Virgin America on Wednesday began service at Philadelphia International Airport with its first flight touching down from Los Angeles in the early afternoon. Passengers were greeted by SirRichard Branson and welcomed to participate in a "tailgate on the tarmac" celebration marking the 17th new destination for the airline.
Source: Virgin America
Virgin America's Philadelphia launch
The festivities began in Los Angeles, where passengers boarded a flight from Los Angeles International Airport to Philadelphia — as "Rocky" theme music played in the background. Passengers included actor Seth Green , "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" actor Glenn Howerton and model Amber Rose.
"Philadelphia is a vibrant, world class city that deserves more airline competition," says Virgin America President and Chief Exeutive Officer David Cush. "In addition to bringing low fare competition to routes previously only served nonstop by legacy carriers, we believe our unique service will be a welcome change for Philadelphians tired of typical domestic airline cattle car."
The airline will operate three daily flights to Los Angeles. Service to San Francisco begins on April 10 with two nonstops daily.
Virgin America is known for its fleet of aircraft with flashy interiors that feature a cabin moonlighting system that transitions across 12 shades based on exterior light. Each passenger has access to an advanced passenger entertainment system featuring a 9-inch seatback monitor. Power outlets are also near every seat.
Other amenities include:
- More than 35 on-demand movies, including independent and foreign language films and many current releases.
- 18 channels of live TV and six channels of cached TV programming.
- A 3,000 song music library.
- A video game library.
- Interactive Google Maps offering flight tracking.
- Onboard seat-to-seat chat messaging.
- The world s first on-demand food and drink ordering system.
