Virgin America - Plane Pitch

Virgin America - Plane Pitch

Virgin America has partnered with Here On Biz , a mobile app that connects business travellers, to launch what is claimed to be the first in-flight social network , which was rolled out on all domestic Virgin America flights by the end of February.

Travellers who have downloaded the free Here On Biz app from the Apple App store can use it to connect with passengers on their specific flight, but also on other Virgin America flights in the air, as well as with fellow travellers at their destination. App users can manage their privacy settings, so that travellers can shut off or limit their visible connections to others onboard.

Here On Biz’s geo-location technology uses Virgin America’s in-flight Wi-Fi network (powered by Gogo) and purpose-built APIs that identify an aircraft’s location in the air to connect fellow travellers. Until July 2014, passengers on all domestic Virgin America flights can access the Here On Biz app for free through the Gogo network.

To celebrate the new in-flight network, Virgin America has launched a Twitter promotion called Plane Pitch that invites flyers to share their dream business travel connection and describe how they would break the ice in 140 characters using the hashtag #planepitch . A weekly winner receives a complimentary Gogo WiFi pass and one Grand Prize winner will win Virgin America Elevate Gold status, six Business Class flights and an annual Gogo pass, “so the winner will never miss a connection on the fly,” as the airline put it.