You never know with these things when you’re trying something new what can happen. This is all experimental. ~Richard Branson

Over the years, there have been surprisingly few breakthroughs in the airline customer experience - until recently. Sir Richard Branson’s venture into the U.S. market, Virgin America, (VX) is redefining air travel by providing passengers with a fresh, distinctive on-board experience. The carrier is less than two years old but it’s quickly becoming a template for what’s possible in the future.

The choices VX is making demonstrate a “customer experience mindset” that’s all too rare in the industry. It’s evident that the VX team devoted their attention to passenger comfort and convenience. Features “baked in” to the customer experience include seats with power-outlets and USB ports. Cabins in their new A320s have soft mood lighting.

Healthy, appetizing meals designed by star-chef Luke Mangan show that the company knows what their customers prefer.  Features like these aren’t found on any domestic airline, let alone a low-cost one.

Last week, VX announced that its fleet is 100% WiFi-equipped (Gogo). They only have 28 planes, but they can boast that they’re the world’s first airline to reach that coveted milestone.

What’s most impressive is VX’s touch-screen, interactive entertainment system. The platform, known as Red, enables passengers to watch movies and live TV, play games, chat on-line with other passengers, and sample or even download MP3s from a massive digital library. Passengers can also use Red to order and pay for food and beverages which they receive “on-demand”.  For the digitally-inclined traveler, this is the way to fly.

Given the prohibitive cost of installing systems like Red on their existing fleets, it’s doubtful that any of the major network carriers will soon match VX’s “at-seat” amenities. But, the toughest feature for VX’s rivals to co-opt is its “customer experience mindset”.  These advantages could give the carrier a strong lead in the service innovation race for years to come if it stays healthy during this slowdown.

The airline serves only a handful of markets (New York, Boston, DC and the West Coast).  But, they’re big league markets where VX is attracting a cadre of loyal, well-heeled fans.  As an industry guy, I’m tipping my hat to Sir Richard Branson and VX’s San Francisco-based team for rethinking the in-flight experience, and for executing it well.

What do you think?  Have you sampled Virgin America?  I appreciate your perspective.

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Want more on this subject?

Richard Branson (Reuters, 6-2-09): “It’s unlikely all the big U.S. airlines will survive.”

Read Red Orbit’s piece (10-16-08), “Virgin America Wins Best Domestic Airline in Conde Nast Traveler’s (’08) Readers’ Choice Awards”.

Check out SimpliFlying’s series on Richard Branson and Virgin America.

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Klein says, “When I think of air travel, there is a conditioned response that it is going to be bad,” and adds, “We’ve forgotten it is a social occasion. I can’t think of any acknowledgement of that by the airlines today.”

He’s so right.  He’s probably someone the industry should tap to help redesign on-board service programs.  In fact, bringing experts from analogous fields like hospitality is a great place to start when rethinking services.  Successful restauranteurs can also bring a lot of practical insight.  Of course, we’d have to bring designers and artists to the party.

I like the concept of tapping experts from a variety of fields and disciplines outside the industry – along with customers – to come with distinctive alternatives that make the on-board experience more enjoyable.

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