Virgin Australia

BNK-SYD and then SYD-BNE at the end of the day was very good. Half full flights meant that I was able to swap into an exit row on both flights and have heaps of room. No hassles from the staff and service was good for the short one hour hops that these flights are. The WiFi entertainment app though is a little lacking.

VA883 MEL-SYD 21 May and VA866 SYD-MEL 23 May. The B738 aircraft that was originally allocated for VA883 had a major system fault and was deemed unsuitable for flying so we had to disembark and a different aircraft was assigned resulting in a 2-hour delay. The VA ground staff were friendly and very professional tending to our needs and looking after us thoroughly in ensuring that all passengers arrived safely at the replacement gate prior to boarding. The actual MEL-SYD flight was smooth and enjoyable and even though it was a late night flight the FAs offered us complimentary beer and wine to compensate for the delay. VA866 also used a recently-repainted B738 which was very well maintained - the flight departed SYD on time and arrived in MEL early. The FA looking after my section on this leg was particularly helpful and very chatty. Only downside was I got given the exact same refreshment snack on both legs which was a little disappointing. All in all I had a pleasant experience with Virgin Australia would definitely fly with them again.

First TransTasman Business Class flight on Virgin BNE-WLG and return. It was like a good domestic Business Class flight. Check in was fast and pleasant. There are no special meals on VA Business in Australia or international short haul so ate in the Air NZ lounge first (is always either Beef Bourguignon or Thai Chicken Curry) which was OK but lounge was very crowded. Boarding was quick and left on time no bubbly so mineral water or orange juice pre take off. My wife said her meal was one of the best she had ever had on a plane wine was very good service very attentive. Landed a little early and bags off first. Return check in again very smooth WLG lounge was relaxed and reasonable food offerings food on board not as good as coming over but still looked fine - plating was like a restaurant. Crew member very pleasant but no knowledge of wines at all. Arrived early bags off very fast. Given that Air NZ does not do business class to WLG this was much more pleasant than economy. Apart from no special meals or bubbles only other peeve there is no real separation in a 737-800 between cabins and Economy passengers went to the toilet up front and not stopped by the crew - which meant a wait at times.

18/05/15 VA239 MEL-ADL Boeing 737. What a pleasant surprise. I had been reluctant to fly Virgin since my first and last experience with them as Virgin Blue were unsatisfactory. I decided to give them another go. However since re-branding to Virgin Australia what a massive improvement. Very helpful and friendly check-in staff at Tullamarine Airport in Melbourne. Flight Attendants look smart in their new upmarket uniforms. They were also very professional in their mannerism customer service and conduct. They are no longer trying to be funny or humorous. Food and cabin service were excellent. It was such a pleasure to fly with them that I made this comment to the flight attendant upon disembarking the aircraft. The only room for improvement I can say for Virgin Australia would be to become a fully serviced airline. Upon saying that I can't but give them enough praise. I would recommend flying with Virgin Australia and will fly with them again. I can say I am definitely a Virgin Australia convert.

Travelling Melbourne to Auckland. I just purchased the seat and bag option without food or entertainment so didn't expect much. The flight however was delayed for two hours which meant that I was in danger of missing a connecting flight in New Zealand. As a consolation I was given a "meal voucher" which actually was only the equivalent to crackers and cheese and a juice - which is not a meal. Thankfully they left off those who had connecting flights first. It was just as well I'd allowed enough time between flights as I only just caught the connecting flight after barging my way through the customs queue and running from one terminal to the other. Not an experience I want to repeat.

AKL-SYD-DPS-BNE-AKL in Economy. All flights departed on time and were uneventful. The planes were all fairly new and very clean. FA's were attentive and friendly. Food was provided on SYD-DPS-BNE legs and was quite satisfactory. Free drinks were also offered on these flights. Entertainment is available by downloading the Virgin Airline app and using your own devise. My only criticism is that the seats are very very cramped and it is rather claustrophobic. We upgraded to the extra legroom exit row seats which made the overnight return journey bearable. I would choose to fly Virgin on this route again providing the price is right and the connections reasonable.

We booked our flights from Auckland to Townsville in September 2014. Initially we were to fly via Sydney and arrive in Townsville early enough to catch a daytime ferry to Magnetic Island. Virgin Australia changed our itinerary early this year to go via Brisbane and arrive at similar time in Townsville. When we arrived at Auckland airport at 4.30am on 2 May our intended 6.30am flight from Auckland to Brisbane had been cancelled. We were put on an Air NZ flight that departed at approx. 8.30 am that would not reach Brisbane in time to connect with our flight to Townsville. We then waited for 5 hours at Brisbane for the next flight to Townsville. On that flight the seats were too small and the person in front of me reclined their seat making it a most uncomfortable experience. We arrived in Townsville at night. Our flight was the last one into Townsville that night and the ground staff were not there to allow rear exit from the plane. We were stuffed right down the back and by the time we finally got to the baggage claim there was no sign of our single bag. We checked all remaining bags on the conveyor and even consulted the baggage handler who ensured us that all the bags had been placed on the conveyor. We had to get on the shuttle bus to the Magnetic Island Ferry. The reception at our accommodation closed at 5.00pm. If all had gone to plane we would have been there at 3.30pm in daylight. We got to Magnetic Island in the dark at 9.45pm with no suitcase. The next morning we caught the ferry back to Townsville then a taxi to and from the airport and then the ferry back to Magnetic Island - a very expensive and time consuming exercise.

Travelling VA you can see the difference with Qantas. Perth-Brisbane on a cranky old 737 showing its age. You can paint the front but its the insides that count. Midnight flight uneventful. Travelling on a "lunchtime" flight Sunshine coast to Melb. Again a shaky old 737 and no entertainment unless you've downloaded the app on your own tablet. I suppose that's very 21st century but not at all time pleasing if you are unaware and not carrying your tablet. "Lunch" was two finger sandwiches. 12.25 departure 2.5 hour flight. Not good enough. The only beverages on offer was water (in a cup not even your own mini bottled water) or a $4 coke zero. So much for all their advertising how they are now all inclusive and full service. If I want to pay for everything from disinterested cabin crew we have Jetstar for that.

I recently flew with VA (Boeing 777) from SYD-AUH return and cannot fault them. Boarding was well managed and timely food was fairly good staff were friendly and attentive. The seats were comfortable and the entertainment was great. On the return leg the flight wasn't very full and the cabin crew encouraged people to spread out and find a row for themselves once airborne (we had to stay in our allocated seats for take off due to weight distribution). Long haul is what you make of it and I figured I had 14 hours to relax watch movies read books have a few wines and a snooze. Something most of us cannot find time for in real life.

Flew Sydney-Brisbane on a busy Sunday. On my occasional previous flights with Virgin I'd noticed that they're inferior to Qantas in every way but not by much. Now that I've flown at a peak time I've seen what cost-cutting at check-in does. There was a queue for the small number of self-check-in kiosks (at least one was broken) then you can't drop your own bag like at Qantas so the queue for the measly 4-5 bag drop counters (they kept closing them due to baggage system problems) stretched to the terminal door. There were 5 proper check-in counters so some people took a punt on those being faster than kiosk + bag drop. 30 minutes to check-in should not be expected for a domestic flight (Qantas will take 5 minutes even at peak times). Given the price difference is usually small I'll avoid Virgin at peak times.