Virgin America Introduces New Menus for Summer Travelers

SAN FRANCISCO, July 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Virgin America, the California-based airline known for its award-winning cuisine, today announces its new seasonal summer menus.  The airline refreshes its offerings quarterly in order to provide travelers with seasonal and locally-sourced food options. The latest menu update includes savory additions in the airline's Main Cabin Select service and Main Cabin service, including a Texas-inspired roast beef sandwich, spinach and strawberry salad and a Mexican artisan fruit and cheese selection.  First Class flyers will also enjoy a selection of new meals including the summer watermelon salad, chili shrimp and fig roasted pear tapas and a chicken sushi roll with wasabi cream cheese rolled in a black bean tortilla.  The airline also introduces a new children's menu in time for the busy family travel season with a selection of new "kid-friendly" options, such as a turkey and Swiss cheese or sunbutter and grape jelly half-sandwiches served with organic fruit gummy bears – as well as the airline's already popular "Jet Set Kid Pack" menu option.  The "Jet Set Kid Pack" includes child-sized dolphin-shaped headphones to allow the airline's littlest travelers access to Virgin America's Kid's entertainment platform on the Red™ in-flight entertainment system – which includes videogames, television shows from the Disney and Nickelodeon channels and even parental control settings (so guests or crew can set content to G-rated). 

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090123/VIRGINAMERICALOGO)

All of Virgin America's menus are crafted using an assortment of sustainable and fresh ingredients, including local fruits and vegetables, premium meats and artisan breads.  The airline's focus on a fresh, diverse range of menu options has helped the airline capture the "Best Domestic Airline for Food" award in Travel + Leisure 2009 World's Best Awards.

The new Main Cabin and Main Cabin Select menus are available "on-demand" to Virgin America flyers via the airline's innovative touch-screen seatback entertainment platform. The Red In-Flight Entertainment platform allows travelers to order drinks, snacks and meals right from their seatback touch-screen any time during the flight.  Virgin America is the only airline in the U.S. with a touch-screen seatback menu that enables "anytime" ordering during a flight.  Virgin America's Red platform includes an additional suggested "pairings" menu and an "open tab" feature which allows guests to swipe their card only once and keep their tab open for continuous ordering during the flight.

Since its launch in 2007, Virgin America has earned a list of travel industry awards including, "Best Domestic Airline for Food" in Travel + Leisure 2009 World's Best Awards and "Best Domestic Airline" in the Conde Nast Traveler 2008, 2009 and 2010 Readers' Choice Awards and recently won "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards for the fourth consecutive year.  Virgin America's menus are crafted using an assortment of nutritious and fresh ingredients, including local fruits and vegetables, premium meats and artisan breads. The latest menu is available through the summer season. Selections featured will vary by route, but include:

First Class Breakfast (all First Class meals are complimentary):

Fresh Baked Carrot Bread

• Fruit and Cheese Plate: Fresh pineapple, mango, red and green seedless grapes served with Swiss and cheddar cheese wedges and crostini crackers from Rustic Baking, San Rafael California.
• Fruit Plate with Egg and Chive Biscuit: Freshly baked biscuit with fresh eggs, chives and cheese; served with a selection of fresh pineapple, mango, sliced kiwi, orange and grapefruit sections, papaya, green grapes and fresh berries; along with Greek style yogurt, vanilla nut granola, and low fat milk.
• Summer Watermelon Salad: Juicy red and yellow watermelon with a light dusting of wasabi, tossed with fresh blueberries and strawberries.
• Roasted Vegetable Omelet: Cage-free egg omelet with sauteed arugula, roasted vegetables and feta cheese; served with roasted tomato hollandaise, heirloom potatoes, bell peppers, and onions, alongside asparagus with pancetta and maple chicken and bacon sausage.
• Fresh Fruit, Yogurt and Granola: A mix of fresh pineapple, mango, kiwi, orange, grapefruit, papaya, grapes, and berries; served with Greek style yogurt, nutty vanilla granola, and milk.
• Fresh Strawberry and Blueberry Salad: Summer berries tossed with lemon and lavender honey.
• Zucchini Omelet: Zucchini, red onion, oregano, and parmesan omelet made with cage-free eggs, and served with sauteed pepper and tomato, manchego cheese potato patties, and chicken mango sausage.
• Breakfast Tapas: Muesli and fresh berries with mango, blueberries and ginger, cottage cheese with grapes and strawberries, papaya tossed with kiwi and mango puree, grapefruit and orange segments with brown sugar, fresh pineapple slices, and Rustic Baking granola with milk.

First Class Snacks, Appetizers, and Entrees:

• Chicken Sushi Roll: Sliced roasted chicken breast marinated in garlic, soy, and ginger, with seasoned sticky rice, fresh vegetables and wasabi cream cheese, rolled in a black bean tortilla. Served with Belgian chocolate.
• Tapas Roasted Beet & Portobello Salad: Fig balsamic marinated yellow beets tossed with caraway topped with fresh grapefruit. Grilled Portobello with roasted tomato, toasted naan with roasted garlic and feta.
• Ravioli Sampler: Wild mushroom, roasted vegetable, four cheese, and mascarpone ravioli, all served with tomato wine sauce, roasted Portobello mushrooms, and shaved parmesan.
• Seared Salmon and Pork Belly: Fresh seared Pacific salmon and baby spinach with lentils and andouille sausage ragout; served with citrus and fennel braised pork belly and broccolini.
• Peri Peri Chicken: Grilled spiced chicken breast served with red chili demiglace; ginger basmati rice with toasted pine nuts and currants; sauteed peppers and sugar peas with pineapple; broccolini and baby carrots.
• Tapas Seared Chili Shrimp & Fig and Roasted Pear: Seared chili shrimp served with vegetable lime ceviche; fig and roasted pear compote, herbed goat cheese, walnuts, orange, and mache.
• Stuffed Pasta Shells: Three kinds of pasta shells filled with mushroom and asparagus risotto, artichoke, spinach and ricotta, and ratatouille; all served with tomato wine sauce, kalamata olives, grilled fennel, and young vegetables.
• Spicy Grilled Filet of Beef: Chili-rubbed filet of beef with black-eyed pea chili sauce, chickpea fries, sauteed baby green beans, red onion, tomato, and peppers. Served alongside a mini wild mushroom and fontina Panini with crispy tobacco onions.

First Class Desserts:

• L'Artisan Macaroons: Delicate handmade raspberry and chocolate French macaroons from San Francisco's own L'Artisan Macarons.
• Assorted Petits Fours with Strawberries
• Raspberry Key Lime Pave: Vanilla sponge cake with raspberry mousse, key lime mousse, and white chocolate shavings.

In Main Cabin and Main Cabin Select, guests can select their meal and snack options at the touch of a button using the Red™ system's interactive seatback entertainment platform at any time during their flight. The on-demand ordering system is only offered by Virgin America and is part of the airline's standard, award-winning service model. Prices for the new Main Cabin seasonal menu options range from $4 - $9, and are complimentary in Main Cabin Select. These include:

• Mini Bagels: Fresh baked mini plain, cinnamon and whole wheat bagels served with plain and strawberry cream cheese, fresh fruit and yogurt.
• Chicken Caesar Sandwich: Grilled chicken breast with romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and Caesar cream cheese spread on multigrain ciabatta with fresh shaved parmesan and a Ghirardelli chocolate for dessert.
• Texas Roast Beef Sandwich: Roast beef piled high on a marbled hoagie with roasted tomato, horseradish spread, spicy pickled vegetables, provolone cheese, lettuce, and tomato, served with a Ghirardelli chocolate for dessert.
• American Artisan Cheese Selection: Brie, smoked gouda, pepper jack, Swiss, and mild cheddar served with red and green grapes, dried apricot, dried cranberries, and rosemary cranberry crostini from Rustic Baking in San Rafael, CA.
• Spinach & Strawberry Salad: Romaine lettuce and baby spinach tossed with crumbled goat cheese, fresh quartered strawberries, red radish, grape tomatoes, and toasted almonds. Served with an olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette.
• Sunbutter & Jelly Half Sandwich: Sunflower butter and grape jelly on thickly sliced wheat bread, served with organic fruit snacks.
• Turkey & Swiss Half Sandwich: Turkey breast and Swiss cheese on thickly sliced wheat bread, served with organic fruit snacks.
• Herbed Chicken & Parmesan Wrap: Roasted chicken with parmesan cheese, crisp lettuce, kalamata olives, and a creamy herb spread, wrapped in a light tortilla. Served with a poblano chili, red cabbage, and bell pepper slaw and a Ghirardelli chocolate for dessert.
• Black Forest Ham Focaccia with Portobello Mushrooms, Cilantro and Chipotle Manchego Cheese: Black forest ham, roasted Portobello mushrooms, crisp lettuce, green peppers, and Mexican chipotle chile manchego cheese, all on freshly baked goat cheese focaccia. Served with a Ghirardelli chocolate for dessert.
• Cabo San Lucas Vegetable Salad: Fresh baby lettuce, carrots, heart of palm, baby corn, Spanish and black olives, zucchini, sweet red onion, and cherry tomatoes, served with balsamic vinaigrette.
• Mexican Artisan Cheese Selection: Gouda, Mexican panilla, and emmenthal, served with red and green grapes, dried apricot, dried apples and crispy crackers.

With outstanding service and beautifully designed new planes, Virgin America has captured a loyal guest following and experienced significant growth since its launch. Virgin America flies to: San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando Dallas Fort-Worth, Los Cabos, Cancun and Chicago.

EDITORS NOTES: Virgin America is a U.S.-controlled, owned and operated airline. It is an entirely separate company from Virgin Atlantic. Sir Richard Branson's Virgin Group is a minority share investor in Virgin America.

About Virgin America: Headquartered in California, Virgin America offers guests attractive fares and a host of innovative features aimed at reinventing air travel. In just over three years flying, Virgin America was named "Best Domestic Airline" in the Conde Nast Traveler 2008, 2009 and 2010 Readers' Choice Awards and "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure's 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 World's Best Awards. Virgin America is a U.S. owned and operated airline that has created 2,000 jobs and welcomed more than 11 million guests since its August 2007 launch. The airline's new aircraft offer interactive in-flight entertainment systems and power outlets near every seat. Virgin America offers Gogo™ WiFi on every flight and hosts the largest in-flight entertainment library in the North American skies via the touch-screen Red™ platform. In January, the airline announced plans to nearly triple its fleet size by 2019 and placed the first order for the new eco-efficient Airbus A320neo. In April, the airline opened its new home as an anchor tenant at SFO's beautiful and sustainable Terminal 2 (T2). Virgin America flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Cabos, Cancun and Chicago. For more: http://www.virginamerica.com/

SOURCE Virgin America

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