5/14/2008 at 5:00 PM
Tags: Gossip Girl, Virgin America, Celeb Travel, Michelle Trachtenberg (all tags)
Gossip Girl here. Looks like Georgina might not be so evil after all. She was spotted making friends with an older man in first class on a Virgin America flight earlier this week.
OK, forget it. We can't write in that annoying Gossip Girl voice (yay for that!) but we can tell you that Georgina, aka Michelle Trachtenberg, was flying in first on a Virgin America flight from LAX to JFK on Monday night.
We were about two rows behind her in the plebes section and we tried to get a shot of her. This is the best we could do. (We didn't want to get thrown off the plane!)
Michelle was nice to everyone around her, or so we observed and we did stare for quite some time. She didn't even do the whole "sunglasses at night" thing like a lot of other celebs do. She spent most of the flight talking to some older actor guy next to her who was/is on some soapy/drama show. We think he hit it big in the early 90s but we can't for the life of us remember who he is. Sorry guy.
Maybe Michelle can get you a spot on GG to boost your Q rating?
Related Stories:
· Gossip Girl coverage [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]
by juliana
5/13/2008 at 10:30 AM
Tags: Virgin America, LCCs, Low Cost Carriers, New Routes, ORD, David Cush, Jaunted Interviews (all tags)
A Jaunted Exclusive
Virgin America will ask the FAA for a share of the Chicago market this week, and if all goes well, VA will be flying to O'Hare by November.
After Virgin confirmed the expansion plans, we were excited to talk with CEO David Cush, posing here with Cisco Adler, about the future of the airline, how the FAA allocates landing rights and what it's like to compete with a former employer.
Jaunted: We've been hearing rumors about Chicago for months. Why make the move into that new market now?
DC: You're not an airline until you fly to Chicago. We want to fly four flights a day from LAX and SFO to ORD because this is third largest travel market in the US and we think Chicagoans are going to love our product.
Currently, Chicago/O'Hare has virtually no low-fare competition to the West Coast and none from SFO or LAX. We think we can compete with the big guys and inject a little healthy competition into a market that desperately needs it.
MORE...
by pbb
5/12/2008 at 8:35 AM
Tags: Virgin America, LCCs, Low Cost Carriers, New Routes, ORD (all tags)
Virgin America will petition the FAA for eight daily arrival slots into Chicago O'Hare this week. The agency, which controls the number of flights allowed at ORD, could give the upstart approval to fly as early as November, when a new runway opens.
That means this winter is the soonest we'd see SFO-ORD and LAX-ORD flights on VA. Not really what we were expecting when CEO David Cush hinted at service to Chicago, but it's the best the carrier can do given the current flight caps.
Maybe while we're waiting for Chicago, VA's will expand to Boston and Miami? Last we heard, those announcements could come by the end of this summer.
Related Stories:
· What's Next for Virgin America [Jaunted]
· Virgin America is Flying High [Jaunted]
· Virgin America coverage [Jaunted]
· New Routes coverage [Jaunted]
by pbb
4/21/2008 at 10:00 AM
Tags: Virgin America, Airfare Deals, Airfare Sales, Travel Deals (all tags)
So, Virgin America is trying to price its way into the hearts of consumers as the legacy airlines are reeling from ever-higher jet fuel prices. Sounds like the perfect time to launch an early summer sale!
Our quick search of some dates in May shows that VA does indeed have the lowest prices between SFO and JFK. (The carrier's about 10 percent cheaper than the best seats on American.) On the new LAX to SEA route, fares on Virgin just edge out Alaska Airlines' prices.
Other routes are on offer, too. The current sale ends this Friday, but as Airfare Watchdog notes, VA has a tendency to extend discounts when people are buying tickets. Like we've said, the first one's always (close to) free.
Related Stories:
· Virgin America Summer Sale [Official Site, via]
· Virgin America Has a Plan to Get You Hooked [Jaunted]
· Virgin America coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: b_d_solis]
by pbb
4/18/2008 at 11:00 AM
Tags: Virgin America (all tags)
As airline bankruptcy April grinds on, Virgin America is getting out there to remind everyone that it's not going anywhere. Investors, says Time, have already poured $312 million into the start-up that Richard Branson says is right on track.
As for fears that Virgin's constant sales and super-low fares are a sign of trouble, put those to rest:
The airline will raise prices eventually, says Rick Seaney, CEO of travel website FareCompare.com just as JetBlue and Southwest did. But Virgin, he predicts, "will try to be different" and hope customers value the services enough to pay for it.
Virgin America, airfare dealer: The first one's always free!
Related Stories:
· Richard Branson's Flight Plan [Time]
· Virgin America coverage [Jaunted]
by pbb
4/15/2008 at 4:45 PM
Tags: Priceline, Virgin America, Booking Sites, William Shatner (all tags)
William Shatner, the celebrity spokesman/ninja for Priceline.com may soon be flying high on Virgin America.
Everyone's favorite new airline just announced a partnership with Priceline.com which will allow the discount booking site full access to all of Virgin America's published fares, schedules and inventory.
What this means for fliers is that you'll have another option to find some cheap VA flights. Plus, you get to look at William Shatner in a variety of kung-fu fighting stances.
Related Stories:
· Virgin America coverage [Jaunted]
by juliana
4/14/2008 at 11:00 AM
Tags: Virgin America, New Routes, Airlines (all tags)
Cisco Adler's favorite carrier, Virgin America, doesn't need any of your sissy airline bankruptcies. With a fresh $100 million in the bank from investors and plenty of expansions planned, VA isn't worried about a potential shutdown.
That said, things are still tough for the newcomer. VA flights are less full than the industry average in the States, which is nice for passengers but tough on the bottom line. And high fuel costs are of course a factor. (Maybe that's why the airline has just added a second-checked-bag fee, like so many other carriers have done recently?)
If Virgin America can get back to expanding its network, it'll help the airline on the path to profitability. While flight caps in the New York area--at both JFK and EWR--are hurting the airline, the overall industry slowdown is a blessing in disguise says CEO David Cush. As other airlines cut back on service, VA hopes to swoop in and pick up some landing slots.
Where? The usual suspects: Chicago, Boston and Miami.
Related Stories:
· Virgin America Investors to Inject $100 Million [WSJ]
· Virgin Says New US Rules Hurt Competition at Newark [AP, via IHT]
· Virgin America coverage [Jaunted]
by pbb
4/11/2008 at 10:18 AM
Tags: Frontier, Richard Branson, Virgin America, Chris Elliott, Airlines, Airline Bankruptcy (all tags)
So now Frontier has filed for bankruptcy, though the carrier won't be shutting down operations during its "restructuring." That means it's time for people on the WWW to start the guessing game as to who's next. Chris Elliott leads the way this morning with a few ideas--complete with odds of bankruptcy. (Sorry, Sun Country, but 2 to 1 is pretty bad.)
Noticeably absent from the list is Virgin America, which some industry analysts say is a candidate for closure. But maybe Elliott left VA off his list because Richard Branson is making the media rounds, talking up his American carrier:
They're doing well ahead of budget and we're very happy with the performance... If you sit here in three or four years time, it'll be flying to all the major American cities.
Well. We'll see.
Given how rapid the Skybus implosion was--and how up-and-down all this renewed Delta merger talk is--we're gonna sit out this round of speculation. If you've got any real info on what's next, you'll find us at the airport bar.
Related Stories:
· Airline Deathwatch: Place Your Bets Please [Elliott]
· Branson Says Virgin Will Not Fail [Reuters]
· Airline Investors Find They're Losing Altitude [Houston Chronicle]
by pbb
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