Why I Fly Virgin America: A Customer Testimonial

I once somewhat jokingly referred to flying Economy class as “flying steerage.” Sure, it’s a dramatic description, considering air travel doesn’t exactly include the perils of traveling by boat in unsanitary conditions. But that feeling of being herded, of being treated like a nuisance rather than a valued customer, is never a pleasant sensation. Loyalty programs with hidden fees and blackout dates don’t help things, either.

Not so with Virgin America. Since my first flight, way back in 2007, I was struck by how pleasant the entire experience was, and continues to be years later. From being greeted with a smile at the check-in desk to the snazzy, touch-screen Red system in-flight, Virgin seems to know exactly what I’m looking for when I fly (right down to the wireless internet, too!).

While I’d always been hesitant to join other loyalty programs, joining Elevate was a no-brainer for me. And I’ve found that my experience with Virgin America’s loyalty program, unlike others, has been as comfortable, and enjoyable, as traveling on one of their planes. As soon as I sign in on their website, my points balance immediately appears under my name. As I go to book travel, I just have to click once to see how much the flights I want cost in dollars, or in points.

There’s no fine print here telling me that the Friday afternoon flight I need is blacked out. I can book anything, anytime, using my points. In fact, just last Christmas, I was able to book a round-trip ticket from New York to get home to San Francisco to see my family – on December 23rd. Not only was my holiday travel easy, but it was easy on my credit card, too. That’s the kind of flexibility I love in a loyalty program, and keeps me coming back.

What’s more, Virgin America keeps me updated both through email, Twitter, and Facebook of upcoming sales, contests I can enter, and updates. Cheap fares to Cabo and the chance to win a weekend getaway in LA? Yes, please.

With the loyalty program’s new Gold and Silver Elevate levels, I’m looking forward to complimentary upgrades to Main Cabin Select and Express, free checked bags, and 25% discounts on flights. Not to mention a members-only reservation line — another way Virgin America helps everyone feel like they’re flying First Class.

Watch Virgin America present on their success working with Loyalty Lab on the Elevate program here. And keep up on all of the great things Virgin America is doing by following @virginamerica, @richardbranson and @loyaltylab.

You Might Like:

• Presentation On-Demand: Virgin America
• Aberdeen Research Report: Customer Loyalty 2012: Enabling Technologies for Customer Engagement, Conversion, and Retention