Virgin Blue review - by A Lund

10 December 2006

Melbourne to Cairns on a 737 700 with seat back screens and 20 something channels of live 2 air Foxtel in every seat. It was switched on after the safety demo and the first 10 minutes were free- after that you had to pay six dollars - but for a 3 and a half hour flight it was well worth it, and better than Qantas' videos or Jetstar's digi-players. This is the first time I've seen seatback tvs on Virgin's flights, but I understand they're being rolled out across the fleet. The flight was on time, the crew friendly, and hot dinner purchased for $8.50 reasonably tasty. All in all a fantastic effort for a budget airline.

Virgin Blue review - by Jason Robinson

22 November 2006

MEL-BNE-MEL. Arrived early in the morning about 0630 for my 0800 flight to Brisbane, check-in a breeze! Flight smooth crew was friendly, not much entertainment - only the magazine and 8 audio stations with cost $2.50 to use. (Not worth it if you ask me, after about an hour they repeat the songs). Return, got to Brisbane Airport about 40 minutes before my flight, used quick check and was disappointed when I couldn't choose a window seat. Flight attendants were rude while serving the trolley run and rushed through as fast as possible so they could get to the back of the aircraft to have a coffee / talk. DJ 311 was operated by a 737-700 and DJ 308 a 737-800. The 800 has better leg space. Being 6'6 this is a big thing to me.

Virgin Blue review - by Ben Ravenscroft

15 November 2006

I've only used them once, so I hope it was representative. My flight was SYD - MEL, as the final leg of my trip from London to Melbourne, through ticketed with Virgin Atlatic / Virgin Blue. I flew in to Sydney with Virgin Atlantic, and owing to a few hold ups along the way in the airport I managed to miss my connection. The Virgin Blue staff were brilliant. Went up to the tickets desk, explained the situation. New ticket issued immediately, no fuss. Straight up to the check in desk (the connection they'd booked me on was leaving in 15 mins - fantastic). The girl could clearly tell I was a bit frazzled after my 24+ hour journey so far, but was incredibly friendly. Even booked me a window seat. FAs were efficient, but polite, friendly and upbeat. Inflight entertainment OK - but used to low cost carriers in Europe where there's none, so that was also a huge bonus. Basically I liked the airline because the staff seemed to actually care about their customers.

Virgin Blue review - by Henry Tib

22 October 2006

ADL-MLB vv. Thought I would try VB for this day return. Cheap fare, checked in online, both flights on time and seating ok for short domestic flight. FAs do a good job and are very hospitable. Would fly with them again on short domestic routes, if the price is right!

Virgin Blue review - by Michael Smith

5 October 2006

Sydney- Brisbane. return. Boeing 737-800. Good flight, on time. FA's friendly and professional. Plane appeared clean, snacks are a reasonable price. My second time with VB in a few weeks and won't be my last. VB is a good low cost airline.

Virgin Blue review - by Mike Wright

2 October 2006

Fiji to Adelaide via Brisbane. This is a wonderful airline. The first flight from Nadi was a smooth checkin.Food and drinks are fair priced. But I only paid $140US for the two flights. Free drinks were included in the flight.

Virgin Blue review - by Marshall Davies

22 September 2006

My wife & I recently travelled Melbourne-Hobart-Brisbane-Melbourne, our first flights with Virgin for several years. All flights departed on time & all were quite crowded. Check-in was prompt although we were advised in Melbourne that the online boarding passes we'd printed before leaving home would have to be replaced as 'they would not scan properly'. This seems to make the online process redundant and I referred the matter to Virgin on our return & was advised the matter has been referred to their IT area but no further response to date. We were impressed by the general level of service by all Virgin staff members and had no complaints with the quality of price of snacks offered onboard. Our only minor issues were that all aircraft seemed very warm and that we found we really needed a cushion behind our necks due to the uncomfortable angle of the headrest on the seats. Oh yes, and a special mention to Virgin's Hobart baggage arrangements: I can't remember the last time I had to lift luggage off a trolley rather than a baggage carousel. Overall, we'd travel again with Virgin Blue but would take a small cushion or pillow each

Virgin Blue review - by Anil Kattula

8 September 2006

Flew Melbourne-Canberra on 25/8 and Canberra-Melbourne on29/8 using special low fare purchases over internet. One problem with Virgin Blue system is every time you check your booking, they send you another copy of your e-ticket! Also can't nominate type of seat you want ie aisle or window like you can with Qantas. On line check in 24 hours prior from home is great. Printed boarding pass at home so just two minutes to drop of bag at desk in peak hour on Friday morning. Vey lightly loaded 737-700 for flight up to canberra but this is due to Qantas having all the Government business sown up!. Service on flight very good by a really friendly crew. Prices very reasonable and good choice of snacks. Arrived early despite weather. Bags off quick although most passengers didn't have any check in baggage. Out of terminal within 10 minutes of arrival! Return flight checked in at airport via their self check in system, then dropped bag at desk. Simple and easy to use! Took less than two minutes all up! Warning to those using Canberra Airport - check which gate you are using as different entrances for different gates. The areas are not connected! Virgin uses common user area and as only has a few flights, bar/snack shop not open until 1 hour prior to flight! Due to nice weather Virgin decided not to use aerobridge instead boarding via tarmac. Saves them money as less airport charges. No problems and several elderly and disabled passengers well looked after using lifting device. Pilot performed very detailed walk around of aircraft which was noted and commented on by several passengers! Crew not so good on this leg One hostess looked like she was barely out of primary school! Purser kept trying to be funny but it didn't work! Came across as rather childish and unprofessional. Didnt go down well when she mucked up important safety announcements trying to be funny! She would have been better off just being her natural friendly self. Service quick and efficient. Arrived on time and bags off within 10 minutes. All in all two great flights. Virgin crews just need to stop trying too hard to be funny!

Virgin Blue review - by Dickson Cheung

22 August 2006

Cairns-Sydney, row 19D, an aisle seat. 737-700 new & comfortable, interior tidy. Crew professional. During disembarking, noticed passengers can either disembark from the front or aft of aircraft. Those in front used aerobridge, while those at the back used a ladder to walk down the ramp - very impressive. This will cut down the turn around time for the aircraft & further save cost. Pay as you use service could not be faulted. Unlike Jetstar, seat can be pre allocated, which is a plus. Will certainly fly with Virgin Blue again, due to its cheap fares.

Virgin Blue review - by Kim Buxton

12 August 2006

I have just returned from a holiday in Australia and flew 7 sectors with Virgin Blue (Perth-Adelaide-Melbourne-Hobart, Launceston-Melbourne- Canberra, Coffs Harbour-Sydney-Brisbane). Each sector was either bang on time or early. Leg room was ample compared with some of the budget airlines in Europe. Staff professional, aircraft clean and all this in that very tight turn-around time just makes the whole thing impressive. In addition fares are low and there seems to be plenty of availability of the lowest fares (although I did book several months in advance). Highly recommended.

Virgin Blue review - by Jason Anderson

5 July 2006

Perth to Sydney return. Booked at the last minute, but was still able to pick up a Sale Fare for my return journey. Couldn't fault the service - was not the typical Virgin "Over the Top and in-your face style". Food pricey but eat before you fly. Unlike others, I enjoy the 'Rock Music' played during departure and arrivals - they play great artists. Only gripe is the length of time for Luggage to be returned via carousel in arrivals lounge - took far too long!

Virgin Blue review - by Edmund Carew

1 June 2006

Sadly, Roger Stone, on two recent DJ flights (BNE-MEL and MEL-ADL), DJ were still playing disconcerting rock music prior to landing. It's not relaxing! Apart from this irritant and overuse of the word 'fantastic' by the 'purser' to describe the rest of the cabin crew, DJ's punctuality and reasonable staff shows why a slightly higher percentage of business people now appear to be choosing DJ. DJ's self serve seating kiosks have markedly taken over from gate agents.

Virgin Blue review - by Alex Taberner

22 April 2006

SYD-TVN rtn. 737-700 both ways. $99 one way on the net. ExcellentCabin Crew. 2.5 hour flight and the whole way they were chatting to us. Both legs the FA's did their job exceptionally well. On the return leg asked for emergency row at TVN airport and granted without paying the extra $30. The extra leg room is fantastic. Sitting in row 11- row in front of emergency) on SYD-TVN leg and seats do not recline which is fair enough. Food was fine but a little overpriced. Seeing as QF was double the price, I am so happy I flew with Virgin.

Virgin Blue review - by Steve Willard

7 April 2006

Flown Virgin Blue several times PER-MEL-PER & MEL-SYD-MEL. The flights are fine but the prices charged for meals & refreshment are absurd. The Virgin Blue lounge in Melbourne isn't worth the entry fee let alone joining up - the same overpriced bland food and drinks are sold in there as on the planes - we had to leave the lounge, find a cheaper (and much better) lunch in the airport terminal and bring it back in.

Virgin Blue review - by Brian Smith

18 March 2006

Virgin Blue is a fine carrier in the budget category. Flew them SYD-CNS- MEL-SYD in March. Friendly staff, quick check-in, clean easy to use terminals, clean aircraft, and a decent on-board menu that you have to pay for. Snacks are fine and the wrap looked good, but the $8.50 charged for the microwaved tortellini was really not good value.

Virgin Blue review - by A Kattula

9 March 2006

Virgin Blue's Velocity reward system has one major flaw. You cant join it as a family! Each family member has to have their own membership which means multiple cards, statements and e-mails. A bit stupid when 2 out the 4 in my family are only 2 years old! Why not have just one family membership and save the hassle for everyone. In most families it is usually the wage earner who does the business flying and then takes family on one or two family holidays a year.

Virgin Blue review - by Jeffrey Leong

5 March 2006

Hobart to Melbourne, and later from Melbourne to Sydney. Both flights good for a low-cost airline. Crew generally friendly even for such relatively short flights. What impressed me was the quick and efficient manner the airline checked in so many passengers Melbourne airport. They took just a couple of minutes to process each passenger and the queue moved very quickly. The check-in staff worked almost like clock work. Why can't low-cost airlines in the UK do that? UK low-cost airlines usually seem to take much longer time to check-in passengers. What was more, the Aussie airline treated passengers as people, not cattle and their staff smiled at them. Keep up the good work, Virgin Blue.

Virgin Blue review - by Roger Stone

5 March 2006

Virgin Blue read these columns! Last year, after I had posted some complaints in these columns over very annoying loud rock-muzak being played during take-off and landing on a particular flight I was pleasantly surprised to receive a call from their public relations manager advising they would tighten-up their policy in this area. I have flown with Virgin recently (BNE-SYD-BNE with connections to Regional Express services) and found the rock-muzak problem to have disappeared, pretty well. As a business product Virgin is getting quite reasonable, although I found the Blue Room in Sydney very tacky and I also had troubles with the internet check-in in getting my sought-after window seat, even with 23 hours notice. If Virgin's Velocity Points template had room for seat preference to be included in one's profile then Virgin would get many more of my bookings (I fly once a week on average). All in all a good product that appears to be constantly improving.

Virgin Blue review - by Glenda St John

21 February 2006

Adl - Mel - Adl - mid Feb. 2006. First time flying with Virgin Blue. Great staff, very friendly. Check in fast and efficient including going through the process of declaring 'diabetic sharps being carried'. Both flights on-time. Daughter's first flight and she was very nervous but the friendly relaxed atmosphere and ease of boarding helped her to stay calm. Overall a very pleasant experience. Staff much more pleasant and unlike Qantas they don't care whether you're a business class fare or a promo fare which is a problem I have experienced with Q flights. Enjoyable and have already booked to fly with them again.

Virgin Blue review - by L Boadle

3 February 2006

Gold Coast to Sydney. Self check-in kiosks were quick and easy to use even with large baggage. Passengers boarded the plane through the front and rear doors, which was speedy and convenient. The safety demonstration was less formal than Qantas, but sufficient. The only in- flight entertainment onboard was 8 audio channels (no TV's). You need to bring your own headphones if you don't want to pay for their headsets. The food seemed overpriced (I didn't buy any), but this isn't really an issue for short flights like this. The seats were surprisingly comfy and roomy. Cabin crew informal but professional, and weren't intrusive or annoying. Being a Sunday day flight, I can't speak for weekday peak travel, but as far as I could tell Virgin Blue is a satisfactory airline and I'd happily fly with them again.

Virgin Blue review - by Robin McConnell

12 January 2006

Melbourne to Brisbane, then Ballina to Sydney. Have flown with Virgin Blue every time I've take an internal flight in Australia and have always found them to be fine, a lot better than many of the European budget carriers - but the "fun" approach gets annoying - e.g. "and now's a fantastic time to check that your mobile phone is switched off", etc. What is the point please, its just embarrassing.

Virgin Blue review - by Craig Willis

11 January 2006

Gold Coast-Sydney on 7th January. Check In chaotic and no self-check in machines working. Boarded flight and sat in front row with window seat. Had to pay $20 Aus for excess baggage but friend also on same flight had excess baggage waived due to frenetic check in. The FA talked most of the flight about what Virgin Blue can do for you in Massage and Hire car deals etc - drove me mad!! Its all about on-selling their product. Flight announcements from cockpit were fine and we landed in Sydney about 10 mins late. Overall it really is a budget driven airline but much better than Jetstar!

Virgin Blue review - by Kenneth Cheng

22 December 2005

SYD-MEL one-way. Boeing 737-800. Flight was delayed for around 45 minutes out of Sydney due to a medical condition aboard when a sick passenger did not have a certificate saying he was fit to travel on an aircraft. Cabin was well-maintained and clean. The leather seats was superbly comfortable and had acceptable seat pitch and the legroom offered was tonnes better than the domestic economy on the B763 Qantas offered in my outbound flight from MEL and it was amazingly better than what some international airlines like Emirates and SIA offered. Flight attendants' dressing was plain but acceptable. Service was quick and efficient and the crew were friendly. Food had to be purchased from the crew. On the outbound flight, although Qantas had served an apple and 2 Luken and May cookies, their cabin staff were expressionless and had appeared very unfriendly. The arrival in Melbourne Tullamarine Airport came some 1hour behind scheduled. Good experience but bad start. Would recommend anyone who wishes to fly internally across Australia, to use Virgin Blue instead of Qantas.

Virgin Blue review - by Les Roach

14 December 2005

Launceston to Sydney and return, new booking system a bit weird. Crew thought the safety demo was quite funny, some carried on like children. Token service during flight, went through the motions but was all a bit phony - McDonalds do it better, worst thing was they ran out of food of some types, bit strange on such a short flight (1hr 40min).

Virgin Blue - by John Frewen-Lord

15 November 2005

Virgin Blue one way from Sydney to Cairns. 737-800 full, plane clean. Flight left on time, arrived on time. Yes the flight attandants do have a bit of an OTT attitude, but underneath they appear to have a hard core of professionalism - what you need in an emergency. All food and drinks pay for, but I didn't bother. Return Brisbane-Sydney. Same comments apply. Both flights cheap, and VB's online booking is a breeze. Would fly them again when next in Oz.

Virgin Blue - by Peter Holmes

14 November 2005

My wife and I travelled from Sydney to Perth. We found staff were friendly and cooperative, the booking in procedure was easy, aircraft was clean and seat pitch more than adequate. Seat pitch was important as I am 6 foot 4 inches tall. We would have no hesitation in travelling with or recommending others to use Virgin Blue. The aircraft was a 737-700 which usually has a less than adequate seat pitch.

Virgin Blue - by Edmund Carew

14 November 2005

MEL-SYD return. Web check handy. Depart on time at 0745, close to full. Return journey again close to full. DJ's announcements could be briefer, and sometimes there is an element of scriptin' that can be peeving. It is notable that Virgin now seems to carry more businessmen, who doubtless are tired of QF's inconsistent timekeeping and, as others claim, some surly staff.

Virgin Blue - by Paul Fellows

27 October 2005

Melbourne-Gold Coast- Melbourne: "Hi-di-hi Airline Of The Year" - it is really boring to hear the same jokes on both legs. I assume these are scripted. The ultra-cheerful, 'your most welcome' style of announcements grate after a while. Apart from this everything was quite efficient and on a par with European budget airlines. Functional and perfectly satisfactory as a mode of transport - but take the ear-plugs!

Virgin Blue - by John Pope

24 October 2005

BNE-HOB return, used new web check which really sped things up. Once again new planes 737-800's both ways, cabin and ground crew professional and attentive, food fresh and tasty. All in all Virgin are giving Qantas and Jet Star a run for their money.

Virgin Blue - by Stephen Beattie

13 September 2005

Flew Virgin Sydney/Townsville return over the first weekend in Sept 2005. Nice new aircraft, great flight attendants. Departed and arrived on time. And CHEAP! No free inflight service but after all your only in the air for 2.5 hours and no catering is better than the insults often offered by its red tailed competitor..

Virgin Blue - by Edmund Carew

6 September 2005

MEL-CBR-MEL on a recent Thursday. Timekeeping excellent; plenty of spare seats in each direction. Northbound, the cabin supervisor briefly laughed during the safety spiel - inappropriate,. Agree with other comments for DJ & Qantaslink that thumping rock music being played 5 - 10 minutes prior to landing is most irritating. If it's intended to calm nervous passengers down, it has the reverse effect!

Virgin Blue - by J Wardle

29 August 2005

MEL - HOB No queue at check in, and departed on time. However compared to Qantas & JetStar the plane was very cramped inside - at 6ft its the first time I have been on a plane and my knees have been firmly up against the seat in front. Cabin staff were pleasant and accomodating to passengers seated behind us with children.

Virgin Blue - by Bill Richards

11 July 2005

HOBART/BNE DJ705 10/07/05 Seat 23E departing 1215 due Bne 1445. Return leg of our first holiday trip using Virgin Blue. On first run of trolley (moving towards rear), sandwich supply ran out at seat 22E&F. Pre-advised second run of trolley subsequently cancelled because all they had left was junk food. Don't know who was responsible for so badly underestimating food requirements on a lunchtime flight but I've never struck this problem on a Qantas flight. Problem could have been addressed if passengers had been informed of potential food shortage while we were still on ground.

Virgin Blue - by Nicholas Breust

24 June 2005

BNE-MEL-BNE 11/06-12/06. 737-700 but flight was smooth and seats comfy as usual. Service was good for the 1st flight of the day, however once the cabin crew past you with the cart, there was no going back - for the rest of the flight. At least when I asked for some water after the 'bar' was closed (I say bar as a fellow passenger had a bourbon & cola) the supervisor happily brought me a cup of water. Return journey fine. Used Blue Check in BNE and MEL. Very easy to use and the luggage drop off is great, unlike QF in BNE where you can only have carry ons. Spent a couple of hours in the quiet and relaxing Blue Room. Flight DJ333 on a 737-800 left early and arrived early. Great service again, this was the crew's second MEL-BNE flight of the evening so could understand if they didnt want to be chirpy, but they were. All in all still happy with DJ. I once vowed to never fly them, now that titles gone to JQ!

Virgin Blue - by Jarrod McCloughan

8 June 2005

Recently flew SYD-MEL-SYD return on the 4th of June with Virgin Blue. It was an early departure time of 715am, and arrived quite early, and went and used their self check in system. Was easy to use, like Qantas, but unlike Qantas couldn't check in for my return flight for that evening. I had a look at my allocated seat, which was 2F, and didn't change it. Unlike the flight before mine, we boarded on time, and pushed back dead on time, with no late comers. The plane was clean, being one of their 737-800's. The amount of legroom that I had in row 2 was unbelievable. There was at least three more inches of legroom than the standard pitch. Pity it was such a short flight. I wish I had that amount of legroom on a long haul international flight! As usual I was expecting the 'Virgin Blue Flair'. Luckily they weren't too over the top. The cabin supervisor was good, but the male flight attendant couldn't stop laughing through the safety demo. Once up in the air, the usual flogging of food and drinks. I bought a cup of coffee (that I had to make) and a muffin that set me back $6, but at least it was a large cup of coffee. The flight was uneventful, and was eager to see how the return flight was going to be that evening. Again, I arrived at the airport early, and checked in again using the self check in. There were no queues for self check in, though the queue was quite long for regular checkin. I went to the gate, and called us to board on time. This time it was a 737-700, and was greeted at the front door by the Cabin supervisor. I was seated in 5A for the return leg, which was okay, though there wasn't as much legroom, though it was more than adequate. There were a few late comers, and the flight was quite full, as this was the last flight of the day at 815pm. The crew on this flight was better than those in the morning. A few passengers were making comments about the Cabin supervisor, but to his credit, he was professional, and ignored it. I felt sorry for him. Again there was the usual flogging of stuff, including Bransons biography. Again it was an uneventful flight, and on approach into Sydney, they switched off the cabin lights, which gave us a great view of the lights of Sydney. I would fly Virgin Blue again, but not for more than 2 hours, unless I could get seat 2F again.

Virgin Blue - by John C Pope

4 June 2005

GC/SYD return. Both aircraft new 737-800, spotless, seat pitch good (I am 188cm) staff friendly and attentive, safety demonstration was done profesionally on both flights. Could not fault this airline, especially for a fare of $49, inclusive of tax. I would not hesitate to fly Virgin Blue again.
 

Virgin Blue - by Mike Stevens

11 May 2005

MEL-SYD. 737-700 - 4 cabin crew. Plane was about 3/4 full. When Cabin Crew Supervisor was giving safety presentation over the intercom (and other 3 crew were demonstrating, 2 of which also were in hysterics), she burst into laughter several times, to the point where she had to stop and have a moment to get her composure, which didn't work as she continued to laugh throughout the entire presentation. While I can appreciate Virgin offers an "experience" different to other airlines (ie the crew have fun and are informally very interactive with guests), I didn't find it funny that our Cabin Crew (all but one who seemed appalled at her colleagues' behavior) expect our attention "even if we are frequent flyers as safety is an issue we take seriously" - very hypocritical. It gives an impression of "well, if the Crew on this flight have this attitude towards safety - and are the ones they tell us to rely on in the event of an emergency - then what about the pilots, the ground crew, mechanics etc?" Otherwise, flight was good - but when people ask how was your flight, it's the Cabin Crew's behavior that usually first comes to mind.

Virgin Blue - by Nathaniel Mountjoy

6 May 2005

In addition to Ryan Pittermans (9-4-05) comments about VB's Blue Zone seating. The blue zone seats aren't exactly that pricey. They are only $30 at the time of booking to guarantee a fully reclining seat, with extra leg room. If you turn up to the airport and ask if they have any emergency exit row seats, Virgin Blue staff will give them out complimentary if they have not been pre-purchased. It's a Virgin Blue policy. Overall Virgin Blue tickets are usually cheaper than Qantas and the staff are better than Qantas.

Virgin Blue - by Paddy Ward

30 April 2005

Rather rotten experience this time round with DJ. Although it was not their fault still a pain for me and many others when the IT system failed nation-wide on the morning of April 28 (today) and this obviously threw flight plans into chaos, including mine as I had planned to be back in Canberra by 8.45 am as I had to start work by 10 am.

Virgin Blue - by Ryan Pitterman

9 April 2005

In response to Simon Baileys comments (8/4/05) Virgin Blue calls their exit row seats "The Blue Zone" and are available for a extra quite substantial fee. (As per the Virgin Blue site). On the other hand, fly Qantas and get the exit rows at no extra cost, not the mention the full service and greater seat pitch for round the same price, sometimes cheaper!

Virgin Blue - by Simon Bailey

8 April 2005

Even though Virgin Blue are a low cost airline they provide an excellent service with friendly staff at check-in and in flight. I am 6'2" and they provided an exit seat to accommodate my long legs. This happened on every flight i took! Staff smile and are friendly and the ambience of the cabin is clean and fresh. If you are travelling around Australia, this is the airline to take - plus the flights are very cheap.

Virgin Blue - by Astrella Mullen

29 March 2005

My friend and I took a flight from Sydney to the Gold Coast on Virgin Blue. The check in was fine we boarded the plane and sat down. As the safety announcement was being made the air hostess was standing adjacent to us demonstrating the exit areas. My friend and I were looking at the in flight mag when she turned to us and snapped "be quiet please". We were stunned as we were not being loud and were not making enough noise to distract her or anyone else. We felt that the reasoning for her reaction was because we were two young females, and if we were the opposite sex she may have been much different. It felt bitchy and as quoted already in this comments section it did seem that this young lady and her colleagues really did fancy themselves!

Virgin Blue - by Peter Briant

27 March 2005

MEL to the The Gold Coast return. The staff member who checked us in, was very courteous, helpful and had a good sense of humour (a huge plus in my book !!). Getting through security was fine, and the flight left just a few mins late. The stewardesses(?) were friendly and gave great service. The return flight, was even better !! Their staff really know how to make you feel welcome.

Virgin Blue - by Mildred Thompson

26 March 2005

Very bad experience travelling Melbourne to Newcastle. Although arrived early, had to queue for over 45 minutes to be processed. In the meantime ground staff worked the queue calling for passengers who were late for a Sydney flight leaving in 25 minutes. This meant that sole adult males got an "express check-in". One lone mother travelling with a toddler and babe in arms was allowed to struggle with an overloaded trolley, whilst the toddler pushed the baby in a stroller. She received no help. There should be designated destination check-in counters. I once thought that jetstar was too tough with their 30 minute rule, but at least there are no psuedo "express check-ins" and I believe help for mothers and children. The pitch of seats also means you are packed in like sardines.

Virgin Blue - by Paddy Ward

7 March 2005

Melbourne-Canberra after a friend's wedding. I was flying DJ for the first time for a year and a half ever since an issue with one of their fares. When I was inducted with professional well presented and helpful ground staff I was prepared to forget the fare issue. In fact the only reason it really came up was because I was a casual. Things have since changed. At the express counter I was inducted further with yet another professional staff member , not a giggling schoolgirl type that once characterized DJ. Very impressed with the Blue Room in Melbourne airport, which had a relaxing air to it. Boarding was a bit late, but we arrived early. I even bumped into an ex-teacher of mine which was interesting. Minor criticisms; the boarding passes remind me of supermarket dockets and the boys and girls bit I agree with as I do the music played before take-off. Bit repetitive. However the legroom I noticed had improved. All in all a good experience.

Virgin Blue - by Neil McGill

27 February 2005

SYD-TSV-SYD-MEL over a two week period in February 2005. Have to say was generally very impressed, and they are much better than other low cost airlines in Europe such as Easyjet. Smooth and quick check-in for all flights- my companion and I were over the weight limit for luggage but on each occasion they waived the excess baggage fees which was appreciated. Planes were on time, seating was comfortable, and cabin crew were well presented and helpful. The menu had a good selection and thought the prices were reasonable. Only a few minor criticisms- I know they are a low-cost airline but the boarding passes are ridiculously cheap and tacky!! Also, starting every announcement with ladies and gentleman, boys and girls (!), makes it seem like we are all going on a school trip to Disney World- I think it is patronising and unnecessary, particularly if Virgin Blue want to position themselves as a credible alternative to QANTAS for the business market. Previous posters have also mentioned the music played during taxi, landing etc. I did not find it too loud or intrusive, but Virgin Blue do need to get some new CDs- I think I must have heard Stand by You by Girls Aloud at least five times and it got pretty annoying towards the end!

Virgin Blue - by Stuart Cole

28 January 2005

Adelaide-Melbourne-Maroochydore (4/1/05) and returned Maroochydore- Sydney-Adelaide (18/1/05). Check-in staff in both Adelaide and Maroochydore were excellent. On both occasions passed through check-in within 10 minutes (surprising given 0815 departure from ADL). Travelling with a 7 year old, flight crew were excellent. ADL-MEL-MCY-SYD by 737-700, SYD-ADL (737-800). Although I am tall, and could not get blue zone due to travelling with a child found seat pitch comfortable and satisfactory for each sector on both aircraft types. Food and Beverage service good value and orders taken speedily including hot drinks being available on the 50 minute ADL-MEL sector. Tried the Blue Room in SYD due to 2 hour transit, great experience. Will definitely fly Virgin Blue again especially given the higher cost to fly Qantas and inability to fly into MCY. As Virgin Blue provided through connections didn't have to worry about collecting checked baggage in MEL or SYD as I would have to do if I flew QF and Jetstar.

Virgin Blue - by Roger Stone

25 January 2005

Caught one of Virgin Blue's Brisbane/Canberra services on 17th January. Virgin Blue is not a bad airline to travel on, if you are 'in the mood' (i.e not tired or stressed from gut-tearing meetings) and the flight is not heavily booked. I found the return travel on a Qantas flight much more conducive for working on. However, I have to say the most annoying aspect of Virgin Blue flights is the insistence on loud rock music being played through the PA system, especially before and during take-off and landing. Why on earth do airlines, especially Virgin Blue, follow this practice? Is it to somehow to calm nervous passengers? I cannot imagine how it is supposed to achieve that! I am a frequent flyer and very used to aircraft operations yet find the practice of playing loud rock music during these critical stages of flight operations incredibly disturbing. Do others share my feelings? On my fight of the 17th the PA 'music' was so loud before take-off the FA could not hear or converse with a passenger who had trouble with her seat belt. Come on Virgin Blue, if you want to attract business passengers you will have to do better than this.

Virgin Blue - by Anna Harkin

15 January 2005

SYD to BNE 7am flight was greeted as walked up 2 check in area and instructed what desk to go to. Friendly check in requested for window seat and got it. Boarding was 20 minutes late didn't get a chance to use the blue room. Boarding was via both front and back door in attempt to make up for lost time. Departed on time . In flight service was excellent - 4 FAs on this 737-800. Purchased a good value cappucino - 2 carts starting at each end ensured everyone got served on this 1 hr flight. Radio was good and took 20 min to get out of airport. I would fly Virgin Blue again even though they are a low cost carrier - find seat pitch to be the same or mabye even better than Qantas and food is cheap. Only disappointment is that BNE airport is shabbier than Sydney no shops - only 1 little cafe.

Virgin Blue - by Edmund Carew

15 January 2005

MEL-LST on a Thursday morning for A$69 - excellent value. 110 of 150 seats on the 737-800 occupied. Usual attentive service but attendants' policy of 'no hot drinks on so-called short sectors' - this route is one hour - imitates Qantas. With four FAs serving, it is possible to serve 10 hot drinks each in the time up in the air, in addition to other items sold from the cart and give change - Ansett used to serve hot drinks and give change for alcohol purchases between MEL and CBR, an identical flying time! The Virgin service ran on time to the minute, with quick check-in and reasonable baggage collection time.

Virgin Blue - by Michael Little

29 December 2004

Melbourne - Hobart 23 December returning 28 December. I usually fly Qantas but as the Qantas fare (even 6 months ahead) was exorbitant, and as one of our party was my 86-y.o. mother the lack of allocated seats on Jetstar was a problem, I decided to try Virgin Blue. Check in at Tullamarine, even two days before Christmas, was friendly and very efficient.... as was the welcome and service from the all-female cabin crew aboard the 737-700. Being a pre-Christmas flight every seat was taken. The flight operated on time..... the only draw back was the extremely tight seat pitch on the 737-700. The seats didn't recline though I noticed some people trying to force theirs back. I arrived feeling like I'd just spent an hour travelling in a shoe box. On the return flight we had a 737-800. Departure was about 20 minutes late. This time the seat pitch was much better and the seats actually reclined!!! The plane was much less full. There was one male among the FAs. We ordered a snack which was tasty and reasonable value for money. Overall I'd still try Qantas first but provided the flight is no more than 60 - 90 minutes, or I could be sure of getting a 737-800, I would be prepared to use Virgin Blue again.

Virgin Blue - by Edmund Carew

1 November 2004

MEL-SYD on a recent Saturday and returning BNE - MEL the following Tuesday, the only (minor) glitch in the whole operation was rather slow security lines at Melbourne Airport. The airport is now making very large profits, but needs to improve the entry point to the sterile area. DJ is carrying more pax than AN was in its heyday. On board, the announcements were professional with not even a hint remaining of the 'jokes' that were once standard fare on DJ.

Virgin Blue - by Craig Walker

23 October 2004

In reference to SYD terminal (virgin Blue) all cleaning is under the control of SACL, and with there cost cutting attitude (because they paid to much for the airport) cleaning is not done on a regular basis. In saying that i do go through this terminal a bit and would have to say that a lot of my fellow travellers could lift there game by putting there garbage in bins provided.

Virgin Blue - by Stephen Thompson

20 October 2004

I will never fly with Virgin Blue again. Finally got home 7 hours later than expected. Flight from Maroochydore to Melbourne cancelled as they couldn't get the planes in to land at Maroochydore because of bad weather - no radar - but that's another story. This is not the issue, the issue is how they deal with scheduling changes. The problem was with the total lack of information supplied to the long suffering travellers. When they realised they couldn't get the planes to land, Jetstar reacted 2 hours faster than Virgin to bus the passengers to Brisbane. Virgin Blue sounded as though they had a dumb, thick, and really really stupid 15 year old work experience student on the PA, no other staff were around to explain anything. Finally got to Brisbane Airport, same hopeless organisation, queueing disasters, etc. In a nutshell, when things go wrong, they don't know what to do - all we wanted was some information.

Virgin Blue - by Edmund Carew

3 October 2004

I agree with Mr Schace (28/9) that the DJ terminal in SYD 'seems' less clean than MEL, but both are a similar age. There is more natural light in the MEL terminal, but it's perception rather than reality that one is 'cleaner' than the other. Even the lighting in MEL seems brighter, when one gets away from the shops at the initial airside entry in SYD. Announcements at most Australian domestic terminals, DJ or QF are oppressive.

Virgin Blue - by Wiebke Schache

28 September 2004

SYD-MEL-SYD, both flights on b737-700's. first flight delayed by 30 min./ second flight delayed by 10 min. staff not rude, not exceptional friendly, rather average. despite the young age, both aircrafts seemed very worn and dirty (i.e. heaps of crumbs on my seat). Seat width narrow, leg-space average. DJ's terminal in Sydney was the worst terminal I've ever seen; very filthy and oppressive, announcements were far too loud. Different impression in Melbourne; clean terminal with lots of cafes and space. DJ's ticket prizes are fantastic, however, next time I would spent the extra-money for a Qantas ticket as I usually did before.

Virgin Blue - by Geoff Fischer

18 September 2004

BNE-PER. For $99 each way, superb. Long flight ( 6+ hours ) but that's not Virgin's fault. Staff were friendly, smiling, ample legroom, clean aeroplane (737-800). On return trip was offered emergency exit - even though I hadn't paid the extra. On QF these days you NEVER get the seat you want (especially a window) unless you're a high-ranked frequent flyer. (They pre-reserve the seats) No complaints for the price.

Virgin Blue - by Edmund Carew

16 August 2004

Check in for MEL - Newcastle on a Friday morning, no problems. 737-700 was 20 minutes late in from ADL and departed 25 mins late. With the service only 60 per cent full, I had three seats to myself. Request the rear window seat: no one else wants to sit down the back! Only one runway being used in MEL, so held waiting takeoff for an unusually long five mins. Arrived Newcastle 35 late. Return on a Sat night ex SYD was on the last at 2015, with about 140 passengers - pretty full. With four staff doing the catering, the fifth staff member is redundant - but it's a so-called 'safety' requirement (some would suggest featherbedding.) The window seat in front of me was empty so I changed seats and again had three to myself. The crew kept the lighting down which was restful. Arrival at MEL was three mins early at 2142. Annoyingly, we had to brave the rain as some outer gates lack aerobridges - retrograde.

Virgin Blue - by T Dames

10 August 2004

Check-in for MEL- PPP on Saturday afternoon, quick and efficient. Requested the emergency exit row and was assigned window seat. Used the Melbourne Blue Room, very spacious with views of concourse and tarmac. Departure late due to late inbound aircraft. Seats fabric (not Virgin Blue leather), was a little disappointed. Crew seemed rushed and tired for a 4pm flight. Bought a tandoori chicken wrap - very nice. Return flight (assigned exit row again). Proserpine Airport is very small with only 4 check in counters, although very nice outside waiting lounge. Flight on time and crew very friendly. Half way through the flight the crew announced that before they dimmed the lights that they would play a trivia. Passengers had to guess the previous occupations of the flight attendants on the flight. Prizes were awarded for those who guessed correctly. I have never seen this sort of entertainment on a flight before and it did make the flight much more interesting and pleasurable.

Virgin Blue - by Jim Brown

24 July 2004

SYD/ADL return. Cabin Crew friendly and trying hard - whilst I am friendly, I cannot quite get used to check in staff greeting the wife and I by saying "Hi guys, where are you off to today, guys , and have a nice flight guys! What's wrong with Mr and Mrs Brown? Also cabin staff on entering the plane, said Hi Jimmy welcome aboard. Bit much for a 75 yr old brought up to addressing people either Sir or Madam!

Virgin Blue - by Adam Walker

20 July 2004

SYD-MEL-SYD 737-800. While I’ve only flown DJ a few times, like Peg Fulmer (19JUL), I too have never encountered the issues reported by other pax. The staff are consistently friendly and very helpful. I admit that the DJ cabin crew may have their own unique ‘fun-based’ style of service to which many are not accustomed to however it is warm and genuinely caring, something that I personally prefer to the over professional service experienced on other carries that can often feel cold or sterile. The seating is perfectly fine, economy class seats will never offer the comfort desired no matter how short or long the flight, DJ however offers acceptable legroom and a comfortable seat. The aisle seat had less room under the previous seat, which only provided enough room for my carry-on bag, unlike the window seat on the outbound, which had enough room for my bag and allowed my feat to stretch out either side. There are of course many benefits that are only offered by QF, which continues to be my preferred domestic carrier. The QF added value however is only worth paying an extra $10 per sector, otherwise I have no hesitations with flying DJ again.

Virgin Blue - by Peg Fulmer

19 July 2004

Maybe I'm lucky but I have not encountered the issues noted by other pax. So far all 5 return trips have been either on time or early, and I have found the crews (while being young) to be courteous and professional. The aircraft seem to be new and clean. I find the Blue room more than adequate.

Virgin Blue - by Keith Tan

18 July 2004

Melbourne to Maroochydore and back on a Virgin Blue B737-700. Cabin crew were caring and attentive. On my flight to Maroochydore, the crew acted with utmost concern when an old lady with claustrophobia fell ill. Food was good at reasonable prices. Inflight magazine Voyeur was sufficient to pass time on the 2.5 hour flights. Seat pitch a little bit tight but  it's budget - so acceptable for the amount I paid.

Virgin Blue - by Geoffrey McNab

25 June 2004

First, and probably last, time on Virgin Blue. Cramped 737-700 for four hour flight. Cabin crew far too jokey and chatty to themselves. The In-Flight Supervisor clearly fancied herself as an entertainer. Thought it funny to tell racist jokes. Made jokes during the safety briefing. This is unacceptable. On the Virgin Blue check-in desks are notices about Virgin Blue taking safety seriously and no jokes. What a joke therefore to find the senior cabin crew member joking throughout the safety briefing at beginning, and short one again at end of flight. If I want entertainment I'll go to the theatre, cinema or club. When I am aboard an aircraft I want slick, professional cabin crew who I feel would respond well in an emergency situation. This flight would put me of Virgin Blue for life. I am surprised the management tolerate jokes during a safety briefing in this day and age.

Virgin Blue - by Edward Congdon

16 June 2004

I travelled VBA to Perth from Melbourne. I have travelled budget all around the world and this flight (never get row 11) was the worst I have ever done. The seats are so close together that your knees have to go sideways and the seats in that row will not go back Also I go to great lengths to only take carry on, but VBA have such a low weight limit that it is almost impossible to do so.

Virgin Blue - by Nicholas Janides

15 June 2004

Happy to announce 2 excellent flights (737-700/800 services) from Melbourne-Sydney-Melbourne. I visited The Blue Rooms in both cities last weekend and was impressed. I would like to comment that the customer service in Melbourne's Blue Room was excellent - full of smiles, etc but the Blue Room in Sydney was not as friendly and staff were very sloppy and not as enthusiastic. Was lucky enough to travel in 1C on the way home and was very comfortable. Cabin Crew on both sectors were friendly and genuine as were ground services.

Virgin Blue - by David Higgins

24 May 2004

Sydney to Cairns on Qantas (Jetstar isn't flying this route because it's too lucrative for the parent airline and hadn't launched yet) and returned to Sydney via Virgin Blue. We scoured the Web for the best prices, trying the travel agent sites (Zuji, webject, etc) and the airline sites. We ended up paying $376.94 for the Qantas leg (two tickets w/ tax ) and $418 for VB (again two tickets w/tax ). This was the very BEST we could do on and around our preferred dates. We paid more for Virgin Blue and still had to pay for food and drinks (we brought our own) and get accosted by annoying flight attendants flogging cheap merchandise and telling stupid jokes.

Virgin Blue - by Jarrod McCloughan

3 May 2004

Have just returned from a weekend in Melbourne flying Virgin Blue from Sydney. Check-in at Sydney was quick and very efficient. Boarded on time, and left 2 minutes early. Was surprisingly full for a Sat morning. Was very surprised with the amount of legroom. Crew was warm and friendly. Arrived at Melbourne on time. Coming back from Melbourne wasn't as good. The 'girl' at check in was very unwelcoming. Boarding was delayed by 15 minutes, yet pulled back on time. There were 6 crew on this flight to Sydney, yet they seemed tired, as most were flying back to back. There wasn't any of the friendly service on the way to Melbourne. I would recommend Virgin Blue to anyone travelling on a short sector flight of about 2 hours.

Virgin Blue - by Robert Neill

28 April 2004

In response to Nick Wang's comments (8 Apr) regarding Virgin Blue's service on a flight from Brisbane to Perth, I am surprised at his comments that there was nothing to read on board as well as no food or drinks. Although a low-fare carrier, Virgin Blue provides an inflight magazine as most full service carriers do. In addition food/drinks are available for purchase, which means that he didn't have anything, but rather a case of only getting what you're prepared to pay for.

Virgin Blue - by Nick Wang

8 April 2004

Having flown with Virgin Blue for couple of times I booked a return flight from Brisbane to Perth. Everything was like any other Virgin Blue flight, the only thing that's different was the flight time. Previously I've only taken Virgin Blue from Brisbane to other east coast cities, therefore no longer than 3 hours. However, Brisbane to Perth takes about 6 hours, it is then I realized how uncomfortable it is to take a long haul discount airline. Seat became very uncomfortable, I had nothing to read, no drinks, no food etc Therefore I recommend any to avoid taking discount airlines if the flight time is more than 3 or 4 hours.

Virgin Blue - by Nelson Yap

4 April 2004

Flew from MEL to Gold Coast, GC to SYD and SYD to MEL. MEL to GC was good, seats a bit tooo small. Staff were very friendly on ground and on air. Different experience in GC to SYD. Ground staff were mediocre, food service cart was sooo slow! I bought my food 30 mins prior to landing. So within 10 minutes i had to finish my food because they had to collect it. Appalling, imagine trying to eat and drink a hot coffee in 10 minutes - staff were ok, few and far between - busy flicking hair and walking up and down - no eye contact, so you can ask for anything. Flight from Syd to Melb was terrrible, the ground staff was rude. We arrived at his desk after lining up for so long, he continually chatted with his colleague while the other check-ins were working promptly to process people - we stood for a five minutes like we were invisible and watching everyone go through to the terminal. Five minutes later he says "Oh hi!" (yes oh hi, we have been here for 5 minutes) - we greeted him and put our bags on the roller thing and we were told we couldn't check our bags because it was too big. When we made the comment we had no problem checking it on our other flights, he made a passing comment "Oh well, you wouldn't want to miss your flight" (more like a threat). The flight was actually very nice - staff were kind, always smiling and the food service was prompt.