Virgin America

Virgin America warmed up in December with flights to Cabo, and now they're taking Spring break a few months early with new service to Cancun. To spice up their first flight, they're teaming up with VH1 to tape a mile-high episode of the Top 20 Video Countdown. You can tune in on Jan. 29 at 9 a.m. EST for a glimpse at the action, but you don't need to be on board to get your time in the sun.

They're giving out three VIP getaways to Cancun, good for any time in 2011. Enter here for a chance to fly free from any Virgin America port of call to the hottest spot in the Mexican Caribbean. Once you land, you'll get a three-day fiesta for two at the all-inclusive Live Aqua Cancun, where you can dine at hot signature restaurants, lounge at the wine and mezcal bar, hit the beach, plunge into one of eight infinity pools, and play like a pop star — with no limits.

Be sure to join the fiesta and enter here for a shot at the winnings, or grab a seat now with spicy fares from Los Angeles and San Francisco to Cancun starting from $139 each way. Book by Feb. 14; fly from Feb. 2 through May 4. Restrictions, taxes, and fees apply.

Remember when I told you about the hospitality-focused location service TopGuest? At the time, it was just picking up steam, but now the service, which is used in conjunction with Facebook Places and Foursquare, has teamed up with Virgin America to introduce a perfectly-timed holiday promotion.

Earn 25 extra Elevate frequent flier points just by checking in on TopGuest at any Virgin America airport terminal or baggage claim. You can rack up 50 extra points per trip, which can then be used toward future flights. Easy enough, right?

Last year, Google stepped up to offer some sweet holiday travel perks by sponsoring free WiFi in airports across the country, and this year, Google Chrome is taking its holiday cheer to the clouds by offering free Gogo in-flight WiFi for Virgin America, Delta, and AirTrans passengers.

Starting on Nov. 20, travelers can log in during flights on all Virgin America and AirTrans aircrafts, and over 540 planes in Delta's fleet, to check emails, browse their favorite websites, and of course, send the obligatory "wheels up" tweet from 30,000 feet. The promotion ends on Jan. 2, 2011, but thankfully you still have some on-the-ground web-browsing options to choose from all year-round.

If you've got an itch to get out of town, now is the time for SF and LA residents to head on down to the airport or grab a taco lunch — when you check in to either SFO or LAX airports or one of two designated taco trucks with Loopt Star, you'll get an email offer for two-for-one tickets to Mexico via Virgin America's newest flight routes to Cabo and Cancun.

All you have to do is download Loopt Star (free) (one of my favorite rewards check-in apps) and check in! All the money raised from the two taco trucks will be donated to charity, and you'll get a sweet deal on flights that start at $129 each way. The check-in rewards started at 11 a.m. this morning and will go until 3 p.m. PDT, so get a move on! Find out where the taco trucks are located (in SF and LA only) after the break.

If you've flown Virgin America, you're probably familiar with Red, its in-flight entertainment system. Not only can you order food, you can watch movies, live TV, and now even more with two major enhancements. Last night, I was able to check out a sneak preview of the new Red with a cocktail hour on board a plane parked at San Francisco International Airport — definitely one of the more interesting cocktail hours I've experienced!

To hear more about Virgin's new features, keep reading

To entice consumers this travel season, Virgin America is coming out with a new Summer menu — and it's enlisted the help of none other than the famous pastry chef turned food blogger David Lebovitz.

The food overhaul, which starts today, includes options such as Andalusian gazpacho and eggplant moussaka for first-class diners — plus Lebovitz's butterscotch pudding with vanilla bourbon mascarpone for dessert.

For those who aren't lucky enough to sit in the first few rows, the main cabin is also offering up new bites along the lines of a grilled veggie goat cheese sandwich and pastrami with Swiss on Russian rye. And if the green fairy's not their poison of preference, flyers can indulge in illy cappuccino cocktails and reposado-spiked Honest Tea cocktails.

I'm curious about Virgin's newest noshes, but mostly intrigued by the fact that the airline carrier actually turned to the food blogosphere for some culinary advice. I can't help but wonder if we'll be seeing more of that in the future. It'd be a good thing! Do you agree? And if you're flying Virgin this Summer, will you check out the new food?

Source: Flickr User disrupsean