I’m writing this while suspended in the middle of the sky on a steel bird.
That’s right, with in-flight wifi, the future is here. I’m never further than an IM or email away from the world, even when flying at thousands of feet above the ground.
Virgin America is so hip, it’s a little discomforting. At the gate, the employees played a trivia game with everyone and the winners got Virgin America shirts. The in-flight entertainment system has satellite TV and there are outlets below each seat so that our electronics can’t die on us mid-flight. You can order headsets and food from your seat using the touchscreen in front of you.
You can even send a chat message directly to another seat! Along with the free Google-provided wifi, it’s a bit much. It doesn’t feel like travel anymore. The thrill of taking off and arriving at your destination has been usurped by the desire to get into the air so that we can all fire up our electronic devices or play Doom with our in-flight entertainment system.
That said, it’s still pretty cool. I, for one, do always enjoy ordering food without having to talk to humans, except when they deliver it to me.