This is a Trip Report from the Upper Class cabin
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and having enjoyed reading others trip reports on here, thought I'd contribute something back. I'll start with SFO-SAN, and maybe add some of the others in due course!After some helpful words of encouragement here on v-flyer I decided to go ahead with my plan for a day trip down to San Diego from SFO.
Deciding on a leisurely start for the day I booked VX956 departing at 10:05. Given I'd not long been in San Francisco, the jetlag ensured I didn't struggle to get up in plenty of time to be heading out to SFO. I was planning to take the BART out to the airport, but alas had failed to factor the Memorial Day holiday into my plans -- the revised schedule meaning the earliest I could get out there was 09:05. Mindful of the need to then catch the AirTrain round to T2, the potential for long queues at security, and never having travelled domestically from SFO before I decided not to chance it, and opted for a car arranged by my hotel instead. As it happened, having already completed OLCI, with no bags to check, and security being pretty quiet I'd probably have been OK with BART had it all ran to time.
So, a speedy visit through to security and a short walk down to the gate. My first visit to SFO's T2 and it seemed nice enough with a reasonable selection of eateries and shops. Plenty of tables with plug-points was handy, too. Half an hour before departure time and boarding commenced; starting with First, Main Cabin Select & Elevate Gold pax (anyone know if this extends to VS Au too..?).
This was my first experience of Virgin America and I must say I was very impressed. I was travelling on board "Jersey Girl", the newest addition to the VX fleet having only been delivered in April. The pilot took great pleasure in explaining Airbus' new "sharklet" technology -- a specialised winglet which apparently makes for significant efficiency savings.
The interior of the plane was clearly all brand new -- very clean, and some nice lighting effects. I did note that the window blinds were all kept down throughout the flight which was curious -- I assumed done to maximise the purple lights but I did find it a little disconcerting on take-off and landing (to the extent that I opened mine!).
Spurred on by my quest for tier points in a bid to reach VS Au status this year I'd opted to fly First, so took my seat in 1A. Very comfy, nice wide white-leather, with a good recline and oodles of legroom. The flight wasn't too full, with initially only three seats occupied until two uniformed servicemen were invited to accept a free upgrade (appropriate, given it was Memorial Day). Still meant that we left with three empty F seats which I found a little surprising given I thought these tended to be offered as cheap upgrades on check-in, but I guess not many thought it worthwhile for such a short flight.
We were offered drinks on boarding, and again after take-off along with a choice of snacks that was brought round -- crisps, some rather nice boxed cookies, and the like.
Departure was pretty much bang on time, and before long we had begun our descent into San Diego with lovely views over the city as we did so.
A very good introduction to VX, and a pleasant improvement over short haul flights I've done previously. Such a product would be great within Europe should VS ever be allowed to expand...!
For those wondering; I needn't have worried about the practicality of a day trip down to San Diego -- I had plenty of time there in which to explore the city. Aside from the relatively high cost, and an annoying delay to the return journey, was just as easy as train ride or drive an hour or so out of San Francisco. The airport is wonderfully close to the centre of town, so I was in Balboa Park within 30mins of touching down. Had a good look around there, and popped into a few of the museums, then walked down to take the metro round to the Gaslamp Quarter. Took a wander round there, and then walked along the coast back to the airport (not many city airports one can walk to like that!). Recommended.
