Catch Me While You Can

I feel sad that Virgin America are going to be departing the tarmac soon. Living on the west coast, their base in SFO has offered me plenty of options for getting around the US. Plus, they shook up the domestic aviation industry with a groovy product punctuated with lively and always-friendly flight attendants. As opposed to the annoyed demeanor of most FA’s as they ply the rickety rows while passengers stare in fear scenario you get on some other carriers. Now that they’re being taken over by Alaska Airlines, there’s not much time left to try out those snazzy, purple-lit, funky-mood cabins.

In order to try out their A320 First Class product, I took the shortish flight from Seattle to San Francisco. While not a huge flight by any means, it let me see enough to experience it and see if they’re worth the upgrade compared to other US domestic First Class cabins.

The Shortcut Review of VX A320 First

Seatlink’s Take

Virgin America doesn’t have too many different planes and the First Class cabin is the same in every one. You’ll quickly notice how tiny it is – just two rows in a 2-2 configuration. I took a few snaps and settled into my seat. First thing I liked was the incredibly nice leg room – at a 55″ pitch, it doesn’t seem too much, but stretched out, it’s ample for an angled seat. At which point I want to mention the seat. The recliner function angles generously and I liked the cushioning in it. It doesn’t extend all the way to a lie-flat position though. This is fine for a day flight, but be aware if you’re on a red-eye (like a Trans-Con) as you’ll find sleeping difficult on these.

A lot of people don’t like the mood lighting in the Virgin America cabins but I thought it was nice. It had a great balance as it wasn’t as intense as Delta’s, but more so than Alaska’s, for example. I guess you either take it or leave it and at any rate, I find it one of the distinguishing factors that make VX special.

The IFE screen is in the armrest, and when I got it out, I noticed it was rather small. It wasn’t a big deal for me, but something to keep in mind. Also, I couldn’t seem to get the massage function to work properly. Maybe it was the age of the plane or they just weren’t working that well, but yeah it wasn’t great.

The flight passed by pretty quickly, but they still managed to serve an ample snack as well as drinks on the flight. It’s a nice distinguishment and good to see that a First Class cabin still means something in terms of the soft product.

Which seats to choose or avoid

Since there’s only two rows, there’s really not much to choose from. Row 1 may be superior because it’s difficult to get out from the window seat in row 2 if the person next to you has their footrest up, and the person in front of them is fully reclined. Having said that, row 1 also has a bulkhead, which normally is a good thing. But given the bunch of leg room I had, it may actually impede the leg room for row 1ers. In terms of quietness, both are pretty much the same with Row 1 having the lav in front of them (but only used for First Class) and Row 2 separated from economy by a divider.

For more seat reviews from other travelers on Virgin America’s A320, check out this plane’s seat map here: Virgin America A320 seat map

The Bottom Line

This is one of the better First Class cabins on a domestic flight you’ll get. It’s really more of the type of Business Class product you used to find on international flights around 10 years ago. You’ll find better on a Trans-Con flight for sure, but for shorter hops and day flights, the Virgin America cabin is hard to beat. Of course one of the best parts of any Virgin flight anywhere is the consistently excellent flight attendants. They’re a fun bunch and are always smiling and make you feel welcome throughout the flight. It’s not forced either, and comes across in a very genuine way. A comfy recliner seat and decent snack help to punctuate this quality short haul First.

I only hope that when Alaska take over, they’ll make sure the soft product comes along for the ride too. Because it’s really one of the better service experiences you’ll see on a domestic flight.

What are Your Thoughts on the Virgin America First Class?

If you’ve flown VX in First Class on the A320, let us know in the comments below! Or better yet, write a review of your seat here: Virgin America A320 reviews 😀