I flew Virgin Air up to San Francisco (where I am now) Thursday morning — my first and certainly not last time on that carrier. Fine service, comfy seats…and plenty to do on the backs of those seats.
One complaint: They charge $25 for the first checked baggage. I realize the airlines need to make a certain amount of revenue but that somehow always strikes me as an obnoxious way to do it. I wish they'd do away with such fees and just charge everyone $10-$20 extra…or whatever it would have to be to generate the same income.
Now, I know what some of you are thinking: I pack light enough that I can carry my luggage onto the plane. Why should I have to pay more for my ticket just because you need to check a suitcase? And the answer to that is that we baggage-checkers do you carry-on'ers a service by checking our Samsonites. You expend great effort on some flights to locate space overhead to stow your little satchels. Sometimes, you even get to the airport way earlier than you need to so you'll get on the plane before those bins are all full. If we all stopped checking bags, you'd never find space for yours.
I did find something that proved useful. Virgin has this class called Main Cabin Select. Basically, you pay a fee to sit in an exit row or any other main cabin seat that has a little extra legroom. On the flight to San Francisco, it was a $35 upgrade…but since it includes one free checked suitcase, it was really only $10 more than I'd have had to pay anyway.
I arrived at LAX, breezed through Security and made my way to a Burger King…not my favorite place to dine but I don't seem to get many alternatives when I fly. The lady ahead of me ordered a sausage, egg and cheese croissantwich. I then ordered a bacon, egg and cheese croissantwich and asked them to leave off the cheese. The woman who'd just ordered said, "They can do that? I'd like no cheese on mine, please." The order-taker quickly amended her order.
Behind me was a large woman clutching two boarding passes because, I had to assume, she had to buy two seats. She heard our orders and asked, "Could I have their cheese on mine?"
Anyway, I'm here for WonderCon and the fun starts tomorrow. I've just added an eighth panel to my schedule for this weekend. It's an interview of Len Wein, who has been my friend for 41 years. I figure that's long enough.
