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Red Shoe Diaries: Five Pairs of Pumps that Steal the Virgin Atlantic Sex Appeal

It was this time last year that Virgin Atlantic announced that they'd be re-shoeing their girls in the skies with patent red heels.

Flying Virgin to London last summer, we still spied the black shoes boarding flights. Entering the new JFK Clubhouse last week however, we chatted with a few flight attendants who showed a little leg, angled their heels to catch the light, and said that, yes, they'd finally gotten the scarlet kicks. Are they being hit on more? "Yes, absolutely! The compliments come from everyone and the shoes are an easy target, plus they are hot," says one FA.

Agreed, but since the Virgin Atlantic pumps aren't available for purchase, we set out to find Five Shoes to Steal that Virgin Sex Appeal:

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If You Only Have One Cocktail at Virgin Atlantic's JFK Clubhouse...

Without naming names, we'll just say that some airlines have taken away many of the cushy lounge benefits that come with purchasing a seat at the front of the plane. Specifically we mean free booze—it's rarer than ever in lounges at American airports, but we know a few that will keep the liquor flowing freely, for free. Here's one: the Virgin Atlantic's new Clubhouse at New York-JFK Airport.

In fact, Virgin Atlantic is well known for having quite the comprehensive complimentary bar offerings, some of which we've previously profiled—Virgin Redhead, Indian Summer, 'New' New York Sour and Virgin Kiss.

The opening of the new lounge however necessitates a fresh addition. A contest was had and two concoctions emerged victorious: the Big Virgin Apple and Virgin Rose. A quickie taste test by Sir Richard Branson put the Kiss over the Apple, and we chatted up the bartenders to get the recipe.

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Inside the Brand New Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at New York's JFK Airport

Spoiler alert! The new Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at New York's JFK Airport is awesome. We've been in it, sat in its designer chairs, sipped its specialty cocktails, marveled at the tarmac views and—yes—it's passed the test of "do we want to live here?"

The 10,000-square-foot Clubhouse sprayed the champagne during a grand opening party last night, complete with words from Sir Richard Branson and three unplugged songs from KT Tunstall. Upper Class passengers flying that evening were treated to all the fanfare as well; imagine grabbing a bite and checking your email, then Branson waltzes in and shakes your hand.

Wiping the stars from our eyes, let's get down to business. The new lounge is indeed new; it's not simply a renovation, since the old lounge was before security, in a far less convenient part of JFK Terminal 4. You'll find the fresh space after security, directly upstairs from the Virgin Atlantic gates. No more rushed Virgin Redhead cocktails before making a dash for your flight. If the plane is leaving without you, you'll now be watching it do so directly below. Wave to the pilots!

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How to Win a First Peek at the Newest Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse (and Meet Richard Branson)

Want to party at the airport, with Richard Branson, various other British people in nice suits, and the promise of two round-trip flights to London on Virgin Atlantic in the future? Of course you do.

On March 5, Virgin Atlantic will hold a grand opening party for their new JFK lounge—10,000 square feet of seating, cafe, bar, entertainment and Bumble & bumble salon (the first and only in-lounge salon in the US). In typical Virgin fashion, the party will be awesome, and its attendees will have the earliest glimpse of the flashy new digs.

So how do you get in? There's a contest, of course! Here's how to win:

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Virgin Atlantic's Big News: Sexy New Clubhouse, Sexy New Seats, Sexy New S & P Shakers

When some sweet airline news comes down the pipeline, we get a little shiver of a thrill. The latest carrier to give us those goosebumps of expectation is Virgin Atlantic, as they've got a slew of updates hitting the sky later this year:

· New Upper Class seats, coming Spring 2012.

100 million GBP. That's how much Virgin Atlantic is laying out to get you all laid out in "enhanced" Upper Class seats and enjoying all their spring 2012 upgrades. While we don't yet know specifics like seat width, gadgets or even the design, we do know that the seats will debut on the airline's London-New York route in just a few months. Following this, VS planes will get the Upper Class refresh throughout the world, over a period of three years. Stay tuned, since details can't be kept secret much longer.

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In-Flight Cocktail of the Month: Virgin Atlantic's 'Virgin Kiss'

As many already know, we have a serious obsession with airline cocktails, and so much is our passion that we've created a whole first-Friday-of-the-month feature called In-Flight Cocktail of the Month, which highlights the special concoctions that flight attendants whip up with only a cocktail shaker, some tiny liquor bottles and a whole lot of hope that it won't make you drunk and unruly.

Up until now, Virgin Atlantic's In-Flight Cocktail of the Month accolades have been the liquidy soundtrack to our past two summers. But a cocktail is for life, not just the hot months, so for December we're warming up with the SFO Clubhouse's signature cocktail: the Virgin Kiss.

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The Little Virgin Galactic Surprise in Virgin Atlantic's Heathrow Clubhouse

Where in the world is Richard Branson? He's in the Mojave Desert today, for the official dedication of Spaceport America, the base and building for all the fun of Virgin Galactic.

Here's the thing, though—Spaceport America has already been "open" now since May, when their three-hour tours began. Today was just all the official pomp and circumstance, plus a little show-off flight from SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo.

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Inside the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at SFO

There are airport lounges, and then there are Virgin Atlantic Clubhouses—the type of lounge that makes you pray for a flight delay. Happily, when we scored access to the Clubhouse at San Francisco International Airport the other week, we were early for our flight. Unhappily, it left on time. Here’s what we found.

The room is bright and airy, overlooking the runway like most lounges. But unlike most, it’s sexy. Take the vast bar, for example—it’s colored an icy blue, and takes up about half the length of the (lengthy) room. Propping up the bar is even more appealing when there’s a shelf of travel guides to flick through, too. Over by the window, facing the bar, is a row of armchairs.

There aren’t many snacks scattered around—just a plate of fruit and cookies at the bar—but, instead, the end section of the lounge works as a restaurant, with a cluster of TVs to watch while you wait for your table service, and pictures of pinups if you’re bored by the telly. By the window down that end are sofas, which also get table service. Windows have blue and pink-tinted filters over them, which is weird at first but quite soothing.

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In-Flight Cocktail of the Month: Virgin Atlantic's "'New' New York Sour"

As many already know, we have a serious obsession with airline cocktails, and so much is our passion that we've created a whole first-Friday-of-the-month feature called In-Flight Cocktail of the Month, which highlights the special concoctions that flight attendants whip up with only a cocktail shaker, some tiny liquor bottles and a whole lot of hope that it won't make you drunk and unruly.

Last summer, we dubbed Virgin Atlantic's Virgin Redhead the In-Flight Cocktail of the Month for June 2010. This summer, it's about time to highlight another Virgin drink, especially since their airport lounges feature an impressive signature cocktail selection.

Therefore, for July 2011, we're in love with the "New" New York Sour, a traditional whiskey sour with a surprise: a float of claret. Served up at Virgin Atlantic clubhouses—we downed this one in the New York-JFK Airport lounge—and possibly on flights in Upper Class (ask nicely), the "New" New York Sour is served in a chilled glass with a nice foam. When ours arrived, both tables on either side of us asked after it and ended up ordering their own; it's a conversation-starter!

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Have a Layover? Have a New Pair of Shoes Made at Virgin Atlantic's London Clubhouse

Have you ever been inside the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class Clubhouse at London-Heathrow? It. is. insane. We mean insane in the best way, of course. There's a hot tub, a pool table, old school Atari game tables, a free Bumble & Bumble salon, an outdoor deck, a sea of Eames lounge chairs and waiters who will bring you a proper teatime setup.

As you can imagine the services available are numerous during your couple hour stay in the Clubhouse, but Virgin Atlantic has gone ahead and added one more: bespoke shoes. For one month only, from March 18 to April 18, there will be a representative from Finnish cobblers The Left Shoe Company on hand to custom fit Upper Class passengers. The idea is traditional, but the process is quite futuristic:

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The Rise of the Airport Super-Lounge: Virgin Planning a Doozy in Sydney

The best part of visiting Australia might just be found at the airport, that is if the folks at Virgin get their dreams to come true. Virgin Atlantic is thinking about building their first clubhouse down under, and it won’t just be one of their traditional airport lounges. Not only would it be their newest, but it could be the best, with new technology and extra space needed, as it will be available for flyers aboard V Australia and Virgin Blue as well.

The Virgin Group is already working on a new place to score a Virgin Redhead before your flight for all three of its airlines in Los Angeles, so these super combo lounges might just be part of their future plans for their company and passenger comfort. Right now they’re committing to finishing things at LAX, but it sounds like the blueprints to their latest clubhouse might be sent to Sydney at some point in 2011.

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Inside the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at Newark Airport

Tucked behind a Hudson newstand before the security checkpoint in Terminal B at Newark Airport, is the Clubhouse for Virgin Atlantic.

This clubhouse is nowhere near the design spectacular that you will find at JFK, but it still has that certain je ne sai quoi that is unquestionably Virgin Atlantic. It's quite vibrant compared to other airport lounges, which typically go the cookie-cutter route of grey carpeting, brown leather seats, wood-paneled walls and an overall boring, business traveler feel.

But this clubhouse is full of pinks and purples and flat-screen TVs, not to mention little nooks for a library and a computer work area. All in all, it's a perfectly pleasant place to while away an hour or so before your flight. We managed to get in about 30 minutes in the Clubhouse and this is what we found:

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