Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 Economy Review Flight Duration: 1 hour 35 minutes
Departure Time: 11:00AM, lands at MEL Terminal 3 at 12:35PM local time
Aircraft: Boeing 737-800 (3-3 seat configuration)
Flight Number: VA864
Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 Economy Review: Virgin Australia offers a very solid short haul economy experience on its Boeing 737-800, with comfortable seats, friendly crew, free hot drinks, and strong punctuality on this busy Sydney to Melbourne route. In this review, we cover seat comfort, baggage allowance, Wi-Fi, food and drink, and whether Virgin Australia economy is worth booking.
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Booking and Value: Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 Economy Review
For our Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 economy review, we booked Virgin Australia’s Light fare, which does not include checked baggage. Even so, we were very impressed by the baggage allowance, as it includes both a small personal item that must fit under the seat in front of you and a cabin bag of up to 7kg for the overhead lockers.
Return tickets were around 320 AUD, which was broadly in line with Jetstar and Qantas on this busy domestic route. Another big positive was that Virgin Australia assigned our seats for free at online check-in 24 hours before departure and seated us together in 30B and 30C. That was a nice touch, especially as many European low cost airlines that we are used to often separate passengers on the same booking unless you pay extra to choose seats.
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Boarding Process and Timing
Sydney Terminal 2 is the domestic terminal, and it is a lovely terminal to depart from. It felt spotless throughout, with a strong mix of cafés and shops, and overall it made for a very pleasant start to the journey.
Boarding was efficient and well organised, with passengers called by group number. Staff at the gate were polite, friendly, and professional, which immediately gave a good impression. There was no bus transfer either, as boarding was done simply by jet bridge and steps from the rear door.
Disembarking was also efficient because both doors were used, which was especially helpful for us as we were seated in the last row! The aircraft pushed back on time and actually arrived around ten minutes ahead of schedule.
Seat Comfort on Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 Economy
The economy cabin on this Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 was clean and modern. The seats were spotless, and I liked the blue mood lighting on board, which gave the cabin a warmer and slightly more premium feel than you often get on a short domestic flight.
Virgin Australia’s Boeing 737-800 has eight seats in Business Class and 168 seats in Economy Class, with the usual short haul 3-3 layout in economy. The economy seat itself was comfortable, with leather upholstery, adjustable headrests, and two inches of recline. Seat width was 17 inches, while seat pitch was a reasonably generous 31 inches, which is solid for a short domestic sector like this.
There was also a USB charging port at the seat, which was a very welcome touch and something that does make a difference even on a short flight. Overall, I found the seat more than comfortable enough for a flight of this length.
In-Flight Entertainment Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 Economy Review
There was no seat back entertainment on this flight, which is completely normal for a short domestic route like Sydney to Melbourne. There was a phone holder in the back of the seat in front, which was a useful feature if you wanted to watch something already downloaded on your device.
Wi-Fi was available to purchase, with a 30 minute pass costing around 10 AUD and a full flight pass costing just under 20 AUD. I did not use it on this flight as it is such a short sector, but it is still useful to have the option there if needed.
Food and Drink on Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 Economy
There was the option to purchase sandwiches, snacks, and alcoholic drinks from the onboard menu, but tea, coffee, water, and biscuits were all complimentary. For a flight of only around an hour and a half, that felt absolutely sufficient and a nice added touch compared to some lower cost short haul airlines.
Cleanliness and Onboard Facilities
The aircraft interior was spotless, and the toilets were also clean during the flight. The crew stood out in a very positive way. Staff both at the gate and on board were polite, friendly, and professional throughout, and they came across as genuinely happy to be at work.
Judging Parameters Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 Economy Review:
Overall, this Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 economy review shows a very solid domestic economy product that gets all of the basics right and adds a few thoughtful touches on top. Comfortable seating, free seat assignment together on a Light fare, complimentary tea and coffee, a USB charging port, friendly crew, and strong punctuality all helped make this a very smooth and enjoyable short haul flight. While free Wi-Fi or a more substantial complimentary snack would have improved the experience even further, this was still a strong economy product on a competitive domestic route.
• Value for Money: 8.5/10
• Staff: 9/10
• Food and Drink: 7.5/10
• Entertainment: 6.5/10
• Seat Comfort: 8.5/10
The Airport Lounge Bro Flight Rating: 8/10
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Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 Economy Review FAQs
Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 economy seats offer around 31 inches of seat pitch and 17 inches of seat width.
Yes, Virgin Australia provides complimentary tea, coffee, water, and biscuits in economy class on this route, while additional snacks, sandwiches, and alcoholic drinks can be purchased.
In this Virgin Australia Boeing 737-800 economy review, Virgin Australia felt more generous than many European low cost carriers thanks to its better Light fare cabin baggage allowance, free seat assignment together at online check-in and complimentary hot drinks.
Wi-Fi was available to purchase on this flight, with a 30-minute pass costing around 10 AUD and a full flight pass costing just under 20 AUD.
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