Hello! I’ve been down and sick the past couple of weeks. Yes, weeks. It’s coming to spring here in Sydney and winter has decided to give it’s one final hurrah by playing it hot and cold.
The upside to this? I was able to catch up reading Game of Thrones ( I love the books more than the Tv Series), and also a chance to dig through old travels that haven’t yet made it to Holy Smithereens.
I have long been a traveller first before a travel blogger, so forgive me if old travel posts creep up from time to time. My next trip is in almost a month’s time ( this is an exciting , long-awaited trip, I will reveal the details soon!) , and I wanted to publish posts from previous travel before I embark on a new one to avoid back-log.
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This specific flight review is three years old so please bear in mind that while Virgin Australia still flies from Sydney to Fiji and still has business class available on flights, the service, amenities, and products may not be up to date.
INTERIORS/SEATS
The cabin light sets the mood immediately. Royal purple is used for the seat covers/main interior colour, same with the lights. It has a very hip, trendy and young vibe.
The seats were laid out in a 1 – 3- 1 configuration Seats lie fully flat 180 degrees. Tons of leg space.
ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM
The video and music library boasts of an almost endless list of titles. The 4 and a half hour flight wasn’t long enough to truly enjoy what Virgin Australia’s entertainment system had to offer.
I love that in every seat there’s an individual USB and universal charging port. You can definitely do work from your laptop/gadget. That is, if you don’t get sidetracked by the very vast entertainment!
Worth noting is the seat-to-seat chat system they have. So if you see a fellow passenger who piques your interest, you can invite him/her for a friendly chat! And who knows what that chat may lead to?? (I’m thinking along the lines of networking , alright? ) 😉
MEALS
On the flight to Nadi, breakfast was served. It was a complete breakfast course that was served one by one. Cereals first, then the “main” breakfast of scrambled eggs and ham on toast, sausage and beans. Then a platter of fruit. I’m not normally a breakfast person but I really enjoyed it.
And on the flight back from Nadi to Sydney, lunch was served and I chose the seafood menu. Death by Chocolate was the aptly-named flavour of ice cream I had. One of the richest, most velvety plain chocolate ice cream I’ve had.
SERVICE
Quite possibly the best in-flight service I’ve experienced.
Friendly, outgoing, nothing-too-inconvenient attitude – I have to say that Virgin Australia is high up on my list of airlines with excellent customer service. This is not just for their cabin crew. I find that Virgin Australia’s customer service is very consistent- from phone reservations, check-in staff, and cabin crew.
And I can attest that this is not just for business class. I flew their Sydney to Los Angeles flight on Economy 2 years ago and was very impressed with their cabin crew as well.
Virgin Australia has a very distinct culture as a company that is very friendly, hip, and modern. If you are an ‘old-school’ business-class type of passenger (meaning polished, demure, and very proper cabin crew is more up your alley than the outgoing, friendly, and modern approach), then Virgin Australia’s business class service may take abit of getting used to. I still would urge you to try it, you may end up liking this kind of service more!
LAVATORIES
This is the first airline I’ve experienced that has a separate lavatory for men and women. What a joy this is! A decent-sized mirror, huge sink, and generous spaces for you to touch up on your makeup, complete with hollywood mirror lights too!
EXTRA FEATURES:
A lot of people from the entertainment industry take Virgin Australia. And this includes famous personalities, who want to avoid the paparazzi or ogling fellow passengers. Just behind the business class cabin, tucked in a quiet section is a secluded, exclusive VIP area. The seats are the same as business class except this area is very quiet and private. Normal folks like us can pass through this (ie going from business to economy and vice versa) without even seeing who is in the VIP area (the curtains were just drawn for viewing).
And then there’s the bar and lounge area too that’s open to all business class passengers. This is open for long haul flights so on my 4+ hour flight to Fiji, the bar was closed. But you can imagine the interesting socialising and schmoozing that may occur on long flights!
CONCLUSION
This is a full business class service that offers you 100% comfort without the austerity of ‘traditional’ business class service. Some hardcore business and first class afficionados may turn a nose upwards to this kind of business class service. But I do like it. It’s business class without taking itself too seriously. It’s very cheeky, hip, and sexy!
Cheers to Sir Richard Branson for bringing sexy back to the travel industry!
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