Virgin America Redemption

Hey guys I am planing a trip to San Francisco in September and I am hoping to spend some of my miles with VX. My question is whether or not there is a way to check for award availability online? Is it just the same availability as that offered to elevate members? Secondly what are people's experiences with redeeming on VX? Is it relatively straightforward? I've flown them a few times before and found there service amazing and I'd rather redeem on them than DL

Thanks guys,
Solo