Virgin America: A Disruptive Force To Be Reckoned With

I have had flight anxiety for nearly the last two years. Not sure where it came from or how it manifested so quickly, but it did. During the take-off and landing stages of flight, my mind races as I envision the landing gear malfunctioning or an engine suddenly failing. However, during a cross-country flight from San Francisco to Boston last week, it all changed. I hadn't been that comfortable and carefree on an airline in years - no I didn't take any mellow pills, I flew Virgin America.

It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Everything - from the mannerisms of the staff to plane itself - stood a head above the rest of any competing airline. The cabin emitted a soothing blue glow complimented by modern orange call buttons and purple crown lighting. Each seat was equipped with a touch-screen, fully interactive monitor that hosted music and movie libraries, DIRECTV television, food and drink orders, and hey why not - shopping catalogs. If I wanted a drink, I didn't have to wait for the cart - I could simply order it via my touchscreen and have it within seconds. If an order called for payment I looked no further than that same screen to swipe my debit or credit card - it was the most simplistic consumer experience I have been involved in.

Not your typical cabin.

Something for everyone on the touchscreen.

Even the introductory safety video that seems standard to every airline was flipped. It was a brilliantly drawn caricature that used a humorous voice to convey the safety messages required by FAA. The seat-belt portion featured an animated matador, confused by the seat-belt process, sitting next to his bull counter-part who was already strapped in. The voice-over joked around about the ".0001% of you who have never put on a seat-belt in your life" while the procedure was demonstrated. The on-flight crew didn't regurgitate a monotone "seat-backs and tray-tables upright and locked" type speech. They spoke to you, not at you. It felt like a conversation engaged in by both parties.

It boils down to the fact that Virgin, as a brand, really understands its consumers. They recognize that in order to stand out and remain relevant they must be progressive. I think the same holds true in any market for any brand. Virgin took what has been regarded as industry standard, and flipped the script. They still were well within compliance of the FAA, but they did it tastefully. In a market flooded by similar practices by Delta, United and other various airlines, Virgin went above and beyond to create an entirely new flight experience - just shy of being able to smoke again on-board. It was fun, comfortable and my guess is - extremely capable of repeat customers. If I never had to fly another airline again I wouldn't.

Any company can (and should) use Virgin as a case study in order to build a better brand experience, no matter how seemingly stagnant the market is.