Kooky Carrier Bets On Amenities, Low Cost

Following years of preparation, legal wranglings and oddball marketing gimmicks, new low-cost carrier Virgin America will take off Wednesday on its first flight, from New York to California.

And, as is the case with many endeavors undertaken by Sir Richard Branson's Virgin label, it will be a flamboyant affair... complete with red carpet introductions for Branson and Virgin America CEO Fred Reid, a DJ spinning music, and "Comedy Central" satirist Stephen Colbert.

The airline will also hype its inflight amentities... including onboard entertainment, complete with downloadable music and movies; self-service minibars; onboard flight tracking, thanks to Google Maps; and even music in the lavs. First class passengers will be treated to white leather seats -- complete with massage function -- and mood lighting.

Skybus, this ain't.

"You can't ignore the fact that Richard Branson has shown a flair for promotion that is hard for anybody to match," said Ed Perkins, contributing editor at SmarterTravel.com, to CNNMoney. "These guys are very, very good -- and that matters in a market where there isn't much product differentiation."

Others in the business aren't impressed... saying Virgin America is all about gilding the lily.

"I don't think it's a big deal that you can order your in-flight meal from your screen," said Joe Brancatelli, editor of JoeSentMe.com. "We've seen a lot of this before."

CNNMoney notes for all Virgin America's hype about comfort, JetBlue seats still offer more legroom. Even United Airlines offers a selling point over the young upstart -- first class seats that recline a full 180-degrees, as opposed to "only" 165 degrees for Virgin America.

Still, for the money, Calyon Securities analyst Ray Neidl says Virgin America offers an enticing product. "[B]ottom line, people buy on cost," he said.

Using a fleet of Airbus A319s and larger A320s, Virgin America will initially fly between Los Angeles and San Francisco for $44 (first class starts at $149) and from those cities to Washington, DC and back for as little as $129 to start.

Those fares will rise shortly, Reid says, and exit rows will cost more. The airline hopes to fly to as many as 30 cities within five years.

"Our goal is to provide topnotch service at low fares," Reid said.

The airline will be banking heavily on that sentiment... as the carrier will compete with more established offerings from Delta, Continental, and America, among others.

FMI: www.virginamerica.com