Have you tried Virgin America yet? The upstart carrier out of San Francisco that is just under 50 percent-owned by Virgin Atlantic Airways? I decided to try them on my recent trip to the West Coast, and found them to be still growing — and having some growing pains. Overall the flight was good, the greeting was nice, and the ticket agents were superb. When I arrived at LAX Terminal 6, I was greeted by the “Virgin Girls” who welcome you and make you feel welcome and happy. They don’t help you get your boarding pass, that is left to a more senior person. The check-in decor is cool, no old computer terminals, but flat screens and everything open and clean. I wanted to upgrade to first class (online it was $147 extra) so that I could try the service and report back to you. Before I left my hotel, I checked Virgin America’s Web site and the seats were available. But when I clicked to pay the upgrade fee, I was told to go to the airport (they have to fix that). Unfortunately, at the airport the seat was not available. I was joking with the ticket agent about that, so she moved me up — still in Economy, but to 4C. I was concerned that being among the last to board (they board back to front) would mean no space in the overhead bin for my roller bag. I asked about checking the bag, and she told me it would be an additional $20 since I had already checked one bag (my golf clubs). Really, I said? She thought that I would still find room for my carry-on onboard — but then she said to see her at the gate and she’d let me board with the first-class passengers. Wow, was I impressed with her. At boarding, I did make my way in with the first class folks and was situated with ease. The planes are decorated with light purple Plexiglas separating the first class and economy cabins, rather than a solid wall. The flight was fine, although the flight attendants seemed more concerned with each other than with the passengers. During the safety bit, the flight attendant taking care of both First Class and the front of Economy was performing rather than working, “marching” back and forth during the safety demonstration; I found it funny. When we landed, we were told we should congratulate the captain, as he had qualified for the final of the national square dance competition in Kansas City. Many passengers clapped and cheered. I don’t want to know about my pilot’s extracurricular activities, sorry to say. We landed “nearly on time,” as the flight attendant said. My only real complaint was the luggage retrieval, which was a little cramped. Aside from that, the flight was good, the seat was leather (although a little hard on my tushy), and their Red entertainment system was good for news (like CNN) but otherwise not of much interest to me. — Fran Gallagher, publisher and CEO