I know Grant has been keeping you well-informed about Virgin America's services, but I figured I would share my fresh observations.

I flew Virgin America for the first time yesterday: from New York to San Francisco. What can I say. I was impressed. Brand new plane, pleasant staff, fairly comfy leather (or fake leather) seats...For a second, you almost forget how painful it is to travel by plane these days!

One of the things I have always loved about flying Virgin Atlantic (the international version of the airline) is their in-flight entertainment set up: private screens with lots of movies, music and games to choose from.

I was hoping Virgin America would do the same.

They do, but you have to pay for it. I don't blame them. It's a great idea to target a bunch of people bored to death. We'll pay almost anything to make a few hours go by a little faster. Those in-flight magazines only go so far.

I was curious to find out how much everything costs once you board a Virgin America flight. Here is a short list:

• Headphones are free
• Listening to music and watching music videos is free
• Movies go for $5-7 a piece (there are lots to choose from)
• Most TV shows will set you back 99 cents an episode (again, lots to choose from)

There is no free food on board. That's not entirely bad news. I actually like that concept.

• You can choose from about 7 kinds of meals (sandwiches, wraps, salads) for approximately $8/piece
• Snacks such are about $2/piece
• Basic drinks are free - coffee, water, soda, etc.
• You pay $5 for beer, wine, etc.

You order your food using the TV screen of Red, Virgin's in-flight entertainment system. You can just make your order, swipe your credit card and a few moments later, a flight attendant shows up with your meal.

To summarize, my roundtrip ticket was about $500. (Yes, that's what NYC-SFO flights go for these days) and I also spent an additional $15 in movies and food. I have to say, I like that some airlines are turning to the "pay as you go" model. I love being able to choose my own meal and entertainment and choose when I want to eat, watch movies or sleep. This has got to be the way to do it.

American Airlines may have actually come up with a way to make more money without ticking people off. Instead of charging for a service that used to be free--did anyone say checked bags?--the airline is piloting a system to charge passengers for Internet privileges.

Yep, that's right. While you're winging your way through the skies, you can log on. Need to e-mail? No problem.

You'll also be able to instant message, download videos, and connect to a smart phone through a secured network using your own laptop.

Passengers on one lucky flight today from Kennedy in New York to Los Angeles and a flight from Los Angeles to New York will be able to test the service for free.

In a couple of weeks, American will expand broadband to other flights on Boeing 767-200 jets. Flights to San Francisco and Miami are next.

These Internet capabilities are being developed through a partnership with Aircell LLC. Aircell's network is large enough to handle a whole plane load of Web surfers.

Knowing that you need to diversify in business, Aircell is also working out details with JetBlue and Virgin America for similar services.

American Airline's latest money scheme is one I like. Adding a new service and charging for it instead of wringing money out of folks who used to get the same thing for free seems smarter. The price isn't bad either. Internet will cost between $9.95 and $12.95 depending on the length of the flight.

And in case you're wondering about the chances of pornography showing up on the screen next to you--or on yours, not a chance--at least not much of one. According to the article, the flight attendant will stop the funny business. There are already policies against bringing pornography on the plane. The same applies to Internet, even though such sites won't be filtered out . Blocking them might disrupt service. Mind your manners, and the skies will stay friendly. [via AP]

The gloves are coming off, Virgin America: you may be offering free drinks on your Wednesday flights all month. You may have hottie hot hot models on your flights and Richard Branson as your playboy financier. You might even have super crazy in-seat chatting on your personalized LCD screens.

But we can beat that. Because we're giving away free drinks for ANY DAY OF THE WEEK on United Airlines right here at Gadling. That's right, by commenting on this post you can register yourself to win two free beverages on ANY United Airlines flight in the month of June. Flying on a Monday or Saturday? No problem, drinks are on us.

We'll pick two lucky winners to send two vouchers each. We only ask that you're over 21 years of age and that you actually be flying on a United Airlines flight before June 30, when the tickets expire. Feel free to also wear a "Gadling Rules | Virgin America Drools" t-shirt on your flight and take a picture -- but we're not requiring it.

• To enter, simply leave a comment below.
  
• The comment must be left before Friday, June 6 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
• You may enter only once.
• Two winners will be selected in a random drawing.
• Two Grand Prize Winner will receive two beverage vouchers each (valued at $10.00)
• Click Here for complete Official Rules.
• Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 21 and older.

Nothing beats the mid-week travel blues like a good bevvy when you're up in the skies. Whether it's straight up Jack Daniels with a dash of Tobasco sauce or straight shots of Skyy vodka, a little bit of spirits always helps take the edge off a flight. Just ask Kato Kaelin.

Virgin America knows this well, having served the likes of Richard Branson, Playboy bunnies, Victoria's Secret models and rock stars. So they're kicking off a promo offering free drinks on select Wednesday flights for the next five weeks.

Flights 313 from JFK to LAX, 1839 from SFO to LAX, 1777 from SFO to LAS and 1852 from LAX to SFO will all be participating in the promotion.

Furthermore, if you flash your boarding pass at select destination hotels, you can score a few more drinks and special room rates. These include the W Hotel in San Francisco and The Venetian out in Vegas.

So stop by the airport bar on the way to your Wednesday flight coming up, grab some pretzels and get thirsty. Flying Virgin is a real treat and you'll be extra happy when you get free drinks and start chatting with the hottie in 7C. Check out Gadling Flies Virgin America to read more about the perks.

Make sure you also check out the promo page where you can get exact flight times, see all of the participating partners and read the 38 pages of fine print.

Midwestern fans of the newest, shiniest airline to hit American soil, Virgin America, received some good news this morning: the airline is seeking government approval to set up shop at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

O'Hare, the world's second busiest airport, would make Virgin America's 8th official destination with plans to fly to and from both San Francisco (SFO) and Los Angeles (LAX).

No official word on when this would happen if given approval, but we'll keep you updated.

Chicago Business has a good rundown of the logistics of such a process, and what it could mean for Chicago and O'Hare.

Yahoo: Virgin America Seeks Service to Chicago O'Hare
Photo: Kevin Miller on Flickr (CC)

On a recent Virgin America flight, Gadling had the opportunity to sit with CEO David Cush and chat about budget carriers, bankruptcy and the the future of one of the fastest growing airlines in the United States. Blogger Grant had the pleasure of speaking briefly with Mr. Cush, the excerpts from which we've posted below:

Grant: You're actually not the only person with a tie on the flight. I kept mine in my pocket though.

David Cush: I'm taking this off as soon as we get to the launch party.

G: So Virgin brought you in from American Airlines. How has the transition been between operating at a legacy carrier to at a low cost carrier startup?

DC: For me personally it's been a lot of fun. You can be a lot more creative here and the decisions we make can be implemented a lot faster. It's been really great.

G: And with the higher volatility in the Low Cost Carrier market, have you been affected at all by the recent market?

DC: Well we have the benefit of having funding from a strong investment group, so that significantly helps from the investment standpoint. So we've been alright.

G: I bet. So with the departure of many airlines from the middle of the country, has Virgin America got any plans to expand?

DC: We do have one or two more routes opening up before the end of the year

G: Any clues as to what those might be?

DC: We do want to continue expanding our north-south routes similar to the Los Angeles - Seattle route that you're on right now. But I can tell you that it will be east of the Mississippi.

G: You should totally move in on Skybus's old territory.

DC: .....

G: Anyway, thanks for having me up to first class.

DC: Thank you.

So what's the big deal with this Virgin America that you've been yammering on and on about Grant? Are they secretly paying you money under the table to write good things about them?

No, they're not, and even though I keep asking for free plane tickets (and none have showed up), the fact of the matter is, however, it's a very different experience than flying a legacy carrier across the country, from in-flight service to entertainment to general ambiance.

Before I get into the details though, I will tell you this: flying still sucks. I have yet to find an economy class service on any airline in the world that is a true pleasure to fly on – you just can't operate a competitive airline and make everyone comfortable and happy at the same time while remaining profitable. The whole idea of making a coach-class experience better basically has to do with making it suck less -- you're still crammed three people across in seats-too-small with no legroom. What Virgin America has done is made enough distractions so that you temporarily forget about it.

And they do a great job at that. On the jetway, you're first offered free headseats to plug into VA's special Red entertainment system. It's a standard minijack with fairly weak speakers, so you can bring your own set if you want. Once you get on the airplane, you'll obviously notice the purple, blue and pink ambient lighting which makes the airplane strangely calm. Seats are made of new leather material with plastic backs into which the Red system is integrated. With about 32" of seat pitch, your space is about on par with other carriers, while the 17.2" width is slightly wider than the norm.

In flight services start immediately, so once you plop down in your seat you can fire up some Food Network and watch the new hip chef with spiky hair cook octopus stomach while other passengers shuffle past you and cram their luggage-too-large into the overhead compartments.

Virgin America's service between LA and Seattle kicked off this week with a bang, and Gadling was invited along for the ride.

The event, celebrating the link between two musically rich cities, started with a rock-concert send off by The Donnas at the VA gate in Los Angeles. After a brief ceremony where CEO David Cush and several Donnas members cut the symbolic ribbon, everyone jumped on the short flight up the coast.

Once things got organized, Cush said a few corporate words then Cisco Adler (Mischa Barton's ex boyfriend and lead singer of Whitestarr) and his pal Shwayze got up, grabbed a guitar and started serenading the plane as AP and Virgin photographers stalked them through the plane. Three songs deep, the duo handed the baton off to Michael Tolcher, who, after three songs handed the baton off to the Bamboo Shoots. The four of them rocked up and down the plane for a few songs handing out goodies, standing in seats and banging on things.

The aircraft was met with by a howling crowd of Virgin America employees who, lined up on either side of a red carpet, would wildly cheer every time someone deplaned. A brief arrival party with (more) Champagne took place at the gate, then everyone dispersed to meet up for the after party at the venue, The Showbox at the Market later that evening.

The Showbox was tricked up special for the Virgin America party. Photographers were on hand to take media photos of the celebrities on hand, including Rebecca Cardon from Bravo's Work Out and Lukas Haas. They took places in a special VIP judging section, and after a few more corporate words, Virgin hosted a quick battle of the bands where the winner was given a free music video shooting.

After the battle, The Bamboo Shoots came up for another set, followed by Thurston Moore (formally of Sonic Youth) and his new band.

You have to admit, Virgin does know how to throw a party. I met several interesting people along the road that I'll be telling you about over the next few days once I can put my thoughts and pictures together and my hangover wears off. Stay tuned for an interview with CEO David Cush, details about the in flight experiences (business and coach), video and an unofficial report about some of the chicanery that went on, including shots with Shwayze and Cisco, the Banana Republic marketing team and a trip to the hospital.

Our sister blog Engadget turns four this month and what better way to celebrate than to give stuff away? They've teamed up with one of our favorite airlines, Virgin America, to give away six pairs of tickets to anywhere the airline flies.

Soon you too can be cruising the mood-lit skies while you browse through hundreds of movies, mp3, videogames and sip martinis. Or you could relax into your leather seats, log into the inter-cabin chat room and try to hit on the hottie in 13b. It doesn't matter to us, just tell them that Engadget sent you.

Just remember, Virgin America doesn't fly to Middle America. If you do plan on entering in this contest, take a look at their route map and make sure that you're in the proximity of one of their airports. After all, it doesn't make much sense to buy a ticket from Portland to San Francisco just to take a free ticket to Seattle, right?

Check out Engadget's birthday bonanza and enter for your chance to win.

If any of you blue-staters want to get out to the opposite coast over the next eight weeks or so, Virgin America just released another 20% off code that should make your journey less expensive.

While the market values the Virgin America's tickets seem to be slightly above the norm across the board, this code should knock prices down a bit lower. As always though, double check Kayak.com to see what other carriers like Frontier and Jetblue are offering before you pull the trigger.

Even if the price is close, you may want to consider Virgin for the swanky mood lighting and inflight entertainment. I've been itching to give the airline a try myself, but have yet to break free from the constraints of Midwest living. Some day soon, I hope.

Use code FLYVIRGIN to take the discount off your ticket. Travel must be between Feb 18 and May 21.