Virgin America's FreeFest Express Takes Flight

This release is transmitted from 35,000 feet onboard the Virgin America FreeFest Express plane via Virgin America's Gogo In-flight Internet service. Virgin America the domestic airline that is reinventing air travel has teamed up with Virgin Mobile USA to fly West Coast do-gooders from Los Angeles to Washington D.C. to attend the festival event of the summer -- the Virgin Mobile FreeFest. Virgin America has donated use of an entire plane, dubbed the FreeFest Express, to fly special guests and those who have earned a free VIP trip by donating time to homeless youth organizations.

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090123/VIRGINAMERICALOGO )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090829/AQ67899-a )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090829/AQ67899-b )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090829/AQ67899-c )

In keeping with the spirit of the festival and the Virgin brand, fans who donated their time to do volunteer work for StandUp For Kids, a homeless youth outreach organization in Los Angeles and San Diego, won a free round trip flight on Virgin America's FreeFest Express from Los Angeles (LAX) to Washington D.C. (Dulles) on August 29-31, plus a two-night hotel stay and VIP tickets to the hottest concert of the summer.

Forty volunteers and their guests are receiving the "Free.I.P." treatment onboard the special event flight from LAX to IAD -- including VeeV Acai "Free-tini" cocktails. Guests are currently using Gogo(R) In-flight Internet passes and are surfing the web, emailing, updating their status and Tweeting from 35,000 feet en route to the festival. Volunteers are also visiting the first-ever mile high gaming lounge in the First Class cabin video Sony Computer Entertainment America has provided new PlayStation(R) Limited Edition Rock Band PSP Entertainment Packs entertainment bundles and guests are fiercely competing for the top score. The flight's top scorer will win an all-access VIP backstage past to FreeFest. And in case they have too much fun over the festival weekend, Help Remedies is supplying FreeFest travelers with their eco-friendly packaged simple solutions to headaches, body aches or sleeping troubles -- for the flight back home.

Virgin Mobile USA, the wireless company and creator of one of the largest and most critically acclaimed music festivals in the U.S., gave away 35,000 FreeFest tickets -- in just minutes -- so loyal fans could enjoy Virgin Mobile FreeFest. People who volunteered through "The Re*Generation Free I.P." program had a chance to score a VIP ticket.

Virgin America is the first airline to offer in-flight internet service on every flight and hosts the largest in-flight entertainment library in the domestic skies via its touch-screen Red(TM) seatback system. Virgin America offers over 100 flights a day and flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Orange County and as of Nov. 18, 2009 - South Florida (Ft. Lauderdale). The airline currently offers daily flights from: SFO to LAX, SFO to JFK, SFO to SAN, SFO to IAD, SFO to LAS, LAX to JFK, LAX to IAD, SFO to SEA, SEA to LAX, JFK to LAS, BOS to LAX, BOS to SFO, SFO to SNA. Virgin America has flown more than 4.5 million guests since its launch in 2007 and now counts over 950,000 Elevate loyalty program members.

EDITORS NOTE: Virgin America is a U.S. controlled and operated airline and an entirely separate company from Virgin Atlantic. Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group is a minority share investor in Virgin America.

About VeeV: VeeV founders Courtney and Carter Reum, former investment bankers, left Wall Street in the summer of 2006 to start a venture that was equal parts entrepreneurial, progressive and meaningful. In that spirit, the Reum brothers created VeeV, the world's first spirit to introduce the Brazilian super-fruit, acai. Among being the country's foremost and only certified carbon neutral spirit, VeeV's eco-friendly business activities include donating $1 of every bottle sold to the Sustainable Acai Project, utilizing a distillery that is powered by wind energy, and implementing regular "VeeV Green Audits". Additionally, VeeV is a proud member of the Business for Social Responsibility, the Social Venture Network and other leading environmental organizations. VeeV - A Better Way to Drink(TM).

About Virgin America: Headquartered in California and launched in August 2007, Virgin America is one of the fastest growing start-up U.S. airlines of all time and currently employs over 1500 people. Virgin America offers guests attractive fares and a host of innovative features aimed at reinventing air travel. The airline's base of operations is San Francisco International Airport's modern International Terminal. The airline's new aircraft offer interactive in-flight entertainment systems and power outlets near every seat for electronic gear. Virgin America offers in-flight internet service on every flight and hosts the largest in-flight entertainment library in the U.S. skies via its touch-screen Red(TM) seatback system. In just two years flying, the airline was named "Best Domestic Airline" in the Conde Nast Traveler 2008 Readers' Choice Awards and in Travel + Leisure's 2008 and 2009 World's Best Awards. Elevate is Virgin America's first-of-its-kind loyalty program, which offers guests the ability to redeem points for any unsold seat - on any Virgin America flight, at any time. Elevate offers Web-based redemption with no black-out dates. For more please visit: www.virginamerica.com

SOURCE Virgin America

http://www.virginamerica.com

Related terms: airline, airport, business, california, computer, editors, entertainment, fruit, homeless, hotel, internet, investment, leisure, library, music, new york, note, travel, video, washington, web, wind power