Virgin Australia Passenger Reviews and Virgin Australia Customer Trip Reports

After great experience in J across Australia, booked PER-DPS return in J for my wife and I. This service is not in the same league the food and beverage are world's apart. The flights were smooth, check-in was hassle free and bags were delivered quickly at both destinations. No J lounge in PER, DPS Premier Lounge was fine. In future on similar flights I will take the saver fare.

Hated every second of my flight to Bali but it got worse on the flight back, no gluten free food other than a cookie. Paid $110 extra for leg room only to discover you cant put your seat back on the new aircraft and no entertainment not even a slot for radio. Flight attendants were more bored than I was and not very good at hiding the fact. Trolley came around once in 6 hours - frozen wrap went straight in the bin, one glass of water and half a cup of tea. Garuda for me next time.

Sydney to Bali, paid $3584 for 3 tickets peak time Easter Flexi fare. We got the most disgusting wrap with veggies, chocolate and nuts. 1 drink only! No entertainment, the seats not reclining so you were stuck in the most horrible position for 6 hours - ran out of water and cups. Flight back was worse, again food was inedible no entertainment or reclining seats. We could have flown Garuda and got the full trimmings so big mistake and never again.

Bali to Perth. Check-in was fast in Bali, and because we were so early, we got seats at the front. I had to take 2kg of clothes out of my checked luggage and put in hand luggage to avoid a fee, but no problem. Plane boarded early, left and arrived early. Onboard, the seats were comfortable and legroom adequate. There were a few spare seats, so the lady next to me moved. We had 3 seats for 2 of us. We had entertainment, although limited on screens in headrest. All screaming kids were down the back. When we arrived in Perth, there were another 2 flights still being processed, but our bags came out first.

PER-SYD return in business, using Velocity points. Experience was positive and I would consider paying the extra to fly business in future. Check-in both ways was quick and efficient, priority lane for security and curb side check-in Sydney is a nice touch. A330-200 seats are comfortable, plenty of leg room. I understand the new A330's will have 2-2-2 across which will be even better. FA's are generally good, quality and quantity of food and beverages is good. As a frequent traveller on top Asian Carriers in J class I would say Virgin on this route is comparable, bearing in mind this is a domestic service.

False business class advertising. I have had 3 Sydney-Cairns flights this year having booked and paid for business class. Only one of the sectors was in a business class configured 737-800. The other aircraft were the older 737-700 with so called premium economy, in other words the middle seat vacant or the Embraer 190 with not even a seat blocked. On two occasions I received a call at the last minute from Virgin telling me of the downgrade and promising a part refund but that hasn't happened. Other thing to note is there is no Virgin lounge in Cairns and if travelling out of Sydney international don't assume you will get into a Virgin partner lounge. Virgin has been very disappointing on all but the A330 flight I took to Perth - they are not sleeper seats like you can get on some QF flights but the pitch is terrific as is the service, I returned on a 737-800 and it is sad by comparison.

BNE-SYD. Brisbane lounge ok, not up to the standard of SYD or MEL. Breakfast offering meagre, fresh fruit looked very tired. Aircraft refitted 738 and looked very nice with the new livery. Business class product is very good for domestic, CSM excellent, very attentive. Seats spacious, good leg room, snack offering adequate, fresh fruit, warm ham and cheese croissant and beverages served with real cutlery and a nice big napkin. The entertainment system is not up to scratch, but I believe the clunky digi-players will be history soon. Luggage on the carousel very quickly and all in all a good product, especially for the price.

Darwin to Brisbane in business. Small carry on bag disallowed due to weight restrictions. Check-in staff then attempted to charge me to put it in hold despite business class ticket. Sorted with no fee paid. Aircraft seat one of the worst I have sat on. Leather squab and back, no padding on the armrests. No footrest. The only reason I chose that flight was to get a bit of sleep before work. Offered "supper" at 2 am. All that was needed was a cup of tea before landing but there was no chance of that. No lounge in Darwin, a rotten seat and I still had to wait in line for my bag in Brisbane before finding a place for a cup of tea. A waste of money and never again.

MEL-SYD-OOL. 738 both legs, second sector with the new SkyInterior. Flights on time, friendly staff and comfortable seats. Good value for money.

I have flown 8 times in Premium, LAX-SYD, LAX-BNE, SYD-LAX, BNE-LAX. The first time was quite good: spacious, decent food, attentive service. However, each subsequent flight has been mediocre at best. Granted it cost a third of business but 3 times economy, yet other than the room - no different. They have stopped serving meals individually. The seats are not very comfortable, sore after only a few hours of a 14 hour flight. Flight attendants seem unseasoned, but at least are friendly and helpful. Avoid bulkhead seat as there is no legroom, and also the very last row - too close to bassinets in economy. Entertainment system is great, but not much content. Food is above average for an airline. Found BNE (BNE-LAX, LAX-BNE) crew much better than SYD crew (LAX-SYD, SYD-LAX). Currently platinum with VA/DJ but going to try Air NZ.

PER to SYD A330-200 service. A fantastic product for the price and when you add the extra legroom when booking well in advance it becomes even better value. Seats are quite comfortable, the food/beverage service has improved and the beef pie remains the highlight. IFE is the only letdown and an area where VA can improve. Not having AVOD isn't a total disaster. FA's are professional whilst remaining vibrant and friendly. Another great flight.

SYD-CNS. I decided to give Virgin a go on the flight up to Cairns. Bad idea! Flight was delayed by 35 minutes. The ticket was slightly cheaper than Qantas, but by the time you add on the bags and meals it's basically the same. The service on this flight was well below even that of Jetstar. Impersonal flight attendants bordering on rude. I flew the return leg on another airline and the service on that flight was noticeably better.

MEL-Brisbane return on 737-800. Flights all on time. Interior of aircraft on both flights was spotless and flight attendants well groomed. As a Lounge member and Gold Velocity member I am usually seated toward the front in an aisle seat and have enjoyed any number of items from the service trolley. One thing which has improved is the Priority luggage tags which had my bags on the carousel at Brisbane Airport before I had walked to it from the aircraft. All up a really good flying experience and no automated check-in so you get to deal with real people who give great service.

Sydney-Hobart in Business. Virgin still have a long way to go to meet premium service standards. Water/Juice served pre-take off, but nowhere for passenger to place the empty glass. Crew took a very long time to collect the empty glass. Crew openly complaining to each other about catering failures but failed to make any apology to passengers for absence of tea/coffee. Food shocking - dry pizza roll! Crew unfamiliar with wines onboard. Business class seats very much an afterthought - seems crazy that adjacent seat kept empty but unable to move armrest to take advantage of additional space. Inflight personal entertainment system delivers very low quality sound. Flight departed and arrived on time and luggage delivered promptly, so basics ok, but not a quality product. Crew very much in the budget carrier mindset.

PER-SYD, A330. Plane very clean, seats very comfortable. IFE is old and outdated. Crew happy and always had a smile. We had flexi fares, so food was included which was nothing special. Water and juice are free. Arrived on time. On return leg however, flight was delayed 4 hours. Staff kept people informed however. As a long time Qantas customer who has made the switch, I was very happy with the service provided.

Recently booked and paid for a new style Virgin business class flight from Brisbane to Sydney. When I went to check-in I was told that this flight was not configured for business class, it was economy only. This was the same if wanted to go on the flight an hour earlier or even the one an hour later. Being a Qantas Gold Frequent Flyer I felt I should give Virgin a try before I could make any comment. My comment is simply if you want to be sure that you get the business class product you paid for is fly Qantas.

MEL-LST-MEL. Near new 737-800 with Sky Interior on outward leg with upgraded older 737-800 on return. New seats in both aircraft were very comfortable and the seat pitch ok for the 60-65 minute flights. We were surprised that there were no seat-back entertainment units. Good to see cabin crew have done away with the silly announcements etc, and the professional service onboard was welcome. Good range of snacks and drinks served on both flights. The only negative, after push-back at MEL, we sat for 25 minutes waiting for a take- off slot although we landed only 10 minutes late in LST.

PER-SYD and PER-MEL return. Consistently good. Ticket prices competitive. Minimal waiting time at check- in/baggage drop. Excellent on-time performance. Cheerful and helpful flight and ground service. Seats rather cramped and uncomfortable during long-haul flights for someone as tall as me - A330 worse than B737. Baggage claim is consistently quick.

MEL-BNE. Great experience, very good value for money, leg space perfectly fine, on time and good service during flight.

Flew Premium Economy Sydney to Los Angeles, return. Sydney to LA the service was ok, food excellent and amenities kit was excellent. On the return leg the service and food was excellent and the amenity kit ok. It is inconsistent! I have flown this airline twice and each time I find that the seat, whilst good for legroom and space, tends to be very uncomfortable after 5 hours.

GLT-BNE on new ATR 72-500 aircraft. Morning departure and the flight was near empty. Requested Exit row seats and received 1E. Gladstone airport very simple to get checked in. Flight attendant was very friendly. Seats were great, much better then their new 737-800 product which was a little cramped. Prices were reasonable. I flew without checked luggage so saved myself the $12 or so that it costs to purchase luggage. Overall experience was great, into Brisbane on time, out of the aircraft easily, no hassles.

SYD-AUH-DUB. Crew were excellent, food was great and entertainment plentiful. Love the hotel style supper cards they offer which allows you to choose your next meal and when to be woken. The Bar onboard is good for socialising, I was offered a sleep suit and on returning to my seat the crew had already turned it into a bed for me. Seats are a bit hard on the cushion but once you are lying down they are comfortable enough.

SYD-LAX. Swift and friendly check-in: as flight was not full they were able, on request to give me a window seat with both adjacent seats empty. With armrests up and adequate pillows/blankets, bliss for a 13 hour flight! Attentive service onboard, an appealing cabin and a choice of 3 main courses - tasty and ample. Personal in-seat entertainment system. USB power for iPod/iPhone at every seat is a big plus! At the price I paid, amazing value.

Sydney-Adelaide, Check-in was easy using self-service kiosk. Older B737-800 but in good condition. There is PTV on each seat. Free earphones were given out. Cabin service great. Adelaide-Melbourne, brand new B737-800 with Sky Interior design, but disappointed to know that there's no PTV. Wonder what's the use of having a nice interior but no entertainment for passengers. Both flights punctual. Overall, great service and recommended.

Brisbane to Queenstown. Upon arrival at Brisbane were told the flight had been cancelled. No prior notification. The only alternative was a flight to Dunedin, 5 hrs drive from Queenstown. There were 88 passengers booked on this flight and no one had been notified. Rental car pickup, and onward bookings were thrown into chaos but no one seemed to care less at the airport. Be aware when booking with Virgin Australia of this cavalier attitude and lack of professionalism. Virgin were very vague with their explanation and seemed very sheepish about it. The cynics amongst us reckon the real reason was insufficient passengers booked on the flight.

Adelaide to Melbourne on 737-700. Check-in a breeze as no one else in the queue, but that is where the good news ends. Boarding was like the boxing day sales, never seen anything like it and staff were at a lost to get people to form any sort of queue. Plane interior was old and unkempt to the point whereby the seat cover were ripped and tray table had many meals left on it. Staff laughed through safety briefing and were very abrupt. The other positive was that bags arrived upon reaching the belt. Overall still along way to go to catch up to the other main competition.

BNE-LAX return. Empty flight from Brisbane, plenty of room to stretch out and sleep. Travel kit with earplugs and sleep mask given. Food was great, mood lighting effective. Cabin crew friendly and attentive. All round great flight experience. Food not as good on return from LAX, flight was full, cabin crew good. Would definitely fly VA again, particularly the BNE-LAX leg.

The seat pitch in economy when a 737 800 is fitted with Business Class is not up to what we have come to expect. I am 1.86m tall and I just didn't fit. They need to remove one row of seats to spread economy seats out. I ended up with fluid retention as I had to sit with my legs either side of the seat in front, and could not move them for the entire flight. People using the aisle constantly bumped in to my aisle-side knee. Not good enough and I won't be back unless it is fixed. It's a shame as I was a regular Virgin flyer.