Sneak Peak at Virgin America's New High-Tech Planes
Air travel in the United States generally feels like a trip back in time: Specifically, a time before humans had developed electronics, fabrics that weren't beige vinyl or fully-formed legs.
Virgin Airlines aims to change all of that with the stateside launch of Virgin America Airlines this week. Sir Richard Branson is bringing his famous taste for mile-high luxury to our shores (or air space, rather), having developed a new fleet of planes decked out with nearly everything the modern traveler could ask for -- 110 volt AC current, Ethernet and USB ports (for charging iPods and phones), and QWERTY keyboard input for its Linux-based computer terminals. Engadget has an intense hands-on with photos to drool over.
Virgin America comes to a sky near you on August 8.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
jeff @ Aug 6th 2007 10:04AM
Looks fun - didn't SONG airline try all that fancy/artsy crap though? now look where they are......
Joe Dark @ Aug 6th 2007 9:04PM
I just had (last night 8/-8/6) a very bruising flight on United. We got home at 2 AM. The flight was delayed at the gate 2 hours, and on the runway 2 more hours. Having an interior like that would have made the time go faster and kept my kids entertained.
And that was just on the way home. The first leg of the trip was no picnic either. I will never fly United again.
NickP @ Aug 7th 2007 12:54PM
Song was part of a legacy Airline - that is why they died off... The "Airline within an Airline" stupidity of US carriers will never work when the entire workforce is in the same union as the mainline employees. BTW: The Song planes STILL exist with all the technology. Delta just uses them on select routes.
The technology didn't kill Song - Delta's naive view of it lowering costs did.
Pamela Wells @ Mar 26th 2008 2:56PM
I noticed that, if you pay more, you get 76 degrees F.; if you pay less, the temp. goes up to 77 degrees F. Typical!
What if you happen to be comfortable at the universally accepted norm of 72 degrees F.?
It's also interesting that when you click on the photo of the computerized lighting, temp., etc., you will never get the blow-up for the temp. settings. You have to look really hard. Why? Because the airline doesn't want you to know it is saving money by keeping the temperature high, especially in the lower-priced seats!
Just what I want! To be sitting next to a poor family consisting of maybe 6 screaming kids bouncing up and down, in high heat!!!!