With Virgin Australia emerging from bankruptcy as a leaner operation with an exclusively narrow body fleet of Boeing 737 jets, the era of fully flat beds in domestic Business Class is no longer.
Back in 2012, Virgin Australia upped the ante by launching their ‘Coast to Coast’ service with a few older Airbus A330’s formerly flying for Emirates. And with an attractive Cash and Points redemption, I booked myself a day trip to Perth.
Terminal 2 at Sydney Airport was formerly the ‘Ansett Terminal’ and eventually became the Virgin Blue terminal. With the brand conversion to Virgin Australia still very much in progress, both liveries were present on this beautiful morning.
Check in was a breeze with a dedicated Business Class / Premium line and I had my boarding pass in hand in a matter of minutes.
The Virgin Australia lounge was a nice space to spend a few minutes and get a coffee, and then it was time to head out to the gate for the flight to Perth.
The Airbus A330 was the largest plane at T2 by some margin, especially compared to the now retired Embraer fleet.
In this post:
Virgin Australia Business Class Review
A relatively light load in Business Class made for quick boarding. The cabin crew were excellent and a welcome drink, menus and an amenity kit was provided promptly.
Seat controls were electric and allowed for very comfortable lounging.
The cabin was in a 2-3-2 configuration, compared to the 1-2-1 full flat configuration of the factory fresh A330’s that were to follow.
With boarding complete and doors closed, we were taxiing out for takeoff right on schedule. And without too many departures this early in the morning, we were up in the air and on our way to Perth.
Breakfast
Once we reached cruising altitude and the seatbelt signs had been dinged off, the cabin crew came around to take our breakfast orders.
A refreshing orange juice to start off the breakfast service was followed by a nice fruit salad and warm croissant.
A nice stack of pancakes made for a decadent start to the day.
Inflight Entertainment
And once breakfast was cleared away it was time to experience the inflight entertainment. In contrast to the usual AVOD (Audio Video On Demand) systems that we’ve become accustomed to, this aircraft had large screens but a video loop with different channels.
With the seats offering great recline, the viewing angle wouldn’t be described as optimal. But this was a joy flight so I enjoyed the retro experience.
Pre Landing Snack
One of the (few) things the American carriers get right is the warm cookie served in Domestic First Class. Virgin Australia also served a warm double chocolate cookie along with a beverage service as we neared Perth.
Fortunately, a glass of milk was not served as an accompaniment and I was able to order a Bundaberg Ginger Beer.
And after what felt like quite a short flight, we were descending into Perth for about an hour on the ground. After which the same aircraft would take me back to Sydney.
Bottom Line
Virgin Australia raised the bar when they introduced their ‘Coast to Coast’ service aboard the wide bodied A330. While the planes initially had older cabins inherited from Emirates, within a few years it was the norm to have a fully flat bed when flying both Virgin and Qantas to Perth.
The flight was very comfortable and I am glad that I had the opportunity to experience the retro interiors.
