Flying Virgin America

I recently flew Virgn America from Los Angeles to New York JFK with a connection at their hub at San Francisco. I have attached my short little You tube video of my trip. I can promise that next time I will take a lot more video since it really does give a great glimpse into the whole atmosphere Virgin America has created for its' customers.



This was a very exciting trip for me since I have been following Virgin America through its' planning stages and battles to get regulatory approval to even get off the ground. At the same time, being an employee for a legacy carrier, I see another challenge to the established airlines that have been on shaky ground for years. But that is what competition is all about and what this country is built on, so fly, Virgin, fly!



I flew out to Los Angeles and spent a few hours at LAX watching the planes land and take off while I waited for my VA A-319 to land. As sat in a restaurant in terminal 6 and tested my video camera; filming several jets roaring down the runway. Before I knew it, an LAX policeman was tapping me on the shoulder. It seems a woman in the restaurant had complained about me filming at the airport. I showed the police officer my airline ID and explained to him that I have been photographing planes since I was a kid and was a run-of-the-mill airline enthusiast. He said it was not a problem, he was just obligated to respond to the complaint.

Well, my Virgin flight was arriving late from SFO, but we finally got to boarding about 45 minutes late for the flight from LAX to SFO. Immediately upon boarding I could feel the enthusiasm in the air as the flight crew welcomed me on board. I looked around the very "hip" cabin and focused in on my seat 2B on the aisle in first class. It was a gorgeous, plush white leather throne equipped with a foot rest and massage feature. What a wonderful trip this would be! Once I say down, I was immediately offered a predeparture beverage and I took time to familiarize myself with all of the seat controls. There was even a remote control for "Red", Virgin America's inflight entertainment system. "Red" is full of features like seat-to-seat chat and also the ability to order beverages or food directly from the touch screen monitor at your seat.

Once we were airborne, we were offered beverages and a snack. I had a glass of wine and a delicious snack of marinated tomatoes and mozzarella and even chocolate mousse all delivered in a very smart box with inset "cova cups" as the flight attendant described them to me. The service that was delivered on the short flight to San Francisco was cheerfully professional and before I knew it we were there; nosing in to the international terminal at SFO. I had to deplane and wait for the aircraft to be cleaned for the continuation to JFK. All around the gate area we balloons and other decorations in Virgin colors celebrating their arrival and their selection of SFO as their hub.

Within minutes, first class passengers were invited to board. This was me! You know, one of the things l love about Virgin America is that it offers first class so that if you want to treat yourself and not just feel like one of the crowd, you can do it with them because first class is so fairly priced. My ticket from LAX-SFO-JFK was only $449.00! Major airlines can charge as much as $1500-$2000.00. Since this flight, the legacy carriers have added some promotional fares to make them more competitive.

My flight from SFO to JFK was delightful. Appetizers were served after take off that consisted of the same components offered in my snack on the LAX-SFO leg. That was fine, because they were so delicious, I wanted seconds anyway. The dinner was just as good an consited of large prawns over rice with green beans. (this is in the video)

I enjoyed toying with "Red" at my seat and watched some television shows via satellite before putting on a cd and falling asleep. When I woke up, we were about 45 minutes away from JFK. One of the first class flight attendants brought me a piping hot cup of coffee and I was ready for arrival. We landed on time and taxied to JFK's terminal 4.

The flight really did go way too fast. I love Virgin America and cannot wait to fly them again!

Flying In First Class Can be Highly Addictive

Planning to fly thousands of miles; wondering if your backside can handle that economy seat with your neighbor’s elbow crossing the armrest hour after hour? Do you ever find yourself wondering what would happen if you sprung for a seat up front? Next time you fly, pay extra close attention to what happens in the gate area when the agent announces pre-boarding of the first class cabin. A crowd of passengers, thirsty for the taste of celebrity, comes out of the woodwork and the gate area becomes a virtual “red carpet” for a moment. You can almost see the flashbulbs from the paparazzi as everyone in the boarding lounge turns around to see just who is in first class.

The last time I witnessed this, I made a decision that I was going to spring for a first class seat the next time I had to fly on business. Almost immediately, plans called for me to travel from Portland, Oregon to Miami. I bought a first class ticket on Alaska Airlines with a connection in Orlando. I have to say that I became instantly excited about my flight once I my online ticket purchase was completed. Knowing that I was going to be in first class was already making me feel special and I could hardly wait to experience the feeling of walking that imaginary “red carpet” when first class passengers were called to board. I sat there, drifting into a trance-like state as I imagined how fabulous it was going to be.

The fun began the moment I walked into the Portland terminal and began looking for the first class check in counter. I walked by the long, long lines at the economy check in counters to a line only two people deep that read “First Class and Elite Check In”. Well, I was feeling pretty elite at this point and decided that this is where I belonged. The agent invited me up to the counter and to tell you the truth, she could have been a little more excited. After all, I should be treated like a celebrity right? I was beginning to understand how a sense of entitlement naturally befalls those that pay the big bucks to fly. Maybe I had set my expectations too high. I had to remind myself that my first class status had already gotten me to the front of the line and that in itself was a big perk!

Before I left to the airport, I had gone to the Alaska Airlines website and was very pleased to discover that my first class ticket also included complimentary access to the Board Room, Alaska’s private membership lounge. Getting to the lounge would require me to pass through the TSA security screening. Of course, since I was flying first class, I was able to bypass the crowds and use the special line for first class passengers. How wonderful! As I placed my items on the conveyer belt, I saw a frazzled businessman in the “regular” security line that was looking my way with sort of pitiful, envious look on his face. I could tell he wished he was in the “special” line. Reality started to creep in and I realized that next week that I would be right back in the normal security line myself, so I better enjoy every single second of this experience.

Once through security, I went directly to the Alaska Airlines Board Room lounge to relax before my flight. The lounge was small, but very nicely appointed with attractive wood paneling and lots of comfortable chairs. I found a cozy spot to enjoy the free high speed internet on my laptop. I decided to check the status of my flight and found there was a delay of 1 hour. My delay seemed completely unimportant being in the airline club. I was actually pleased that I would be able to enjoy my lounge experience a little longer. I enjoyed some cheese and crackers being sure to save room for my late night snack on my overnight flight to Orlando.

I arrived at the gate just in time to walk that “red carpet” as they called the first class passengers to pre-board. As I took my seat in row 1, I almost felt a little guilty as the coach passengers filed by one-by-one. I took out my magazine to keep my occupied. I felt like everyone was staring at me. I now know firsthand what Paris Hilton has to contend with! During the flight I enjoyed the delicious fruit and cheese plate and a few glasses of Merlot served on white linen tablecloths. The flight attendants even offered complimentary use of personal entertainment devices load with movies and other programming. I chose to sleep and woke up a couple of hours later the aroma of freshly baked croissants. Moments later I was enjoying a continental breakfast as we descended for landing. Sure I was happy to be getting home, but so fast? Flying first class sure had me willing to fly around a little bit longer. I definitely could get addicted to this!

I'm Taking The Helicopter to the Airport Dahhhling

US Helicopter started service from Manhattan to New York JFK in February of 2006. I could not wait to fly them, but I had to wait a few months until my plans took me to New York. I had gone to The View with a good friend of mine, Leah, who is great friends with Joy Behar. After the taping, I took a cab right to US Helicopter's heliport at East 34th Street and the FDR.
When I walked in I realized I was the only one there in the well appointed terminal complete with ticket counters, TSA checkpoint, and waiting area overlooking the helicopter landing apron. I planned on using my American Airlines employee discount for the flight which would have made it $49.00 one way instead of the normal $159.00 fare. The ticket agent informed me that there were no flights planned for the entire day because there were no reservations, so my discount could not be used. At this point, I was determined to fly. I whipped out my credit card and paid the $159.00 which for me was a bargain for a memory of a lifetime!


The agent got right on the radio, made contact with a pilot and told them to come and pick me up. She then told me that I could look outside and see my helicopter making a U-turn as it was coming back to get me, just me! Well, before I knew it, the helicopter swooped in, landed, and I was whisked out the door and onto the ultra luxury craft for my short 8 minute flight to the American Airlines terminal at JFK. (USH has since moved to the Delta terminal at JFK)

As we flew towards JFK, the pilot pointed out a United Express RJ that was passing right under us. It was a great view and the pilot mentioned that she had never seen one pass that close! Soon we were circling around and preparing to land at JFK's AA terminal 9. There was a fantastic view of terminal 8 which was still being used at the time. Since then all operations have moved to terminal 9.

Once we landed, an escort opened the door and showed me into a stairwell leading up to the concourse level. My carry-on was brought to me on the concourse level and I went directly to the Admirals Club to avoid the paparazzi. Once I arrived in the Admirals Club, a passengers walked up to me and said, "Excuse me, did I just see you step off out of that helicopter?"

I can't wait for my next flight with US Helicopter. They now fly to Newark Liberty International Airport and also to Bridgeport, CT. Visit them at www.flyush.com

The Airline Customer Service Quandry

I speak often about providing the best possible service to customers. To me, having a positive impact on customers is one of those intangible benefits of being in the service industry. I have to remind myself that I was once one of the employees that people complained about and although I have found fantastic ways to help people rediscover themselves and the spirit of service, I must also empathize with those in service positions that have become disillusioned.

So what are some of the reasons why service personnel, airline personnel in particular, are finding it hard to provide warm and caring service? Let’s take a look at a few right off the top of my head.

Employee Burnout


Unhappy airline employees are not about a bunch of spoiled, whining, entitled, individuals complaining about their pay and benefits. The truth is most employees of the airlines started out excited about their jobs and motivated to do what was necessary to satisfy the customer. What has happened over the last decade or so is a result of a continuous assault on their feeling of security and trust in these giant organizations; add onto that the changes the entire world has had to endure because of 9/11. We cannot forget that 9/11 had a much harder psychological impact on airline employees because of the specific assault on the airline industry. Both before and after this tragic event, airline people have had their wages cut, benefits reduced, work rules tightened, and retirement stripped or adjusted drastically. Many of these workers have invested many years into their careers and made financial sacrifices to keep their employers afloat in exchange for promised future returns. While their paycheck continue to remind them of their ongoing sacrifice they have witnessed company executives being showered with multi-million dollar bonuses. Of course airline workers are not the only people to go through a belt tightening at work, but the difference is that while these things are happening, they are on the front lines dealing directly with customers. All too many times, it is the customers who unjustly feels their anger simply because they have so much contact with them.


I believe that things will continue to become tenser at legacy carriers especially as union work groups begin to negotiate for pay raises to bring them back to pre-concession levels plus adjustments for cost of living, etc.

Lack of Customer Service Training


In the airline industry, you would expect that customer service training would be delivered regularly. I can tell you first hand that this is not the case as I have been with a mAAjor airline for years and have received only one customer service training designed for the rank and file flight attendant. Labor/management tension aside, there is still a huge need to arm customer service employees with skills that will allow them to more effectively deal with common customer service issues. At this point, most employees are operating with skills they have developed at the "school of hard knocks". I have been on task forces to create large scale customer service training projects only to have them canceled for "financial reasons" or due to union protests against the programs. On the latest task force, the flight attendants union complained about the training because of the fact that the millions that would be spent on the training program would be improper given the compensation their membership had given up. I agree that training should be delivered to those that deal with customers, but I can’t help but understand the union’s position as well.


Unmotivated and Fearful Airline Management


Managing a legacy carrier in the face of rising fuel costs and increased competition from discount carriers is not an easy job to say the least. Improving customer service, wonderful as it sounds, really has not been a top issue due to the fact that customers seem to be motivated more by price than anything. Airplanes are flying full, even at the airlines with the worst customer service ratings. Add to that the affinity passengers have to frequent flier programs and executive have less reason to take on customer service issues since travelers are virtually "glued" to the airline they fly most. Also, I believe upper management has a fear that customer service training would add fuel to the fire in regards to employee protests against executive salaries and bonuses. Honestly, would you feel a need to make any waves if you were receiving multi-million dollar bonuses? I know I would not be so quick to!


So even though you think management at legacy airlines should be putting millions towards improving the condition of their fleets or even purchasing new planes; in actuality they are opting to do just barely enough to keep the planes moving.


Customers Forced to Support a Broken System


Load factors are at record highs right now. Even if customers made their choice of airlines based on the quality of service, many would have very few choices due to the lack of seats. This situation is only temporary and eventually those airlines that are not delivering a quality product will suffer. Air travelers are going to have to demand a higher level of service or move to carriers that are; even if it costs a few dollars more. Most major airlines have created customer service departments to improve the situation, but these programs are very slow to address the employees that have the lowest morale. Instead these programs are mainly touching the employees that are already delivering the best service since they consist mainly of those employees that volunteer to take part. It is becoming more and more apparent that the customer service programs currently in place at several legacy airlines exist simply to weaken efforts by the public to enact a Passenger Bill of Rights. By creating these customer service programs, airlines can claim to the government that they are “policing” themselves; which would negate the need for legislation.


Choices Have to be Made


As an airline worker, I can tell you that if I think about the state of the industry too much it can get pretty depressing. I had to come to the realization that my attitude cannot be based on the actions of others including management. I had to decide that my attitude is a choice based on my desired quality of life. There are many of my coworkers that have discovered this and many that are still stuck in a place of anger and resentment that is not allowing them to live the way they really want to and in turn do their best at work.
The complexity of this issue will have us talking for years to come. The truth is that customers should never have to suffer due to problems with labor and management, but we cannot escape the human emotional factor of it all.


Regardless of the reasons, we come to the same conclusion. Customers do not deserve and will not accept poor service indefinitely and will take their business elsewhere if they are not treated appropriately. Will the leadership at the legacies shift priorities in order to change their respective corporate climates and improve the morale of those that deal directly with their customers? Will more and more of those in customer contact positions shield the customers from the battle rather than pull them into it? Stay tuned