Virgin America keeps things simple when it comes to just about everything it does. So why should seat selection be any different. Here’s the straightforward skinny on what you pay for with a Virgin America ticket.
Main Cabin
Main Cabin is what Virgin calls their Economy class seats. Much more than some of the competition, Virgin’s basic fare has some perks. To start, seat pitch is a roomy (compared to some of the legacy airlines, anyway) 32”. Seats are a comfy and cool black leather and you’ve got seat back, on demand entertainment with free television, movies and music. Virgin also offers Free Chat™, another perk for Smartphone owners. Basically, Free Chat allows in-flight texting (though video and photo transfer are not supported). Seat assignments are NOT included, but for an extra $10 – $40 depending on the flight you can call “dibs” on window, aisle or easy exit seats toward the front of the plane. Food is available on demand for a fee and yep – you will have to pay for your checked bags (but each one is just $25). That’s on the low end these days. Not too shabby!
Main Cabin Select
Main Cabin Select is Virgin’s offering in the Premium Economy game. And it’s got very strong game at a nice price. For an extra $39 – $159, you’ll be assured an additional 5” of leg room (the A 319 and A320 aircraft have an even more spacious 6” of space). Food and drinks are complimentary in Main Cabin Select, and you’re allowed one free checked bag. You get all of the free in-flight amenities as Main Cabin customers naturally, and priority security and boarding comes with your ticket. Long story short, Main Cabin Select offers great value for the Economy customer.
First Class
Big dogs who fly with Virgin get 55” of leg room, 2 free checked bags, a “carefully curated” menu of premium drinks and dining and all of the in-flight and priority security/boarding amenities offered in Main Cabin Select. There’s not a huge difference in perks, unless you need the extra leg room, which is why we think Main Cabin Select is such a great deal. And here’s a little secret: people who fly Economy with Virgin can tell you, oftentimes they offer very attractive prices on first class upgrades on the day of travel.
To give you an idea of just how good these prices are for the seat you occupy, we did a little research over the next few months on a popular cross country route. Flights from LAX to JFK nonstop on multiple dates from now to February offer the following fares:
Main Cabin $129
Main Cabin Select $309
First Class $802
Compare Virgin’s seat offerings with what you get when you fly United. If you’re mulling over a Main Cabin or Main Cabin Select purchase, we recommend not taking too long to think about it. The Main Cabin Select Seats are limited and do sell out early most flights. Finally, if you have a disability or condition that would prevent you from bulkhead or exit row seating, Main Cabin Select is not for you. More airlines coming soon.
My wife (Dolores Takemoto) and I just booked roundtrip tickets on Virgin America to and from Kailua-Kona from SFO using Costco travel, which let us select seats for the SFO to Kailua-Kona flight, but not the return flight. How do I select seats for the return flight (1/28/18, confirm # GJWEDD)?
Larry Takemoto
Hi Larry, I would reach our direct to the airline and see if they can help you make those seat assignments. Sometimes there are only a certain number of seats on a flight that can be preassigned. It’s possible this is why you were unable to do so at the time of booking. Sometimes you can speak to someone at the airline who can manually override this problem. Good luck to you!