2007: A Space Odyssey
by Leah BuleyNow don’t be jealous, dear readers, but I finally got to fly on Virgin America. And, yes, the reports are all true. It is very cool. From the clever safety video to the intelligent lighting system, it’s evident that Virgin America has an expansive understanding of what constitutes experience, and that they’ve thought very broadly about how to make that experience as delightful as possible for passengers.
Meet Red
Of course the cherry on top is the inflight entertainment system mounted in the headrest in front of you. It offers a range of services that read like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs — food, talk, read, play, shop. This entertainment system is called Red, and when the flight crew talk about it, they call it that, “Red,” like that’s its name. They say things like “Red can do it all.” “Check Red for the prices.” “Open the pod bay doors, Red.” Oh, sorry. That’s HAL.
A Touch Screen World
You find yourself surrounded by people using these little touch screens — watching tv, chatting with other passengers, playing games, listening to music — and this is what makes it really interesting. It’s like being plunked down in the middle of an immersive market test. Different user behaviors are on display all around you. To your left, to your right, through the cracks in the seat in front of you, you see:
- The Fearless Explorers - easily tapping away at their screens, scrolling around, hopping back and forth between pages.
- The Uncertain Ones - a wobbly finger extended slowly towards the screen, pausing there, suspended in mid-air, clearly unsure of what to touch, for fear that it might be the wrong thing.
- The Forceful Pokers - a finger pointed like an accusation, poking at the screen with slow determination. The guy in the seat next to me was a Forceful Poker. The passenger sitting in front of him had to turn to say “you’re pressing too hard!” (Evidently I’m not the first to observe the forceful poking. A PopSci blogger complains about it here.)
I was actually really intrigued by this idea of behavior models for a touch screen world, and I made a grand plan to do further undercover research on my return flight and share my new model with all of you. Alas, my plan was thwarted.
What Happens When Red Goes Offline
On the flight back, we all received a typewritten letter informing us that Red was regrettably out of commission. We would all receive a free drink and a snack for our troubles. As it turned out, they never gave out the free snack. And not having Red to play with somehow drew my attention to all the little things that detracted from the experience. The flight was an hour late. Grumble grumble. The arm rests don’t fully fold up into the seats. How are you supposed to lean into your companion and take a nap? The adjustable headrests don’t adjust. Maybe mine was just broken. And no airline magazine! What the hell? Where is my crossword puzzle? Whither my beloved, beloved sudoku?
Still Air Travel, After All
So, is Virgin America really the nightclub in the sky that some have described it to be? Um, probably not. Turns out it’s still just air travel, with all of the uncertainties and annoyances that it has always had. And my disappointing trip back home was a strong reminder of the need to provide compelling alternatives to even the most complete computer-based solutions. But overall, it’s clearly a very thoughtfully designed experience. And the world can certainly use more of those.
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November 16th, 2007 at 12:45 pm
I like your balanced review. While the entertainment was novel and fun, without $8 to watch a movie, I did get as bored as usual pretty quickly. But the onboard outlets and USB plugs do make up for that.
My biggest problems were definitely ergonomic problems… I totally don’t understand the armrests not going back all the way… few airplanes actually let it go back completely, but Virgin was worse than any. You also should have seen (I took pictures somewhere) the awkward position I had to put my hand in to use the touchscreen for extended periods. I was like hanging onto the edge of the screen with my fingers to try to rest it on something while touching the screen with my fingers. So while I liked many things about Virgin, I’d like to see an airline get the physical comfort issues straightened out. Those issues are what keep my parents from wanting to fly. Granted, first class looked pretty darn comfy.
P.S. You also should have seen me pointing the remote at the screen and moving it around… expecting it to be a Wii-mote.
November 16th, 2007 at 5:32 pm
[...] adaptive path : 2007: A Space Odyssey [...]
November 18th, 2007 at 9:41 pm
Alexa, interesting observation about ergonomics. What wows us (or at least me) about Virgin America is that they enhance the standard flying experience with all of these in-seat conveniences — the chargers, the personal entertainment system, etc. Ultimately, though, we’re still just strapped into a too-small seat for an uncomfortably long period of time.
Physical discomfort is still the most fundamental limitation of the experience. Of course a lot of airlines have shown that they recognize this problem, but only in as much as it impacts business class. Imagine, though, if a carrier offered standard economy seating that had: proper legroom, a detachable, wireless touch screen that you could hold in your lap (lapscreen?), fully reclining seats, and, dream of dreams, a sense spaciousness and privacy. I wonder, is there any way to make such a thing financially viable?
November 25th, 2007 at 9:34 pm
Leah, I’m so glad you posted on this!
I was not aware of the legend built around Virgin America when I stepped aboard last week. I was flying to L.A. and a bit skeptical whether that particular plane’s design was only pulled out for such Southern California crowds. It’s cool to know that is how all of Virgin America flies.
Apart from the great use of technology (and illustration!), the flight crew acted as though they had been through some new customer relations debriefing. I didn’t get any unhappy rushed crew members and the pilot talked to the cabin in a calm and real manner.
I’m excited to see what enhancements they add and can understand how without the computer system working a lot changes.
November 28th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
[...] colleague Leah writes up her experience flying Virgin America, whose new service I’ve enjoyed since I started my weekly commute between SF and LA a couple [...]
January 14th, 2008 at 11:45 am
[...] been greatly enjoying) and Michael Murphy, head of customer service for Virgin (APers are HUGE fans of Virgin America’s airline experience). As a favor to readers of the Adaptive Path blog, Satisfaction is offering a 25% discount code for [...]
March 28th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
I too recently flew on Virgin America and really enjoyed the overhauled experience of flying. At the end of the flight when we parked at the gate they’ve thankfully omitted that annoying little pavlovian “ding” that often signals a chorus of seatbelt un-clicks and a mad rush for the exits. I found this one of the most refreshing changes - as small as it was.