Virgin Australia

Flew Melbourne to Coolangatta on Sunday 9/2/14 with this airline and never again. The flight was sitting on the ground for over an hour we were moved to different parts of the runway and 55 minutes after the scheduled departure time we had wheels up. What was so disappointing with this flight was that the crew never switched on the A/C whilst on the ground so we sweltered in 30* heat no updates as to what was happening and then when I asked for a sandwich I was given an egg sandwich which I asked if there was anything else! She promptly said no. Also Virgin Australia never leave on time.

Phuket - Perth VA 4148 Business Class 1 February 2014. Probably one of the best business class experiences I've had for some time. A beautiful new 737-800 with a small business class (2 rows of 2-2). Upon boarding I was greeted and shown to seat. Samsung tablet earphones pillow blanket and amenities kit already placed on seat and in seat pocket. Offered pre-departure drinks (no champagne on board) and soon after take-off beverages of choice. Passengers were offered the meal service at any time throughout the 6 hour 15 minute flight and a cheese and fruit platter at any time after that. Nice not to be rushed for once. Drinks were continually topped up and cabin crew checked on passengers needs constantly throughout the flight. The crew were attentive friendly and professional and must be complimented on the superb level of service they gave to all passengers in this business class cabin.

I travelled from Canberra to Sydney and the next day onto Port Macquarie overnight and then returned to Canberra via Sydney. That is when the problem began at check in at Port Macquarie. As one company was paying for my CBR-SYD sector and the other was paid by another company I was on two different itineraries. I was told that they could not check me through to Canberra and that I would have to re-check at Sydney. Doing the right thing checking my cabin bag as it was over the prescribed weight. That day the weather was diabolical in Sydney closing the airport for some hours which caused chaos. Arrived late into Sydney and held on the ground engines running for about 2 hours I was assured that I would make the connecting flight. In short I missed my connection to Canberra as the check in was so over loaded and too few staff to handle it. I was then told I would have to stay at the airport all night (not likely) as there were no hotels left in Sydney. As I say I am now not one bit loyal to any airline I shop for price and convenience.

Perth-Port Hedland-Perth. Work trip. Morning flight out late afternoon home. Both flights on time and comfortable. Breakfast on outbound just OK but complimentary roast beef wrap on return was delicious. Crew pleasant. Left my kindle on the outbound flight and it was waiting for me in lost property on my return to Perth. Would recommend as a good alternative to Qantas now.

Melbourne to Adelaide one way. Booked the flight only two days before travelling and secured a $105 fare - very good value. Flight left and departed on time. Plane was an Embraer 190 - so comfortable with 2x2 seating rather than 3x3 in a 737. Food and drinks have to be purchased but this is not unreasonable given the cost of the ticket. Service was helpful and professional. One strange thing - Virgin sent me an email inviting me to bid an amount to upgrade to Business Class. When I clicked on the request I was advised this was not possible for this flight. Why then send the email? And there were five out of six Business Class seats empty on the flight.

Flew AKL-MEL as part of ADL-AKL-ADL depart AKL 06.30 on 12 Jan 2014. Given misleading info in email about check- in times (we were far too early as it turned out). As a Velocity Gold member self and partner (on same ticket) had access to NZ lounge - very nice. VA check-in counter not listed on flight departure boards when we found it the check-in staff member was polite but cold - maybe it was too early in the morning. Departure on-time. The aircraft was tired. Staff were indifferent. There was no IFE other than BYO with the VA App. Since the code sharing with NZ started you can get a better fare via VA and if you choose the NZ flights for the trans tasman sector you get a much better product (which on our outbound had included the NZ Works package). VA need to lift their game on their short haul internationals - the experience was lousy in comparison to their BNE/SYD/MEL - PER domestic and not as good as that of their NZ code share counterparts. Reading the reviews I get the impression that all the VA short haul internationals need some work (e.g. SYD-DPS) with attention to aircraft staff and product offering. Why do I get a better experience on MEL-CBR or MEL-PER than AKL-MEL?

MEL to NTL 18 Jan on E190. Aircraft full. Counter check-in staff friendly and efficient as were the cabin crew for this 1.5 hr flight which departed on time. Having just flown a few days earlier on a competitor airline this was a good comparison. No complaints other than seats uncomfortable. Purchased tickets well in advance at a bargain price.

We travelled to New Zealand and back on Virgin. On the way over the cabin was too cold and when I requested for a blanket the cabin crew said it was only for Premium economy passengers. The way back was even worse. The flight was combined with Air New Zealand passengers who get meals on board so we had to wait for 1.5 hrs until the trolley came to the aft of the aircraft to our seat when I requested a glass of water the crew were rude saying "everyone is waiting" and refused to give water to my son saying he has to wait. I want to give zero star to all the areas but unfortunately the system is accepting a minimum of 1 star. No star for service and attitude.

Returning to Sydney from Los Angeles 11/1/14 (a 14hr+ night flight departure 20.55pm). My family and I went to sleep before dinner was served. Missing this there was no food (water was offered) whatsoever until breakfast 2 hours before landing at Sydney. This makes for a 12 hour fast. On waking up I went forward through a curtain from economy to premium economy - to the galley area located ahead of Premium economy to ask for some disembarkation forms. I was informed that they would be distributed later. This never happened and eventually I procured and filled them in after landing. However on returning to economy I went past my seat to the toilets located further down in the economy section. As I was about to close the toilet door behind me a steward who I had passed in premium economy on my way back to economy appeared and informed that I was not supposed to enter another class of seating. Moral of the story - bring your own food on international flights or risk starving as food is not even available at a price in economy. All international overnight flights I have previously taken have made it a point to wake up passengers when dinner is served and always snacks are periodically offered. Perhaps Virgin should take note.

HTI - SYD - 2nd Jan 2014. Had a great time on Hamilton Island with the family. Arrived at the island airport to travel home and the check-in line went out the terminal down the ramp and into the car park. After about 35 minutes we made our way up the ramp and into the check-in area. One person to check-in 150 passengers. I did notice another Virgin staff member coming and going waving a radio around check a passenger or two and then disappear again. We had now been in line for 1.4 hours and it was apparent there was no way this plane was going to leave on time. 30 minutes before scheduled departure the staff member waving the radio around and another staff member arrived and the check in intensity increased. The plane left 15 minutes late due to the poor check-in. Once on board we were seated down the back this seems to be where they put all the young families a bit like a flying crèche. If the kids are going to scream let them all scream together. Prior to the flight we received an email from Virgin to download the entertainment app for the flight. We downloaded the app but alas the entertainment system on board was not working. Being in the 2nd back row the food cart eventually arrives and there is only a few crumbs left that that the other passengers didnt want. All the decent food had gone. Maybe they could start the service at the back of the plane and then move forward or carry enough of the good stuff for all. We were offered a complimentary noodle dish but it was too spicy for the kids. Once the food service was completed they started the rubbish collection I tried to hand over the rubbish to the flight attendant as they passed me but was told to hang onto the rubbish until they got to me later. The procedure seemed to be collect the rubbish from the front then push the cart to the back and collect the rubbish front to back. When we arrived in Sydney our bags arrived quick and we were on our way.