Trying to find an airline that is considered “revolutionary” is a difficult task. Budget airlines like Spirit and RyanAir have “revolutionized” air travel by having incredibly low base ticket prices, however they are also generally considered uncomfortable and unpleasant experiences, with low customer support. Major airlines like Delta and United have moments of innovation and progress, like when United began flying with biofuel, or when Delta began used RFID stickers to allow travelers to track their bags in real time. However, none of these ‘revolutionized’ air travel, for most customers they never noticed a change, and it certainly wasn’t a dinner table discussion in most households.
As I was trying to find something, some company, that was really doing something new in the air travel industry, I remembered a dinner table discussion, years ago, in my own home. My mom, who at the time was traveling frequently for work, returned home from one such trip, and raved about her experience traveling on Virgin Airlines. She praised that the chairs were more comfortable and had more leg room, the snacks were more plentiful, there was internet, and every seat, regardless of flying class, had TV’s on every seat, and they had live flowers at the check-in desks. As airlines were trying to fit more seats, and therefore more bodies, onto their planes, Virgin Airlines took the opposite path, prioritizing larger and more comfortable seating on their planes. They were the first airline to have leather seats for all classes. They also were the first airline to have personal entertainment screens for every seat, which also integrated food and beverage ordering services, and they splurged to bury the boxes containing all the electrical work for the screens rather than place them below seats and eat into the travelers leg room. While Virgin had limited flight options, they prioritized their customers and paid careful attention to details, like placing flowers on their kiosks, designing the boarding passes to fit in wallets, or being the first airline to install moon-lighting on their planes. All of these aspects added up to create an air travel experience that was entirely different from anything else offered at the time, spurred a conversation about what consumers wanted out of their airline experience, and prompted widespread change, as most aircrafts now offer personal screens, wi-fi, mood-lighting, and more.