Virgin America, a rather recent entrant into the crowded world of commercial U. S. airlines, breaks from the pack and establishes itself as an experience…an experience far different from the traditional marketing approach of its competitors who refuse to change in an increasingly unpopular airline environment.
This Virgin America experience is due entirely to a dramatic change in site usability and presentation that in every way separates Virgin Air from the crisis that most airlines find themselves in with confusing scheduling, inconsistent flight times, canceled flights and lost luggage.
Upon entering the Virgin America website, the user is immediately greeted by an open white page with few buttons, text block or flashy graphics. The menu options are shrunk, hidden and embedded into just a few drop down bars (following John Medea’s S.H.E. principle of design), with only a large box of rotating banners at the bottom of the page to alert the guest as to pertinent news about Virgin America.
Unlike other airline websites, the user is not assaulted by endless blocks of dense text and myriad rows of buttons. Only the most important functions are presented on the Virgin America homepage, with additional information available on a need to know basis through drop down menus. This relaxing and clean approach is very welcoming to the Virgin’s target audience of 20-40 somethings who are adverse to being overstimulated online with too many choices and menus.
The most developed part of the Virgin America website beyond the flight booking/scheduling box, is the representation of the Virgin America experience itself. It is this part of the website that sells Virgin America to those who are new to the brand.
Upon entering the Virgin America experience page, the user is presented yet again with a clean almost, Apple-esque viewing experience with several large icons that can be scrolled through as one would with the lower application dock on Mac OS X computers. Each icon leads to a specific experience the user can have by flying Virgin America: first class seat features, Virgin TV, outlets available on flights for electricity and Ethernet connection, partnerships, mood lighting and on and on.
Compare this to other airline websites, most notably Continental, Alaska Air and United, who have almost nothing about the flight experience on their bloated websites and one can immediately see the brilliance in Virgin America’s approach. By selling an experience, Virgin America separates itself form the pack and buyers are no longer shopping only for price but now for the experience. With this strategy Virgin America gains value in the eyes of the potential consumer.
Virgin America’s investment in a clean, beautifully designed website that welcomes, calms, and sells an experience, establishes Virgin Airlines as being forward thinking, modern and even hip. Virgin America reaches a great demographic, 20-40 year olds with taste and disposable income, without resorting to gimmicks, contests or other sales novelties that other major airlines use to feebly attempt to attract customers. This model of great usability and clean design will hopefully inspire other airline companies to follow suit.
