By Chrissy Iley
When I first flew Virgin America I was impressed by modern planes, mood lighting and TV’s in the seat back. Other airlines have followed, but still I opted to fly with them on a recent return trip LAX/JFK. The way out was fine. Coming back on a late flight I would have liked to have been able to sleep but that was a dream, or rather a nightmare away. My seat was stuck in what could have been the upright position although it felt that it was tilting forward. It was a full flight – there was nowhere to swap, except the middle seat next to me which was also stuck. For six and a half hours I wrestled, I wriggled, at one point even whimpered. I couldn’t fit into the seat properly and being tiled forward for six and a half hours pretty soon causes throbbing in the lower back. The flight attendant said to complain to customer service upon arrival but it was late, going on midnight, no one was there.
When I wrote to Virgin America it was a case of insult being added to my already very sad injury. It was one of those emails that make you think you’ve lost your mind, where things that you saw clearly are put into question. I was told “Our maintenance team weren’t able to find anything wrong with your seat… However that is not to imply that what you stated was incorrect.” So if I wasn’t incorrect what was I? A masochist or an imbecile who doesn’t know how to operate an airline seat? They offered me, because apparently “your comfort is top priority” $75.00 worth of air miles. Of course I don’t want air miles. I want to pay a doctor to help me not be in pain. That was never offered. I also hated it that they addressed me as ‘hello Chrissy’ and later on as ‘Christine’ – yes it’s on my passport but only my mother calls me it when she’s really angry, so not only did it have the connotations that Virgin America was angry with me, it clearly stated that they never re read or checked any emails before sending them, that they are in fact chaotic.
I complained again and got a similar email back and they assured me they were looking into my seat. A week later and they must be still looking.
Here’s the thing Virgin America. Plane travel is no longer exciting, thrilling or in any way fun. Passengers arrive in high stress, often having queued for hours through security – and I’m not saying there shouldn’t be security – of course there should, but the very fact that we need it automatically makes one feel vulnerable. It’s not the old days. We don’t expect to be treated with extreme courtesy. We feel lucky if we get a free drink of water. We have lowered our expectations of what to expect on a flight as a way to survive. We just focus on getting from A to B, but if in the process a basic human right – of being able to travel in relative comfort i.e. not with searing back pain – is violated – what do we then feel? Virgin America made me feel patronised, made me feel that black was not black, white was not white and that pain was not pain, but something that I must not tolerate as well as being told despite the flight attendants attempts to move the seat back as well as my own, that a broken seat was not indeed a broken seat, it was perfectly fine.
All I can say is avoid Virgin America. I even travelled back in something called Main Cabin Select. It wasnt very select. It was a very expensive way to get an aisle seat. The seat that was back torture.
I will travel from LA to London on Virgin Atlantic, who provided a lovely, comfortable service on the way out, but it’s important to know Virgin Atlantic and Virgin America are very different beasts. Much is made of the dire potential of DVT on planes yet must we now also put our ability to walk pain free also in jeopardy, only to be told a pain is not a pain, a broken seat is not a broken seat.
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