Virgin America is My New Best Friend

The days of flying on a comfortable, affordable airline are long gone, or so we thought.

It's been years since I've been on an airline where I felt like I had enough leg room, a comfortable seat, and great flight attendant service. Fuel is expensive and airlines are always broke, things aren't what they used to be. 

Generally I don't mind flying — going from place to place and sitting on airplanes for an extended amount of time, but it seems that every time I step foot on a plane it's increasingly less comfortable and more rundown. Even international flights have taken away everything that makes an eight hour flight more comfortable. 

I recently went to England and I flew United — so uncomfortable. I was on that sucker for hours in pain, couldn't stretch my legs, my back ached, and I felt very antsy.

I haven't been a fan of United for awhile, but sometimes they are your only option. When I can, I fly Alaska mainly because I fly on the West Coast and they are reliable 99 percent of the time. And I get miles, which add up eventually.

However, I've recently discovered my new favorite airline, Virgin America. It's new, it's stylish, and oh so very comfortable. 

I flew one-way out of Portland for 78 bucks. When I stepped on the plane, I immediately felt like I was somewhere else. Some of the overhead lighting was pink, the seats were black leather, and the staff was hip, friendly, and upbeat. I was in heaven, why aren't all airlines this cool? 

Photo credit: http://www.cellstream.com/intranet/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=240:virgin-america-our-new-1-airline&catid=39:cattravel&Itemid=137

My seat was an aisle seat towards the back of the plane, which I wasn't thrilled about, but it ended up being okay. I managed to get two good hours of sleep in an aisle seat, which was much-needed on a 6:30 a.m. flight. Had I decided to stay awake for the flight, I probably would have been graced with Sports Center on cable and great flight attendant service. 

Regardless of where your seat is on the plane, every seat has it's own personal TV. You have the option of watching TV, movies, cable, music or play a game. Most of it costs money, but the cable and a couple of the games are free. How fancy. 

Prior to takeoff, the pilot came over the loud speaker to make an announcement. He was joking around, but then said that for some reason, they forgot to put gas in the plane, which you could tell freaked everyone out just a little. We ended up taking off roughly 15 minutes later than planned, but he assured us that once the plane was full, that he would get us into the air and "go really fast" to LA. 

Bravo, Richard Branson, you never cease to amaze me. Your planes are fast, employees friendly and professional, and your interior designer is a genius. Well done.

Photo credit: http://www.virginamerica.com/press-release/2012/virgin-america-expands-jfk-psp.html

My experience on Virgin America was above and beyond any other airline I have flown in the last four years. It wasn't a hassle, it was a pleasure. The last time I had this kind of experience was on EVA airlines traveling to Cambodia. On that airline, all of the flight attendants are the same height and they leave you a mint while you're asleep.

Now that I know Virgin America is within my reach, I can fly virtually anywhere with them, and relatively cheaply. This will be my first choice for an airline from here on out.

Lesson learned (aka fun fact): If you fly VIrgin America, and then you tweet about your experience with the airline, they will most likely start following you and tweet back to you. Now that's a great company.