Oh the joys of PR…thanks to our day time job we joined our client, Virgin America on their inaugural flight from LAX to Fort Lauderdale this past week and mixed and mingled with celebs while working a party on the airport tarmac and an after party at the amazing W hotel. The launch celebrated the new service from both SFO & LAX to Fort Lauderdale for low fares and stylin’ ammenities.

We thought we’d share some of the fun pics from the day…enjoy!

Sir Richard Branson atop the fire engine giving the water cannon salute with some of the cast of CW’s new show, Fly Girls.Party party on the flights to Florida.

The handsome Mr. Gilles Marini on the red carpet…he’s so nice!

Kayla Ewell of The Vampire Diaries. Super sweet and so pretty, right?!

Richard Branson working the red carpet with his peace signs.

Press conference on the tarmac.

The best Golden Girls around!

View from our room at the W…it was A-mazing!

After shot of the red carpet – what a night.

Bye bye Fort Lauderdale. It was a blast!

This week I was invited by Virgin America to cover the launch of two new lines from California to Florida (SFO – FLL & LAX – FLL), where we had the chance to interview CEO David Cush and Richard Branson himself. Check out the full write-up and video below on Gadling.

Article + Photos @ Gadling
Exclusive Video @ Gadling

Copyright Photo: Wade DeNero. Virgin America's Airbus A319-112 N524VA (msn 3204), named "Dark Horse", climbs away from runway 9L at FLL.

Virgin America (San Francisco) on November 18 added nonstop service from both San Francisco and Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood.

Press release:

multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/virginamerica/41211/

First time I’ve seen something quite this comprehensive (above).  They say “case studies,” but that’s liberal.  “Links to” is more fitting.  But even still, it’s a handy and quick compilation that includes examples from many of our clients, including:  Accenture, BAE Systems, Bayer, Chevron, Dell, Mattel, Rubbermaid, Virgin America and Xerox, and some large client competitors, including Crest, General Mills and Nokia.  Click on the pic above to get to the link, or click here.  Companies are listed alphabetically, with links to the social media efforts right there.

Please click on AG icon for a direct link to the Virgin America photo gallery.

Virgin America (San Francisco) is bringing in new U.S. investors that will shift its ownership factor by 10 percent.

News link:

www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=aEmUxiV46474

Ok, a few days ago I made a churlish comment about Virgin’s sliding scale for onboard internet use.  I am sitting here in a Virgin plane heading to Dreamforce blogging for free (free for the holidays, thanks Google).  My MacBook is also being powered by an electric plug just under my seat.  How nice and convenient!  Grateful as I am I STILL think the airline ought to be able to standardize on a single price for airborne internet rather than the sliding scale they are now using — or will use after the holidays.  But boy is this nice.

Jet Blue is the innovative high tech airline that is taking the East Coast by storm. Virgin America is the innovative high tech airline that is taking the West Coast by storm. Yet, this week on Tues Nov 17th Jet Blue and Wed Nov 18th Virgin America, the two highly acclaimed and adored airlines with fans from both coasts will converge simultaneously. This will be in the form of dual airline launches for first time ever SFO to FLL non-stop flights as they both compete for this coveted new crucial market share.

Jet Blue has been forging it’s name and market from the east coast with core strengths in hubs at New York’s JFK and Ft Lauderdale FLL. Virgin America is a new comer from the mastermind of Sir Richard Branson aka “The Rebel Billionaire” with innovative new service with core strengths in San Francisco SFO. Yet, now the two award winning airlines of East and West will now go head to head for the exact same piece of the pie as they both embark in the SFO to FLL market just 24 hrs apart from one another. This is a great shot in the arm for the Ft Lauderdale business and leisure markets which have been hit very hard by the difficult economy as well as a slumping housing market.

It also coincides with the Inaugural launch and arrival of the world’s largest cruise ship Royal Caribbean’s “Oasis of the Seas” which just recently debuted at it’s new home in Ft Lauderdale this week as well. It looks as though this arrival has spurred even further competition in routes between Virgin America and Jet Blue. They have both added more service in the Southern and Northern California corridor as well as more competing flights in the east coast market of Boston. Jet Blue has recently celebrated it’s new code share partnership this week with Star Alliance member Lufthansa. Jet Blue has also stated a commitment to increase it’s business travel and international presence in the Boston market by 30% in the next few years.

Jet Blue has won the best domestic airline award four consecutive years by Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards. New comer Virgin America has also received this coveted award for the last two years in a row. Therefore, it looks like Ft Lauderdale has two award wining airlines coming to town this week to offer brand new non-stop flight service to San Francisco. Travel agents, leisure and business travelers alike will be eagerly anticipating the arrivals of both carriers to see what they each plan to do next. Jet Blue is known for it’s signature 36 channels of live direct tv, 100 channels of xm satellite radio, trademark blue chip free snacks and free wireless. Virgin America is known for it’s signature mood lighting, chic first class cabins, 3000 mp3s, numerous games, chat rooms and gourmet food which one can order directly from their personal seat computer. Currently local based Spirit Airlines has carved out the niche as leading international LCC with numerous departures from FLL to the Caribbean and Latin America. Consumers are now waiting to see if similar international route expansions will be forthcoming in the FLL market from Virgin America and Jet Blue.

This has not gone unnoticed by leading dominant legacy carrier at Ft Lauderdale, Delta Airlines which also has a large International network and presence at JFK in New York. Delta has responded by now adding more flights on it’s JFK to SFO route offering Business Elite equipped 757’s with WiFi capabilities to solidify their presence in the crucial SFO market as well. These new flight entries are all right in time for Thanksgiving, Christmas holiday’s and peak cruise travel season for the South Florida area. Well, they are both off and running so let the games begin. We will keep you all posted as this airline market continues to keep heating up down south in the Florida Sunshine State.

- The Daily Aviation Grind

The Daily Aviation Grind -

I know I’m late in reporting this, but now through January 15, Google is offering free WiFi in 47 airports in the U.S. Click here to see a list of participating airports.

You can also get free WiFi on all Virgin America flights through January 15. I flew Virgin for the first time (yeah, I know…) earlier this year, and I really enjoyed it. They have fun computer screens on each seat, where you can play music and games and send messages to other passengers and look at maps to track how far you’ve gone and other fun things that I can’t remember because I always drug myself before flying.

Happy holidays!

(Photo by kevindooley, available under a Creative Commons Attribution license.)

Just picture the scene… You’re at the airport. They delay your flight again. And again. You have your laptop or wifi-enabled device with you. Wouldn’t it be great to have FREE Wi-Fi access at the airport? I mean, that’s the least they could offer for making you sit in those plastic chairs with all those people, right?

Problem solved! From November 16, 2009 through January 15, 2010, Google is offering “FREE WiFi at 47 participating airports across the country and on every Virgin America flight!”

Check to see if the airports on your itinerary made the cut!

Expires: January 15, 2010

Thanks, Jessica!

Google has granted free wifi on Virgin America flights. I do not know if you understand how crazy this is but I am 3o 000 ft in the air, over AZ, on videochat and posting on the bloggy. What a world What a world.

ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA

After previously only having an option to rent HD movies, back in March, Apple added the option to be able to buy HD as well. The problem? A complete and utter lack of options. Even now, some 8 months later, there were only a few dozen HD movies you could buy, and the majority were movies like The Midnight Meat Train— movies you probably had no desire to buy, let alone for the amped-up $19.99 HD price. Yesterday, that changed. (Techcrunch11/10)

While PCs have been able to use Google’s Chrome browser for some time now, the rest of us Macs have been waiting patiently for a proper, non-developer build that we too can use. That day may be coming very soon. (Mashable 11/11)

Well, the spirit of giving arrived a little early this year! For my birthday last month, Google announced it was partnering to offer free Wi-Fi on all Virgin America flights until January 15th. Great, thanks Google, now I have to check the feeds even while flying at 500MPH. But I guess that just wasn’t enough kindness to satisfy the Goog. They’ve just announced that they’re going to be extending the free Wi-Fi to 47 entire airports. (Crunchgear11/10)

Courtesy greaterbaltimore.org

I have a theory that airport concourses are one big racket, much like stadium concessions. There’s $10 lunches, $2 bottled water (since you can’t bring in your own anymore) and, of course, the $10/day or so wireless Internet access.

At least one of those is going away for a while as Google announced plans to provide free Wi-Fi in 46 airports (BWI is the only one in the region included) and on all Virgin America flights through mid-January. Woot.

(Protip: Virgin America only flies out of Washington Dulles in these parts, but they’re the best way to go if you’re going to SF or LA.)

From looking at the site, this seems like just a promotional thing, at least for the in-flight access. It’s entirely possible the free airport hot spots could just keep going and going and going…

Now if only Google could do something about the bottled water.

The uber-cool, award-winning airline, Virgin America has just slashed fare from LA, OC and San Diego to several different locations. One ways are available for between $45-105 dollars each way.

This sale is valid for midweek departures through March 10.

Sample Fares from LAX:

Sample fares from LAX, Orange County & San Diego (each way):
- San Francisco … $45
- Seattle … $65
- Boston … $105
- New York City … $105
- Washington, D.C. … $105
- Fort Lauderdale … $105

Happy Travels!

As I’m typing, I’m over 38,000 feet in the sky (thanks to the wifi on Virgin America flights, that is! So neat!) I’m going to San Francisco for a three-day food festival. Yes…you read it right, a food festival….in San Francisco, only one of the best foodie destinations in the country. Tastings everyday, sit down dinners, and lots of that beautiful California wine.

Here are some tips for staying on track while vacationing in a foodie city:

• Do lots of walking! Thankfully, San Francisco is a wonderful city to walk and because it’s so gorgeous there’s always something exciting to see, so you never realize just how far you’re going!
• Observe your food options. There are going to be so many vendors, chefs, and food options at this festival I’m attending. I think it’s important, at events like this when food samples are being handed out left and right, to always scope out the scene and see what your options are before you start piling your plate up. Maybe take a lap and think of your top five favorite vendors to stop by first. If you still have some room, go back and try some others.
• Drink lots of water. It’s so important to stay hydrated always, but especially when traveling and also when there’s lots of food present. You don’t want to mistake your thirst for hunger. Whenever I think I’m really hungry I drink a glass of water. Nine times out of ten my hunger subsides and I’m not nearly as hungry as I thought I was. This comes in handy at foodie events because you can eat quality portions.
• Find a flight of stairs. No matter where you are, you can always find a decent flight of stairs. RUN or briskly walk up and down them to burn some calories and sweat a little. Every bit of movement helps so even if it’s 10 minutes of stairs, it’s better than nothing.
• Most importantly, have fun and take in all of your surroundings. It’s so important when you’re traveling to take in every bit the city you’re in has to offer. Often times that means enjoying the local cuisine the city is known for. It’s not everyday we get to enjoy fantastic foods and culture so be open minded, try lots of new things, have fun and be smart!

-Chels

What are some of your favorite “foodie” cities?

Delta allowed customers on Halloween free gogo wifi on their flights. Now, they are handing out vouchers for free gogo wifi. Other airlines are doing the same and the best deal comes from Virgin America and Google, where the wifi is free for the rest of the year; no promo cards needed.

I tried the wifi, and it works really well. However, I was unable to operate my slingbox tv. So when it comes to the ultimate internet experience, I think gogo falls short. When it comes to general internet, it rocks!

I wonder if Row44 on Southwest offers better connection speeds?

free wifi card

Ever-cool Virgin America launched their “Treats not Trick” sale yesterday, offering frighteningly low fares between Washington or Boston, or New York, and San Francisco and Los Angeles. Fort Lauderdale has been added to the mix, as well. I thought nothing of the sale, being discussed here, on FlyerTalk, until United and American did the classic fare match dance, and lowered their fares on these routes, as well.

As a study break, I poked around and was happy to report there are still many fares and routes available, especially on United. For a transcon, you’re looking at about 150, all in, for flights between JFK, SFO, or LAX, with Boston and Washington, Dulles working as well! The deal only appears valid on October 30, 31, and November 1, and allows one to get creative with routings. For flights out west, there exist a myriad of options, including leaving from both La Guardia and JFK, and returning the same day, the next day, or redeyeing back. One can even depart from JFK and return to Dulles or Boston. Look around for the best options, but hurry. Availability may be dwindling. According to the FlyerTalk thread, there are still some same-day transcon turns on American available. Try playing with the “Search Alternate Cities” feature on United.com, the multicity booking feature, and trying a number of days. You must book, at least for Virgin America, by midnight, October 29th, 2009.

A wonderful option for a quick trip, or end o’ the year mileage run (remember – it is the second double elite qualifying [DEQM] promo of the year).

I may just have to grab one at some point . . . there’s nothing like heading to Boston on Saturday from New York, via San Francisco

Click here for the Virgin America sale information, and for terms and conditions.

I can’t say that I am 100% okay with where I am in life today. I’ve felt a lot of different emotions and gone through situations that I would have never imagined, but I am so happy with where I am going. At this point, I think that’s the most important of all. One mistake that I made coming into my sophomore year was forgetting how to retreat.

The best way I can describe it is when I have my crackberry out and I’m about to text someone. Then I check my calendar and type something into my notepad while standing in front of a scene that I’m about to take a picture of. I threw myself into so much, I opened a lot of windows and applications and I never closed them ever. It’s funny typing that because I have 10 windows open on my browser and 13 open on my desktop. I’ve forgotten what it was like to do things I enjoyed, which is why there is a reoccuring theme within my posts lately of my “scene lyfe.” It was a time that resembles so much of my life today. Complete unbalance, being so happy going to shows and dancing and screaming and coming home with that high that left me awake for nights and not being able to sleep. And I loved it, it was a great time and a huge part of who I am today, but I became distant from my family and friends at school. It consumed me.

Now, I have a new challenge: to be able to balance both my school work and social life while giving myself more “me” time. I’ve never been more excited about my life. I lived a past that had obstacles, but who didn’t? I lived through a past that not many people will ever be able to experience and I’m so proud of that and I feel so blessed and fortunate. It’s like I have the same direction, but instead of skipping along this path, I’m flying Virgin  at so many more miles faster! hahah

This post is brought to you by the ULTIMATE scene Katie and the rockstar Mr. Eric Bowley haha and … I miss my friend

Entre 10 de novembro e 15 de janeiro de 2010, os usuários da companhia aérea Virgin America poderão utilizar gratuitamente a conexão Wi-Fi oferecida durante o voo, uma cortesia da Google em parceria com a companhia aérea. O serviço será operado pela Gogo Inflight Internet.

While some dismiss them as “out-there” and “too progressive,” (mostly because they don’t really offer the ego-erection of a free upgrade, a vile salmon salad, and people paid to pretend to be nice to you because of some free upgrade), Virgin America has performed excellently as one of the newer carriers on the market, with their commitment to equality, service, and for god’s sake, being nice to people. So, when Virgin America announced a nice little fare sale recently, I, who had been waiting to purchase my ticket home from school for winter break, decided to buy a ticket, at about 100 bucks cheaper than any other airline.

When I return from Thanksgiving, I’ll have already flown my 125,000 thousand miles on United for the year. I’ll have my 1K status for next year, and my systemwides. There really existed no reason for me to fly United this year after 125K, except to try to accumulate a few more miles for another award ticket. I’ll plan to fly those few miles next year, but, truthfully, I’m thinking of not hanging around with United for much longer. Of course, I will rely on my maxim of preaching patience with their new upgrade scheme that launches in the second quarter of 2010. Perhaps they will listen to customer feedback, and either return confirmed regional upgrades, and/or include the SFO/LAX – JFK p.s. (Premium Service) flights with the unlimited upgrades. As it stands now, now more CR-1s, come April 1, and, unless you want to pony up with miles and cash, or a systemwide upgrade, no more sitting beyond row 15 on a p.s. airplane. As someone who doesn’t really mind flying in Economy, and doesn’t need a first class seat as some sort of ersatz-recognition with society that I am truly important individual, I actually really did like p.s. upgrades, and tried to upgrade allllllmost every time I flew the route (I’ve actually voluntarily sat in economy, twice!) I did like the international biz class seats, and the media players, while unwieldy and slow, did provide some good options from United’s usual in-flight-entertainment crud offerings of horrendous sitcoms (although, I am the only person on earth who will attest to the fact I think Parks and Recreation is brilliantly done – I’m just a sucker for deadpan humor), and terrible movies that make me want to asphyxiate myself with the air sickness bag. Truthfully, I think I am going to venture to another airline – American Airlines, perhaps, and see what they have to offer. I’m kind of excited at the fun of trying to rebuild status with an airline. I still remember vividly my first mileage runs as a general member with United, and the thrill of seeing my first Premier Status post, as I was rebooked, in full Y, on the last row of a 757, from SFO to Boston when my US Airways flight canceled. Some fear starting anew with an airline, because they can’t suffer the indignation of a few flights in economy. Me, I really don’t care. It’d be fun.

I am, therefore, super excited to try two flights on Virgin America. I’m already a fan of their desire to break the mold from the stodgy model of other legacy carriers, and inject a little fun and flair into flying. I’m already a huge fan of their wonderfully sarcastic, deadpan safety video. I don’t watch much TV, now, and, I am a huge advocate of just bringing a book for in flight entertainment, but I do love live TV in the air, having tried it many-a-time on JetBlue. There’s nothing like watching a baseball game or The Daily Show while crossing the country, although, accidentally coming across an episode of Hip Hop Harry on a 6.10am JetBlue flight from JFK to Boston actually made me wonder if someone had spiked my orange juice with LSD, and I was having a bad trip. (Check out the video – you’ll wonder if there’s something a little stronger than the caffeine in your coffee playing with your neurotransmitters). I’m excited to try a refreshing flying experience. It’ll certainly be odd, though, heading to a different terminal at JFK.

And, besides – being afraid of progressiveness reminds me of leaders as their revolutions start to fail – and they have to start removing lines from operas, color from magazines, and text from books, and all the songs from The Sound of Music, to try to gain some control. We wouldn’t want people flying an airline with mood lighting, and thinking too much, now, would we?

JetBlue Airways launched it’s new first ever non-stop service for Ft Lauderdale airport FLL to SFO San Francisco this evening.  The flight number 277 was scheduled for a 7:15pm departure and it left on time and even pushed a few mintues early at 7:09pm. The flight is expected to touch down in San Francisco SFO at 10:17pm which is 7 minutes ahead of it’s 10:24pm schedule. The aircraft will be making the traditional quick blue turn that the airline is known for and an outbound crew will be awaiting to take their first inagural all niter red eye from San Francisco SFO to Ft Lauderdale this evening at 11:30pm pct with a projected ontime arrival in Ft Lauderdale FLL at 7:40am. JetBlue passengers will receive shut eye service which includes a complimentary “snooze kit” containing earplugs and eye shades. They will also be offered complimentary Dunkin Donuts coffee and fresh juices onboard for the inflight arrival service one hour prior to landing. Congrats to our friends at JetBlue Airways for another great flight launch from the Ft Lauderdale FLL market. We will be wishing our friends at Virgin America an equally succesful launch for their inagural as it begins tomorrow from San Francisco SFO to Ft Lauderdale FLL at 7:00am pct.  

- The Daily Aviation Grind