Exclusive | JetLavender?

ATA and AirTran are great for simply getting from A to B, but let's face it -- leg room and the little luxuries are nice. Filling the gap is Virgin America, the Virgin Air offshoot that quietly launched earlier this year with some pretty frilly amenities and temptingly low prices, even if you're booking at the last minute.

Currently, the airline connects a handful of heavily trafficked gay dots -- New York City, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles -- but adding San Diego in February marks the beginning of an expansion to upwards of 30 U.S. cities.

Virgin America may not market explicitly to LGBT folk, but lavender mood lighting is lavender mood lighting any way it's marketed, even if it really does induce sounder sleep. More conventional universal goods include satellite TV, leather recliners, snacks whenever you want them and electrical outlets at every seat.

"All of the seats are bigger than the other airlines, and the leg space is much, much better as well," adds Jenny Stewart, one of Virgin America's growing number of believers.

"You aren't forced to watch one movie and you can order whatever you want whenever you want it, served to you from a pretty impressive menu. When I had to fly back to San Francisco, I actually couldn't wait to get on the plane."

And she hasn't even tried first class yet.