Virgin Australia

My wife and I got a good price Melbourne to Denpasar but we flew there and back on a 737 with no inflight entertainment whatsoever. The plane was full and cramped. This plane should be on local flights - it's very cheap of Virgin to use then for longer International flights. Back to Garuda for us!

Melb-Canberra-return. Both flights on Embraer 190 which I think are great to fly in. Melb-Canberra leg was a most pleasant experience given the flight was only 44 minutes. Departed on time and provided with "snack" and water before landing in Canberra. return flight was also very good with an early departure and again offered a snack with a water. Held up by Melbourne traffic control and were in holding pattern over Mt Buller with some spectacular views. Flight crew kept us informed and we landed only minutes late. Both flights were very good. WiFi streaming was also available on both aircraft.

Flew from Sydney to Perth last night. Firstly the flight was over 4.5 hours late to make matters worse the plane had been downgraded which meant I couldn't have the seats I had chosen. The flight was full we were made to board by the rear door while waiting in the freezing cold on the tarmac. I always feel living in WA we are the poor cousins who are never considered. I was unwell so this amount of delay and standing in the freezing cold did nothing to make me feel any better. I told the check in girl but her answer was there was nothing she could do and gave me a meal voucher which really didn't help. I won't be flying Virgin again in a hurry.

OOL-MEL Flight cancelled no reason given why initially told next flight I could get on was the next day but as I had to go to work following day I had to fight hard to be put on a spare seat to MEL via SYD so a 2hr flight turned into a 7 hr horrendous journey. Onboard the live satellite TV has now been turned off and some stupid streaming service now used which requires people to use their own tablet personally I don't own a tablet and walking down the aircraft not one person was viewing their streaming service. Flight attendants announced at start of SYD-MEL flight that a free snack would be offered to each passenger going by the inflight magazine I was expecting a muffin and a coffee we were all issued with 4 Ritz crackers and a lump of cheese I thought I was in North Korea! Virgin is a low cost low service airline which is in fact not low cost so it is just low service with high prices.

Melb-Gold Coast-Brisbane-Melb. All flights were excellent with some minor delays due to air traffic control. Melb- Gold Coast flight was seated in 3A in economy with the extra leg room and no one sitting in the middle it was almost like a business class seat. Cabin crew were great with water or juice offered during the flight. Brisbane- Melbourne much the same though flight was delayed by about 35 mins but kept well informed by flight crew about Brisbane airport traffic delays. Was served a very nice lettuce and egg sandwich and water on the flight and the cabin crew also did another water run before landing in Melbourne. Overall another couple of great flights with VA. WiFi streaming of movies is also a bonus.

SYD-LAX-MEL in Y. Here is a tip. Best Y seats in the house: Row 40 DFG. Bulkhead seats with no bassinet position and not premium charged. Most websites appear to show row 39 as the centre bulkhead seat. Only the VA seat assignment chart gets it right as row 40 centre. As usual friendly and engaging service from the great crew. OK to good food. If you must endure the 15 hours to/from LA then this is a great choice.

VA509 SYD-OOL Boeing 737-800. Great service got to pick seats for free at time of booking and the leather seats were comfortable. Received a complimentary drink after take off and the crew were pretty friendly. Inflight entertainment was also pleasing.

ADL-MEL-LAX. Easy check in as always. Good flight from Adelaide to Melbourne - on time. Comfortable seats and very polite cabin staff. Melbourne to LAX left on time. The service in business class is very good and the staff are wonderful but the seats are not the most comfortable when compared to other airlines in that class. The seats aren't much wider than economy seats and are a little hard on a 14+ hour flight. I was in a window seat and was trapped when the person on the outside went to sleep. They squeeze a third seat into the middle group which I'd never seen on other international business class flights. Your pay more for business class to get comfort and privacy and unfortunately the seat configuration doesn't give you this. The inflight entertainment system could do with a revamp as there aren't many choices. The lunch services was great but the breakfast food was most odd and everything seemed to taste of five spice which was a little off putting - sometimes plain and normal is better than over the top. I like that they have a ladies only bathroom!

Very happy with the service on Virgin. Flew BQB (Busselton) - PER (Perth). Got an orange juice and cookie which I was not expecting. I was greeted with a huge smile as I walked on board. After we took off one of the FA's made a point of sitting in the vacant seat next to me and talking about my love for aviation. I was alone and after we landed she walked me through the terminal to my parents making sure I arrived in one piece! I am flying with them again very soon and hope the service is much the same!

On 5 July my daughter and I flew Sydney to Queenstown NZ on Virgin 7406 operated by Air New Zealand. Even though the ticket said 'no meal service' we were offered a meal and later enjoyed a choice of movies. The return flight from Christchurch to Sydney Virgin 7533 was also operated by Air New Zealand. What a difference! No refreshment offered and movies carried a $10 charge. Didn't see an attendant unless you wanted to buy. This was not a cheap flight and after all it was 'International'. I didn't enjoy the return flight and would be loathed to recommend Virgin and their affiliates.