Virgin Australia

✅ Verified Review | Melbourne to Hobart, and I would advise extreme caution if you're considering flying on Virgin Australia. We had just arrived in Melbourne after a lengthy trans-Pacific flight on United. Our flight was late in arriving due to a cyclone which caused us to vary our route in order to fly around it. We arrived about 1 hour and 20 minutes before our departing flight - a short domestic flight to Hobart, Tasmania. We arrived at Virgin check-in exactly 1/2 hour before our flight departed. The area was very crowded and there was no one other than the staff at the desks. We tried to check in at the kiosk but it said we were too late and to find a representative. When I finally found one, it was 25 minutes to flight time. She said she thought we'd be ok but our bags might have to come later and she started leading us toward a desk. When she asked what flight we arrived on and I answered United, everything changed. United is not a partner with Virgin and we were now out of luck. She sent us to another desk where we were told our fares were forfeited and we would have to buy new tickets which they would sell us for $1,200. After a lot of pleading and searching, we were put on a late flight (it was morning when we arrived so our entire day was lost) at a reduced cost of only $700! We were completely left out in the cold (due to circumstances beyond our control). That has never happened to me on a US airline, even when I've been at fault and I've seen American provide a Delta ticket and United provide a competitor's ticket. I wrote Virgin and they sent me what basically amounts to a "standard" letter about bookings which are not made together. The way I see it there are probably rules and reasons that permit airlines to do things that would disappoint almost every passenger on the plane. But, good airlines don't do those kinds of things and they do not adhere to the rule book when a customer is not at fault. It's bad business and an indicator of the value they place on you, the flier. For that reason, I would avoid them at all costs.

✅ Verified Review | Had a return Virgin Australia flight from Brisbane to Canberra for Easter. Flight down left Brisbane at 7.15pm and return flight at 5.25pm. Both flights the only food as part of the fare was a biscuit with either a dip or cheese - unlike QANTAS where you would get a meal for those times. Cabin crew on both flights were not overly friendly compared to other Virgin flights. Enjoyed the inflight entertainment on my tablet.

Wellington to Brisbane with Virgin Australia.Brief delay at check in. Wellington lounge was fine, need to go before call is made in the lounge however as there is only one queue. If in Business Class you need to get there for the first call if you want to be on quickly. No bubbly served on these flights and the wine was not great. Food was tasty and crew very obliging. Comfortable enough for a short flight of 3 hours. Slight delay due to Brisbane air traffic control, bags on carousel at arrival minutes after leaving the plane. Overall was a solid flight with good service.

Brisbane to Christchurch. An international flight of over 3 hours that left at 8:30am and we got no food and no drink. We were told we would have to pay for a glass of orange juice so had put up with some water. The cabin staff told us the only food being served was 'complimentary' as long as you paid for it before the flight. I'm afraid their definition of complimentary didn't match with ours. Before this flight, we flew with a variety of different Indonesian airlines (all internal and all less than 3 hours) and always got a snack and choice of drinks. Virgin Australia is an embarrassment of an airline.

Flew Virgin Australia from Sydney to Los Angeles and very happy with the experience. From check in to the onboard service, staff were efficient and friendly. Food of a good quality and tasty. Entertainment system offered plenty of options but was a little confusing to work out. Seat comfort was good for economy, but like any economy class not so great when seat in front is fully reclined.

Smooth Virgin Australia flight on the Boeing 777. Great service from the crew for the long trip back from Los Angeles to Sydney. The toilets were frequently checked and cleaned by the crew. Meals were excellent. Very pleased with the flight overall, despite being in economy.

Sydney to Perth return with Virgin Australia and both flights were direct daytime flights. No delays and efficient friendly crew. One meal served each way with choice of beer wine etc. The leg room is a bit tight but entertainment options were OK and the flights went smoothly. Rest rooms were kept clean. We got very reasonable flight costs for a full service airline and would fly with them again.

I flew Sydney to Bali and return in February with Virgin Australia and decided to go business class, a first time experience. I loved the express pass through customs and the Air New Zealand lounge in Sydney with all the comforts. The only disappointment was having to get on a bus to get to the aircraft. Upon boarding the crew were fantastic, learning our names, offering drinks/news papers etc. The food on the way over was the best I've had on a flight. The flight attendant in our cabin was polite and welcoming. For the way home, the crew were good but not as memorable as on the way over. The level of service I didn't feel matched the way over and I don't think this is due to the crew. I think it's more to do with the rather poor lounge service at Bali airport (not run by VA), timing of the flight, the meals provided and amenities, etc were very much reduced compared to the way over. Seats were comfortable with lots of leg room however they could have a better recline and the inflight entertainment needs newer programs/movies. All in all an enjoyable flight and would do again.

Virgin Australia from Cairns to Queenstown via Brisbane. The short flight from Cairns to Brisbane was enjoyable. A muffin and drinks were served. The next flight was considered an international flight - Australia to New Zealand. There was no meal served - unless paid for. There was even a charge for soda or orange juice. The crew was rude and lazy. The only time we saw them was when drinks were served (once during the flight). They spent a lot of the flight on personal calls. There was no entertainment.

Flight from Proserpine to Brisbane moved from 9:00am to 15:50pm! This means we will miss our connecting Qantas flight. We also have a hotel booking in Sydney which we would now have to try and change. So I phoned Virgin Australia to see what we can do and was told we can get our flight refunded or changed to another "same cost" flight? I was also told that I should have taken travel insurance to cover things like this. That says a lot about the Virgin Australia commitment to your customers. I inquired why the flight was changed and was told due to "operational requirements"? So what they are basically telling me is I must pay extra because they are trying to save money? I phoned Qantas and they helped me move our connecting flight and waived the service fee! Enough said about what Virgin Australia think about their customers. So all in all I am very disappointed with how they just push the envelope. For what it is worth I will avoid personal and business flights with them in future.