Virgin's the only way to fly, wherever your destination

Whether you're flying to San Francisco for the weekend or London for the winter, there's only one airline to consider. And if this sounds like an advertisement, that's fine; no one is paying me to praise this marvelous party-in-the-sky (as I once tweeted after my flight). It's too perfect.

From the moment you climb aboard, the soft purple and blue LED lights in the aisles immediately transport you. It's at once romantic and hypnotic, space-age and new age, all rolled into one. You'll feel like someone is about to meet you for a cocktail, but you won't know who until you find yourself marrying them in Reno a week later.

Once, on a Virgin flight from London, the steward actually sat down with this examiner and just chatted me up for several minutes. The flight was fairly sparse, and I had needs (chatty needs) and he obliged.

That's the point: Virgin flight attendants are intuitive, not robotic. They won't push in-your-face drink carts if you need to discuss why you need an extra pillow or have to move away from the man without shoes. Your need is their command, and they'll grant it with a wink and a smile.

Smart, well-appointed, comfy, and oh-so-fun. Anyone who doesn't have a sense of humor doesn't belong on one of these flights. Coming back from San Francisco recently, a man next to me remarked that he'd just read Sir Richard Branson's book (or one of them) after his ex-wife had recommended it.

"I won't fly any other airline," he told me, "and I don't mind paying extra." Now, Air Canada is grand - free-flowing wine and excellent food on international flights; and AirFrance once returned a bag they'd found sitting at JFK for several months (after I'd flown British Airways, no less, and no one could find it!)

But Virgin is like Disneyland, Paris, and your first love all rolled into one; maybe add a vanilla ice cream float on top of that. Whatever your pleasures, you'll find them aboard. I've never flown Virgin Australia, but something tells me it'd be as much a hoot down under on Virgin as it is at 33,000 feet over on Virgin America.

I can't wait until Branson's taking us to space. An added bonus: The airlines' superb carbon offsetting scheme, and Branson's commitment to fighting climate change. >Photo: A view from my flight on Virgin America >This article originally appeared on Examiner.com