V Australia

Virgin Premium Economy – Flew Virgin Australia Premium Economy Brisbane to Las Vegas recently and could not fault the service. The Airport staff and the Flight Attendants were excellent, the food quite good and the aircraft clean and with all entertainment and facilities working efficiently. Flew similar class with Qantas last year and Virgin were in my opinion a much better option. Happy to fly with this Airline again.

Late.. no one told us what was going on. No apologies – Flew from bali to brisbane.. the food was terrible and there is no inflight entertainment except if you download the app. And if you have a flat battery device there is no USB charge points. the aircraft was over 1hr late for our departure and No apologies was said. Virgin australia use to be good. Now they're just getting slack and lazy. Even the prancing pony stewardess hate getting you a water. From now on jetstar...

Cheap and better than Qantas – I flew Brisbane to Los Angeles return in economy. The food and lighting (in the plane) was better than Qantas. And the ticket was only $1100 return. Plane left on time for both legs. The entertainment system was not as good as Qantas, however it did not matter - it was more than adequate. The seat was much better than Qantas. On par with… Read more

Singapore airlines which in my opinion have the best seating of all the Asian carriers. In fact I suspect Virgin was a little better. I had a middle seat (on the outward leg) which I usually hate (I am tall). Despite this I was very comfortable.

The plane was a Boeing 777, so there was plenty of storage for carry on, and it was easy to stand up. And the 777 does not take as long to board as the 747.

Great legroom for Economy – I have just returned from L.A. and been flying to visit my sister for over 30 years, this was the best. I am 6ft 4 and usually squashed. My feet went under the seat and I could stretch out straight. The seat width, I was told by my travel agent, is the widest going to L.A. and it did feel a bit roomier. Friendly staff and a great selection of movies. Always a long flight but this time was fine. Legroom and entertainment system Flight was full! Show reply

A pleasant experience – Brisbane to Phuket return, and not wishing to travel Economy, but unable to afford Business Class, I chose Premium Economy. Very nice to be given a pre-takeoff drink, and I was very pleased with the standard of service and comfort.

The safety presentation just isn't enough – My job requires me to fly regularly around the Pacific and for timing reasons, I am often required to fly VA, however if I had a choice I would not go near them. Compared to other Airlines flying in the Pacific region, they are definitely the worse. I get the impression that the flight attendants think that their job is over once they give the… Read more

safety presentation and starts again when they are asked to disarm the doors. I know that good in flight service and comfort is a trade off for cheap flights but VA offer very poor service and very little comfort. Stayed in the air Poor service

Shocking all round - avoid if at all possible! – Avoid if at all possible! Flew with Vaus while pregnant. Biggest mistake! Terrible customer service, total lack of communication, long delays each way, staff just didn't seem to care! No job satisfaction there at all.... I could have understood the delays if we had been informed or knew what was going on. And to top it off, I informed staff that… Read more

I was pregnant (within their flight safety guidelines) and if there was an emergency exit seat available so I could have the extra room to try and stretch my legs a little. I was told none were free (understandable) but that they would see what they could do.

When I got on the plane I realised I had been put in the row in front of the emergency exit. So I had the joy of not being able to recline my seat at all, whilst the person in front of me was able to recline back completely. I am quite a tall person, so plane seats are never comfortable as is, but as a result of this wonderful seat placement, I had half the room and was stuck for the whole flight unable to move. When we had delays each way, and no news as to how long they would take, sitting with no leg room, and no ability to move around at all, was incredibly painful. I left the plane with aching feet and terrible back pain.

A shocking flight.

Bad cust service, long delays each way, little communication

Customer service is appallingly bad – Had a recent fly from LA to Sydney. After dinner which was all right all flight crew disappeared for over 10 hours out of 14 hours flight. People were hungry even they wouldn't come when turning the assistance light on. I was hungry and had to go to the back of the plane and asked for food and water. I also asked from fresh fruit, most airlines… Read more

offer apples, and they said that they did not have them that I could have chips instead. They got to be kidding. staff did the minimum.

Service is extremelly poor.

Also the entertainment system was horrible no movies to choose from, etc,. Just the plane Terrible customer service

Customer Service is disappointing – We took the Brisbane to LAX flight and back over Dec 2012. We have taken this flight before on V Australia and Qantas. Booking was easy and stress free. We tried to organise a meal for our under 2 year old but was told all that is available to children on this 13 hour flight was jar baby food. I found this a silly rule especially as I offered to… Read more

pay extra for a meal for her. Putting that aside I found the customer service on this flight really bad. Only one of the staff on the two flights was polite and helpful. We were treated very poorly like it was a huge inconvenience for us to be travelling with a child. It made the flight more difficult and stressful than it needed to be. We take this flight every year and will be rethinking ever using V Australia again. Food was good, easy to book and board flight Service

I chose and paid to fly Virgin......therefore I want to fly Virgin – We booked a flight from LA to Sydney from Virgin Site and only after paying and checking the flight info find it is with Delta. Not happy and our flight leaves on the 4th!!!!!!! Please... Answer our emails. Put us on a Virgin flight. Phone us. If I wanted to fly Delta I would of booked with them Will like V again when somebody gets in touch False and misleading web site.

Seat Selection Not Available as Advertised – Virgin advertises that passengers in Premium Economy on long-haul flights can pick their seats; it’s not true. My wife and I booked “Premium Deal” flights to Europe next April and on VA 29 we’ve been allocated seats 12E and 13E. These are one behind the other, in middle of aircraft. We’re dreading a 14 hour flight where we must climb over other… Read more

pax to get to the aisle. Virgin refuses to change our seats.

Virgin is still offering “Premium” seats on our flight but everyone who books will get even worse seats; and they won’t know until after they have booked and paid. That’s deceptive marketing!

Has anyone else been similarly misled? If so please report it here and I’ll formally complain to ACCC. Attractive mixed class fare to Europe Misled about availability of seat selection

Looked after us when the weather turned bad – Unable to land in Vanuatu due to poor weather meant returned to Brisbane via 3 hours on the tarmac at Noumea for refuelling (unable to disembark due to lack of customs for an unscheduled landing). Unlike Jetstar, Virgin managed the problem excellently, their staff arranged an alternative flight the next day, organised transport and overnight… Read more

accomodation at the excellent Sebel, gave us dinner and breakfast vouchers. Overall we were very happy at the way Virgin and their staff handled the problem.

As for the flight, I found the seats very cramped, I am 5ft 10" and medium build, my knees should not be pressed against the seat in front with my shoulders wider than the seat. There are many bigger people around and the seats do not seem large enough for the average male Australian.

Food was promoted as gourmet, but meat pies and wraps can only be so good. We were lucky enough to get a freebie and the meat pie was tasty, but not good value for $10.

However, staff were excellent and we would fly with them again. Dedicated team to resolve problems and make alternative arrangements, excellent staff Cramped seats, expensive limited food choice.

Satisfied – Family flight from Syd to LAX then on to Las Vegas. Departed Sydney on time after a painless check-in process. The plane was clean and cabin crew were pleasant. The in-flight entertainment system was a positive for both children and adults. It had something for everyone, with current movies and a plethora of TV and music. As it has been said in… Read more

previous reviews, the seats are comfortable but after a certain time they do become firm. Lets face it, you are seated for 13 hours so name me an economy airline seat that doesn't appear the same. The in-flight service was good and the dinner meal wasn't bad. The breakfast was a bit hit and miss but you can't have everything. Overall we were happy with the flight and service and would recommend V Australia. The slowest part of the trip was getting through security and bag checks at LAX, so be prepared if you are chasing a connecting flight IFE, Service The need for a snack during the erly hours of the morning

Would fly V Australia again – BNE-LAX-BNE. Chose V mainly to avoid the Brisbane-Sydney connection that most airlines wanted to send me on. Flight out leaves mid-morning (10-ish) and 3 hours in they are trying to get you off to sleep - quite bizarre really but plenty of people looked like they were getting some shut-eye - I got none all trip. However, I was quite happy to watch… Read more

and play with the RED entertainment system which was magic - loads of new films, doco's games and music. Flight back much better, leave midnight, quick food service and off to sleep for a few hours at least. Seats on the 777-300 seemed quite wide compared to other planes I have flown internationally. We chose middle section (3 across) so we wouldn't need to climb over strangers to get to the loo. Seat cushions were a little solid to sit on and I used a cushion to alleviate the (literal) pain in the bum. Food both ways was OK at best, nothing special. The highly promoted snack bar was a poor joke. A few packs of chips, cans of Pepsi and a bottle or two of water. It actually took me a few trips around the galley area to work out where it was. Service from crew was efficient-ish without being overly friendly or even mildly attentive. They seemed to be around when needed - meal times, landing, seat belts on time etc but disappeared outside those times. Getting a coffee on the return leg was one challenge too far... All in all, I would fly V again if the price was right. direct flight - Bris to LAX, new planes, entertainment system, seat width airport facilities, food, attention to detail by staff and seat base comfort.

Never again! – From the start was a terrible experience, check in was a nightmare at Brisbane airport, they were checking in 3 different flights so the line was horrendous took 1 hour! We were traveling to lax, well when it was time to serve dinner for the flight they ran out of food! So they offered to serve us breakfast first well that didn't happen! So after… Read more

14 hour flight we were starving, so glad to get off the plane! Plus to top it off the seats are like sitting on rocks, we are frequent travelers never again will we fly vaustralia!

The worst airline I traveled with! – My wife and I have been using Qantas in the past on a yearly basis to visit our family in Australia. We used VAustralia airline on the last two occasions. On our last flight from LAX to Sydney and back again, customer service was horrible. Cabin staff, including ground crew, were very rude and treated us like dirt. Especially the ground crew in… Read more

Sydney dealt with us in a Gestapo like fashion. During the flight, when asked for an additional pillow, we were told none are left, yet later on they were carrying pillows to the back of the plane. They changed their rules as they felt. The food was horrible and on flight to Sydney we were offered a snack during the flight between breakfast and dinner, but not on the flight to LAX. The seats were so hard that after few hours it became incredibly uncomfortable and unbearable to seat. During the flight to Sydney, air conditioning was left on at full blast and although both of us were heavily dressed, we froze by the time we arrived to Australia. I did ask stewardess if she could tone it down a bit but I was told it couldn’t be controlled. I could go on and on about our horrible experiences with VAustralia. Bottom line, I have informed my family on both continents about it and to be aware. We fly regularly to Australia to visit our families and we will never be using this airline again. Wrote to corporate offices about it, and with no surprise, they just shrugged us off.

They treat you like dirt

First and BEST flight on V – I was sceptial when recently taking a V flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi (I booked Syd/Lon with Etihad Airways). Comparing these 2 airlines, it is my opinion that V is by far a superior airline, and I would fly with V anytime!! (and never again with Etihad) - I believe Mr Branson should re-consider his agreement, code sharing with Etihad. V… Read more

Australia, well done- large comfortable seats, the crew were really attentive, bringing water and juice all through the 14 hour flight - so important!

Regards- Lyn Parry/ Sydney real value for money

V Check-in – I travelled with Virgin earlier this year (2011). On check in they told me that I needed a visa for my destination....I have lived here for 20 years, never needed one before. Research afterwards on the web showed I did not need one, but they had different information and did not care. In order to board I had to purchase return flight....to… Read more

make things worse they provided no help in doing so! The flight was fine...comparable to others. Check-in unnecessarily stressful

Good – As stated in my cons, we did have a bad experience which wasn't the airline or cabin crews fault. They did everything they could, but sick passengers are unpredictable and fortunately it doesn't happen too often. We tried to look at this experience objectively and overall we were very happy with V Australia and would definitely fly with them… Read more

again. The cabin crew were very professional and courteous towards passengers. Very friendly and helpful staff. Good food and service. The entertainment and movie selection is wide and varied so perfect for everyone. The new planes are fantastic and a little roomier. I had an incident which was regretable, however not the airline or cabin crews fault. A passenger was ill and unfortunately vomited everywhere. Under the circumstances the crew did everything in their power to make our journey more comfortable but could not move us (the passenger who was ill was directly in front). Because the plane was full we had no choice but to stay in our seats. This made the last leg of our journey very uncomfortable. Also unreasonable requests from parents wanting their toddlers listening to music meant that the toddler couldn't wear a headset - this meant that some people who were close to the music could hear it even through the headsets which was a little frustrating when trying to watch a movie!

Terrible – flew premium economy and would never ever waste my money again. Premium economy area is very large, and you just don't get the service that you get on Air New Zealands smaller premium econ. Very slow on food service, food is below par compared to Air NZ which is more like business class meals. Main and dessert served together, no offers ever of… Read more

coffee or tea so I had to flag down an attendant to ask for a cup of tea, she plonked it infront of me black and left...no offers of milk. Bar was advertised as help yourself and it wasn't and there were never any offers of drinks. Really bad service for the $$$, never again! seats in premium economy nice, entertainment system good. food in premium economy, crew not very helpful.

OK – We flew with V Australia recently from Sydney to LA and found them to be excellent. The staff were friendly and helpful which we were grateful for as we were travelling with a 3 year old. The bathrooms were very large for an aircraft which is always appreciated. We would fly with them again, infact we are in December - Good amount of leg room … Read more

- Friendly Flight Attendants

- Flight took off/arrived on time

- Excellent in flight entertainment system

- Nice food

- Large Restrooms - Self Service snack bar was not refilled often

Fantastic Airline – I was really impressed with V Australia. The best bits were the leg room and in flight entertainment. We were travelling with a baby, and were so impressed with the way they look after families. We flew to London via Abu Dhabi, and they were much better than their partner airline Etihad. Try and get the flights that use V australia the whole way!… Read more

Good legroom, wider than normal seats (economy), and friendly service. I also had a 6mth old baby, and nappy change facilities were great. Extra large restroom was right next to the baby's bulkhead, so I didnt have to juggle my baby down the aisle. The in flight entertainment was great too! While the seats were wide with good legroom, they were a little on the hard side. Also there wasn't much food on offer.

Very Impressed. Low cost airline scepticism killed – V Australia has codeshare with Etihad. Etihad is very poor with legroom and was expecting the same with V Australia. on the contarary, the seats were wide and great legroom. The food was as good as other premium airlines and the staff were friendly. The staff made sure passengers were never thirsty and they kept coming making rubbish and drink… Read more

rounds. They also gave personal water bottles that you could refill at filling stations. in-flight movies were great. I am going to fly them more often to London now. Their Lounge services are not dissapointing either for frequent travellers. refillable personal water bottle, legroom and width in economy. Etihad codeshare legroom

OK – Apart from the poor quality of the service staff the trip went without incident although boarding was a bit of a worry in very windy conditions in LA. Price is great, most of the year. Pillow and blanket clean and entertainment pretty good. Great people on the ground in LA. Grumpy flight service staff, crappy food, no drink service.

Excellent – I was really impressed with the experience of flying V Australia from LAX to SYD. The price was rock bottom and the aircraft was very luxurious. The onboard entertainment system is very cool with its games and interactive features; however, the passive entertainment cataglogue of movies and TV shows is very small compared to other… Read more

international airlines I've flown with.

V Australia also has very friendly staff who smile and promptly help you. They are a great airline to fly with. Cheap tickets. USB ports at every seat. Nice new planes and comfy seats. Friendy staff. Good website. Very Limited Destinations. Don't have powerpoints at every seat (only in first and business class. Very limited catalogue in their onboard entertainment offerings. on one full sized piece of luggage allowed for free.

Excellent – We were extremely fortunate and received an upgrade from Premium Economy to Business Class. This was the start to a fabulous trip. Champagne (Moet)was offered on boarding. We were in seats 1H and 1K - had heaps of room naturally. Had pre lunch drinks and nuts then a lovely lunch with a choice of wine. After a rest headed off to the bar and had a… Read more

lovely hour or two chatting to other flyers. Staff were fabulous no issues with the bar being closed but then no-one was inebriated or silly. Will definitely fly Vaustralia again. Friendly cabin crew, lovely champagne, nice food Seats a little hard on the bottom.

Excellent – My wife, 1yr old daughter and I flew from SYD>LAX and return about a year ago. Worried about "The New Airline & how well our Little One would travel. From the moment we booked we were stunned by their professionalism, care and concern for us and our child. Nothing was too much trouble for them all the way over and all the way back. Te trip for us… Read more

was exceptional. Check them out - you won't regret it! And no we aren't affiliated with them....in ANY way. Clean new aircraft, VERY friendly and professional crew, excellent in seat entertainment, overall just BRILLIANT! They fly into only LA which is HELL to get in and out of.