virgin’s slightly-wider seat (for the ever-expanding American rump, I suppose) there is much less room in the aisle than on other aircraft. As a result, every time the flight attendant had to carry a food order to the front of the plane, they pushed past the long toilet queue, bumping the seats and brushing the shoulders of seated passengers. Two hours into the flight, the people seated in the last ten aisle seats looked utterly miserable.
- On demand beverage and food service. In theory, this is a great idea: on Virgin America, passengers can order food and drink whenever they like and the flight attendant will just bring it. But in practice it really doesn’t work. The passengers are supposed to place their orders via the RED entertainment center, but of course that’s impossible when the system crashes as it frequently does. And, moreover, the kitchen is in the back of the aircraft with the restrooms, which means that flight attendants have to push their way past the throng of passengers queuing for the two restrooms. On my flights, they wheeled out the old fashioned beverage cart and provided the usual uninspired beverage service.
- Water bar. A super idea: a cooler of bottled water available any time. Best of all, the water is free and unlimited. But there’s a problem. Since the water bar is located by the bathrooms, anyone who wants a water has to push past the long line of people standing in the queue for the restroom, bumping past the sad passengers in aisle seats.
At least Virgin America is cheap, right? Wrong. The price for this flight was not especially cheap. I found much cheaper airfare on American, JetBlue, and US Airways. Okay, granted, those airlines don’t offer splendid service either, and they haven’t introduced any innovations lately, either. But Virgin offers nothing superior to these bottom-tier airlines.
If you fly a lot, then you are probably resigned to the fact that air travel in the US is a horrible experience. Several hours of your life will be erased in a dull blur. The best that can be said about US air travel is that it is forgettable.
I had high hopes that Virgin America might change that by lifting the bar at least a little higher, but unfortunately this airline is no better than any other.
August 18th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Robert, I think the Virgin Airlines experience (be it VIrgin America or Virgin Atlantic etc.) is overrated. They push the quality of their service only where business class and above is concerned.
I flew Virgina Altantic direct from London to Las Vegas in Frebruary this year. It’s a big money route for them and the only direct flight to Vegas from the UK. The economy experience was poor to fair and pretty normal given the general economy experience these days.
By stark contrast, I flew to Kuala Lumpur with Malaysian Arlines in July this year and the economy experience far exceeded my expectations. No tricks or gimmicks ‘a la’ Virgin, but just solid execution of the list of features they say they offer. Entertainment on demand (the kind you’d kill to have at home,) aswell as great cabin service and seating.
Since on both trips I was travelling with my family, which includes our 3 year old daughter, we are more than grateful when things go well.
I’m convinced that children are a barometer of adult tension and blood pressure. As both elements increase and calm is lost to frustration, kids also ‘lose it.’ It’s a shame, because as adults on a plane, the last thing you want to do is ‘lose it’ and end up in jail forever.
August 21st, 2008 at 5:22 am
Hey Rob,
Virgin is only any use for Upper Class on long haul. I hear they are about to get some A380’s too which will be excellent. For the other classes you are right, don’t bother.
There are other negatives about Virgin, I think the whole Virgin loyalty program is in breach of Fair Trading regulations in the UK. I am seriously considering writing to the OFT and complaining. The whole thing seems to be a con. The crux of the issue is that they get you to join their credit card by promising £ to point conversion which you can use on any routes. So silly me spent up big and now I have enough points for a long haul upper class trip to Sydney. I have tried over the last couple of years to use these points but each time I try they tell me it’s very busy and there are no upgrade (thats what they call them) seats available. So bottom line is, if there is no upgrade seat available you cant use your points to redeem the ticket. Thinking that my timing was just bad I left it until recently when I thought I would really try to use these points. So I tried again and same story, so then I asked them when the next available upgrade seats were available to Sydney ? Would you believe that their computer system had no upgrade seats available from August to February 09. I laughed at the customer service person I was speaking with, what a joke. In Feb 09 there were still none available and I just said forget it, they couldn’t tell me when the next seat was available. So it’s obvious that it is a con at least on the London / Sydney route and I think this is actionable.
cheers
Jamie
January 29th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
My husband and myself flew Virgin Am. to LA from N.Y. Dec. and came back Jan. 27 going it took 6 1/2 hrs too long I enjoyed the lighting but I felt their wasn’t enough leg room. Coming home it only took 4 1/2 hrs that was great a little bumpy again would have liked more leg roon and a least a small snack on long flight . wood be nice. The attendents was very nice on both flights very pleasant.
Angie
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