Richard Branson is a brave man to introduce a commercial flight to New York City with white seats! But this typifies the exemplary service and fabulous accommodations to the city that never sleeps. From the moment you arrive at the airport, the folks working for the airline are courteous and helpful (one Virgin representative suggested that we go through a different security check at the other end of the airport because the experience would ultimately be much quicker). The flight attendants are all new, so they aren't jaded like those on United and our other American based airlines that constantly protest that they are there for "safety reasons only".


As we entered the aircraft, the electric pink and blue colors offset the softy white leather-like chairs, and we knew that we were going to be in for a new experience. The food service on first class was actually quite good. The smiling flight attendant brought a variety of tapas, which included a tasty granola and yogurt; all were served in small square plastic containers and looked so smart that we didn’t care that we were served on a piece of wax paper and not a nasty old tablecloth with fold creases. In between tapa courses, we enjoyed the massaging units in the chairs and played with "Red" their new TV interactive system. Scott played with the Anagram games that kept him busy, while Michael surfed the programming. Soon it was time for breakfast, which included scrambled eggs, thick bacon and an English muffin for Scott. Michael enjoyed a perfectly prepared vegetable quiche, light and fluffy; it was warm but could have been served warmer. A little snoozing later, and the flight went so quickly, we hardly had time to enjoy the fruit and cheese platters that were served towards the end of the flight. The flight attendant had meanwhile changed the colors in the plane to include six shades of pleasing purples, just for our amusement. And all of this with a smile. What a concept. We can't wait to fly with Virgin American Again.

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The roads are a mess in Costa Rica. So the best way to travel around the country is via private planes and helicopters. If you use commercial, you must always go back to the hub in San Jose, and you’ll spend a lot of time waiting for the flight. Instead, we recommend using Paradise Air, a private air charter company. Paradise Air is owned and operated by a former American corporate pilot, Art Dawley, who, for many years, flew business jets for Dreamworks Movie Studios and its three principal partners Steven Spielberg, David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg. The cost is actually quite reasonable, and they fly low and slow so you can enjoy the scenery of this beautiful country.




Tel. 011 (506) 2-232-2658

www.flywithparadise.com

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