Virgin Atlantic Brands Posh Flights

Virgin Atlantic Brands Posh Flights

By CHRISTOPHER LAWTON
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
April 7, 2005

In a move designed to draw passengers who may long for the days when an airline's name stood for something tangible, Virgin Atlantic Airways is giving names to its individual "Upper Class" flights that travel from various U.S. cities to London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports.

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Created by Miami ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the flight-naming effort highlights experiences that are supposed to be exclusive to Virgin passengers. For example, Virgin's flight from Miami to London will be known as "The Trance Atlantic" and features seats that become flat beds, a bar and bartender, and a chance for a massage. When passengers land, they can have a shower and a shave in the "revival lounge" before taking advantage of a free limousine service.

Virgin Atlantic hopes to follow the lead of upstart U.S. carriers with a marketing strategy that plays up unique offerings and style.

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Getting passengers to pay a premium for first- and business-class services is seen as an increasingly attractive sideline for carriers, say analysts. "It's a very lucrative market, if you can get it right," says Mike Powell, aviation analyst for DrKW, a London-based investment bank.

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For example, a poster for "The Fly Chi," or the flight from San Francisco to London, features an Asian man with red hair, a red-striped shirt and a red Virgin Atlantic tattoo, getting a massage. The setting is on the plane, and the San Francisco skyline is in the background. The tagline is the flight number, 020, and the Virgin Web site.

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Virgin didn't stop at branding its flights. It also branded its target audience "jetrosexuals," which it says are people who move business and culture forward. In its research, Virgin says jetrosexuals prefer cool brands such as BMW and Apple. As a result, the carrier is planning to pass out Virgin-branded cases for Apple's iPod music players to its passengers.

Write to Christopher Lawton at christopher.lawton@wsj.com

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has gone mad.

There once was a time that air travel was classy, upscale and romantic. Now, it's "Greyhound in the Sky."

I doubt I would ever use such a service, but for some reason, I like knowing that there is luxory out there. It makes me happy.