Virgin stays hungry, stays foolish —39,000 feet in the air

While some companies paid tribute to the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs with biographies and others with action figures, an American airline did so by naming one of its jets after one of the tech icon's quotes.

 

Virgin America's jet - named "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish" - entered the fleet late last fall, tech site CNET reported Tuesday (Manila time).

 

"The 'Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish' aircraft name was actually submitted as a tribute to Mr. Jobs by one of our employees in an internal plane naming competition," Virgin America spokesperson Abby Lunardini said in an interview with CNET.

 

Lunardini added the idea behind Virgin America was to reinvent the travel experience by thinking differently about design and service.

 

"We are known for the tech-forward amenities we offer onboard," Lunardini said.

 

On the other hand, the CNET report noted Virgin America is the first airline company to offer fleet-wide Wi-Fi and the only one based in Silicon Valley.

 

Thus, it said it "seems natural that Virgin America would name a jet after Apple co-founder Steve Jobs."

 

CNET said the plane - an Airbus A320 - first flew late last year and has Jobs' popular quote "Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish" stenciled on its nose.

 

It added Virgin America's new airplanes also have touch-screen entertainment and power outlets at every seat.

 

Sometime within the next few months, their planes will also offer Gogo's next-generation ATG-4 service, which will increase Wi-Fi capacity by nearly four times.

 

Jobs, who is credited for the popular iPod media player, iPhone smartphone and iPad tablet, died in October last year after a battle with cancer. His death sparked sympathy from around the globe. — TJD, GMA News