Virgin America flies from LAX to Honolulu thanks to the “Sharklet”

Virgin America is now flying to Hawaii from Los Angeles! Producer Chad of The Tech Report was on the first flight out... which is also a miracle of engineering. Read on to find out why!

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Here's the thing - people love Virgin America because you know what you're going to get. They fly a fleet of nearly identical planes and the amenities and quality are the same whether you're flying to San Francisco or Austin. But the flights to Hawaii from LA (and San Francisco) are special since it take a little bit of engineering magic to make it happen - it basically comes down to something called a "sharklet."

This is an 8 foot tall extension at the end of the wings. They make the plane more fuel efficient, which means it can travel longer distances. Earlier versions of Virgin's planes are equipped with the more typical "winglets" which wouldn't allow the planes to fly to Hawaii packed with passengers.

Producer Chad thoroughly enjoyed his flight to the Islands. Here are his notes from the trip:

Next up for Virgin America - they will fly to Maui from LAX starting on June 14.

Learn more:

Virgin America Hawaii Flights