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Virgin Australia coast to coast Business Class service 3/14

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  • Virgin Australia coast to coast Business Class service 3/14

    Virgin Australia Coast-to-Coast Trip Report 2014


    I have always wanted to fly the well-praised coast-to-coast business class service launched by Virgin Australia a few years ago with a fleet of seven Airbus A330-200s. I have finally gotten my chance to travel down under recently and added this roundtrip from Melbourne to Perth, and then back from Perth to Sydney in business class. I was lucky to get the new/updated business class seats (similar to Singapore Airlines’ current version of regional business class seats) on both segments. The service in the air was great, and Elise on the Melbourne to Perth segment was friendly and professional, and compared to my return segment, she was definitely more polished and paid attention to details. The ground service was okay, and priority check-in was available at both major hubs, and I was addressed by my last name during boarding at both stations. There were clear signs pointing to the priority services, and the menu designed by Luke Mangan was great, and I cleaned up my plates on both flights. I actually urge JetBlue to send their team to try out their version of transcontinental business class service, and this should be what Jetblue’s Mint aims to provide or to surpass this service a bit more. However, even this prestigious service cannot escape the bean counters. Despite of former reports about amenity kits and the advertisement on their websites, amenity kits are no longer offered on daytime flights, except redeye flights.

    Photo album for those who do not want to read this report
    http://s1213.photobucket.com/user/Ca...lBusinessClass

    Flight information:
    March 31, 2014
    VA 681 MEL-PER Lv1000 Arr1125 Airbus A330-200 VH-XFH “Duranbah Beach”

    We stayed at 40,000feet most of the time, until we were about an hour away from Perth and we descent to 34,000feet for the rest of the flight.

    April 1, 2014
    VA 556 PER-SYD Lv1030 Arr1750 Airbus A330-200 VH-XFC “Mooloolaba Beach”

    We stayed at 41,000feet throughout the flight.

    Pre-flight:
    I used my Virgin America elevate points for the roundtrip flights, and was provided with a Virgin Australia’s reservation number upon receiving my e-tickets. I was able to select seats on Virgin Australia website with no issues, and it was a very passenger-friendly system.

    Check-in:
    Priority check-in counters were clearly marked at both airports, and I arrived about ninety minutes prior to departure. Melbourne was a much easier airport and there was a short wait but in both MEL and PER, the agent was friendly and reassured that they could change seats. To give Virgin Australia credits, the agents were friendlier and well polished compared to other airlines. They had an unique Aussie charm.

    Melbourne Airport’s Terminal Three
    Clearly marked and organized check-in area



    Priority sign every step of the way




    Perth Airport’s Terminal Three – quiet time at these mid morning hours



    Priority check-in counters



    More priority sign


  • #2
    Lounge:
    One of the major benefits of flying Virgin Australia’s business class is the lounge access, and Virgin Australia definitely aims for a modern stylish theme, and both lounges that I visited were recently expanded and renovated. The Melbourne lounge has a view of the tarmac, which I enjoy slightly better. However the Melbourne lounge has more traffic and similar to the Perth lounge, Virgin Australia does not hire enough waiting staffs to clean up the tables and clear dirty cups/glasses/plates, especially the Melbourne lounge, which looks downright messy. Those white tables are stylish but if nobody cleans it, it still makes a pretty poor impression. Both lounges feature breakfast foods, when I used it, and they featured mostly assorted breads, cold cuts, cheeses, fruit salad, yogurt, and a hotcake-making machine at both lounges. There are self-serving beverage stations, as well as a coffee bar. There is free wifi, as long as a business station. Both lounges were busy but with plenty of sitting.
    Self-check-in machine even at the lounge – cool invention

    Melbourne Lounge – sorry a bit less pictures than Perth lounge as there were more people




    Breakfast spread




    No need to deal with lounge dragons – self-scanning entrance machine


    View of the 2000th plane that I have ever flown on – VH-XFH from the Lounge


    Perth Lounge at Terminal Three – newer and I like those cool chairs.



    Comment


    • #3









      Just love these red pattern chairs


      Breakfast Spread


      Comment


      • #4



        Boarding:
        There are clearly labeled priority lanes at each Virgin Australia gate and the agents were polite, and business class passengers were addressed by their last names.

        Gate at Melbourne




        Gate at Perth – Gate 25
        View of two Virgin Australia A330s – XFE was heading to Melbourne, while XFC was the one parked further away




        Priority boarding



        View of VH-XFE – Heading to Melbourne at 10:35am


        View of VH-XFC

        Comment


        • #5



          Pre-departure service:
          There were two F/As greeting each passenger in the entrance of the plane, which were something you no longer saw when flying domestic flights in the US. Business class passengers were given attention immediately. Two F/As were working at the same time – one in charge of each aisle. The F/A offered to hang my jackets immediately, and then pre-takeoff beverages were offered – a choice of orange juice or champagne. Bottled waters were placed at each seat, as well as a pillow, a blanket, and a pair of noise-canceling headset. Newspapers were only offered from Melbourne to Perth, and there was a choice of Herald Sun or the Australian, and on the return to Sydney, nothing was offered. The service was designed to be personal and it was a good start.

          Pre-takeoff champagne



          Headsets



          Pillow and blanket


          Bottled water – Mount Franklin


          Safety card and Inflight magazine – freshly printed April edition


          Menu and wine list – designed by Chef Luke Mangan


          Cabin shot:
          I was lucky to get the newly delivered planes on both directions, and here was an assortment of cabin shots I took.

          Comment


          • #6







            The seats were basically the same kinds used by Singapore Airlines on its A330s, and its regional fleet of 777s. They are very comfortable especially for a four to five hour flight. The black leather makes the cabin very modern and stylish. They just reinforce the cool branding that Virgin Australia strives to achieve.

            I sneak a shot of the economy class cabin on my way back.


            Seat 3K was out of order on the return flight on VH-XFC.


            Flight information:
            Virgin Australia runs a very efficient operation and both flights departed on time and arrived early. From Melbourne to Perth, the flight map function was disconnected, and I only had some attitude information. Boarding began early at 9:25am and door was closed at 10:01am. We pushed back a few minutes later, and took off from R/W34 at 10:20am. Flying time was three hours and fifty-four minutes with a cruising attitude of 40,000feet, and then descent to 34,000feet as we had about 75 minutes left. Descent began at 10:46am Perth local time (three hours behind Melbourne), and landed on R/W03 at 11:14am, and parked at Stand 20A/Gate 25 at 11:19am.

            The return flight went even smoother, as VH-XFC spent the night at Perth. Boarding began at 9:25am from Gate 25, and the plane used Door 2R for boarding, which allowed more efficiency. Door was closed at 10:23am, seven minutes ahead of schedule.

            Some shorts of the tarmac as we pushed back at 10:26am. VH-XFE was heading to Melbourne.


            We took off from R/W21 at 10:37am. Goodbye Perth!


            Flying time was three hours and forty minutes with a cruising attitude of 41,000feet. Descent began at 4:43pm Sydney local time, and we landed on R/W34L at 5:17pm, and then parked at gate 42 ten minutes later.

            Beverages & Meals
            Personally, the highlight of Virgin Australia’s coast to coast service lies on its catering, which is definitely reminded me of international first class, rather than a domestic business class product. The meal services were conducted on a good pace – not too rush like Cathay Pacific and most Asian Airlines, and allowed you time to enjoy the food. Even the first beverage service was served with a bowl of warmed spicy mixed nuts. My previous experiences on the now defunct Ansett Australia and Qantas on the same routes up front don’t even come closed. The menu designed by Chef Luke Mangan was really nice, and all three courses were delicious. Instead of butter, Virgin Australia provides Luke Mangan’s extra olive oil and dukkah, his created bread dip mix. There is a small bowl for you to mix those together and it is just delicious when you dip those warmed bread rolls into this mix. It really reminds me of a trendy restaurant, rather than the same boring airplane food. I cleaned up my plate for all courses. The flight attendants were extremely detail oriented, and like a high-end restaurant, the F/As always have a white napkin on their forearms when they cleared glasses and plates. From Melbourne to Perth, no trolley was used until the dessert course. Elise even made sure that all the utensils and plates were in the right place. All the main courses were individually plated in the galley and the portion was generous. For a four hours flight, you honestly cannot ask for better food. However if I have to nip pick, there are two towel services – one after takeoff and one prior to landing, and those hot towels are the cheap and thin disposable kinds, and maybe replacing them with better quality hand towels will be better. Nonetheless, it is just a very minor point.

            Transcripts for wine list and menu:

            Wine List
            Champagne
            Lanson Black Label Brut, Reims, France, Champagne – NV

            Red Wine
            Temple Bruer Eden Valley, SA Pinot Noir 2011
            Wick’s Estate Adelaide Hills, SA Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
            Blackbilly McLaren Vale, SA GSM – 2011

            Fortified Wine
            Chambers Rosewood Muscadelle Ruthergien, VIC Tokay – NV

            Dessert Wine
            De Bortoli Noble One Riverina, NSW Botrytis Semillon – 2010

            White Wine
            Forest Hill Estate Great Southern, WA Riesling 2012
            Fratelli King Valley, VIC Pinot Gris 2012

            Sidewood Adelaide Hills, SA Chardonnay 2012

            Comment


            • #7


              C1 MAR5-JUN3 J TCP

              From Melbourne to Perth:
              Lunch & Dinner



              Lots of branding – Chef Luke Mangan designs all the Virgin Australia’s Business class meals



              Bakery
              Your choice of warmed artisan breads


              No butter for bread, but Luke Mangan’s extra virgin olive oil and dukkah





              Starters


              Serrano ham, cherry bocconcini and roasted capsicum salad with capers and basil
              Or
              Sweet corn soup with smoked paprika and chives


              Salad
              Mixed mesclun leaves with balsamic dressing

              Comment


              • #8


                Mains
                Braised Beef with Gruyere cheese and potato gratin, Dutch carrots and green beans



                Or
                Atlantic Salmon fillet, with kipfler potatoes, peperonata, lemon oil and basil
                Or
                Sweet potato and chickpea curry with basmati rice and coriander

                Cheese Selection
                Maffra cloth bound Cheddar, Gippsland, Victoria
                Tarago River Camembert, Gippsland, Victoria
                King Island blue Brie, King Island, Tasmania
                Cheese accompanied by fruit paste, grapes and crackers



                Desert
                Blood Orange panna cotta

                Coffee
                Filter, Espresso, Cappuccino or Latte

                Tea
                Madam Flavor range – Special Blend Black Tea, Earl Grey Twist, Green Tea with Jasmine & Pear, or Mint Tisane


                Hot Chocolate

                From Perth to Sydney:
                Lunch & Dinner



                Difference between last flight and this flight – trolley was used for the appetizer service, and this F/A did not even fix the tray before passing to passengers. Elise made sure everything was placed in the right place!



                So I fixed it – more proper display


                Bakery
                Your choice of warmed artisan breads

                Comment


                • #9
                  Starters
                  Smoked trout, potato and herb salad with salmon caviar dressing




                  Or
                  Tomato and lemongrass soup with cashews and coriander

                  Salad
                  Spinach, rocket and radicchio with red wine and mustard dressing


                  Mains
                  Chargrilled lamb cutlets with lemon and oregano potatoes, cavolo nero and warmed Greek salad
                  Or
                  Chermoula-crusted snapper fillet with Moroccan eggplant salad and lime couscous
                  Or
                  Three mushroom ravioli with cauliflower puree, zucchini, parsley and curry oil dressing




                  Desert
                  Serendipity – Mango sorbet
                  Or
                  Warm savarin cake with poached pears and crème anglaise



                  Coffee
                  Filter, Espresso, Cappuccino or Latte

                  Tea
                  Madam Flavor range – Special Blend Black Tea, Earl Grey Twist, Green Tea with Jasmine & Pear, or Mint Tisane


                  Hot Chocolate

                  Flight Attendants:
                  I think Virgin Australia offers a good business class service because they staffed their 24 seats business class cabin with three F/As, and of course both flights were not full, which allowed them more time to interact and personalize the service. They addressed me by my name throughout the flight, and what I like the most, they never clear your table or glass or cup without asking if you want a top up. You are encourage to use the call button, and on the flight from Perth to Sydney, both F/As took turn patrolling the cabin every ten minutes or so. They are well groomed and young and full of energy. Elise, the F/A serving my row from Melbourne to Perth, was more polished and reminded me of some of the best Singapore Airlines’ F/As, who made sure the logo on the glasses faces you, as well as taking away dirty utensils between courses. I appreciate that effort on the crews from Melbourne to Perth to roll out the dessert trolley and to offer dessert wines, and the return crews from Perth to Sydney did not even mention dessert wines.

                  Amenity kit:
                  From previous reports, Virgin Australia advertises that it offers amenity kits on these coast-to-coast business class flights, and I sort of look forward to it. However, no one offered it on my flight from MEL to PER, and I sort of regretted not asking Elise about it (because I felt that she would give me a better answer than the crew from PER to SYD). I immediately asked the Virgin Australia team on twitter and they responded immediately that they would check for me. BTW, Virgin Australia has an excellent twitter team with quick response rates, and even shares some of my meal pictures with Luke Mangan’s twitter team. Someone at the Australian Frequent Flyer Board mentioned that they had changed the service to offer those amenity kits proactively during overnight flights, and not offering them during other flights, and you could request them. So I tried it on the return flight, the F/A told me that they were no longer offering them on daytime flights, and only on overnight flights. Of course the Virgin Australia twitter team offers me the same answer one day later too, and they will update the website accordingly.

                  Perhaps I can argue if it is necessary to offer an amenity kit in a four hours flight, but I just can’t help to feel a little bit cheated, as the website promises them, and airlines once again change policies without notifying passengers. Honestly I am not about to fly a redeye flight for an amenity kit, but I just hate the fact that expectations are not met. I think that Virgin Australia is definitely aiming to provide an international style service for these coast-to-coast flights, and amenity kits set them apart further from Qantas, and despite Virgin Australia was losing money last 6 months, I don’t think giving out amenity kits is the main problem. It is just another shortsighted cut back that tarnishes a little bit for a supposedly perfect flight.

                  Seat:
                  I am lucky to get the new seats on both flights, and yes they are almost identical to the ones used by Singapore Airlines on its new regional fleet of Airbus A330s, Boeing 777-200s and -300s. They are very comfortable for a four hours flight, but it is an angled lie flat seats, which meant that they are not very good when they are set on a full flat position, and you can tell from the following pictures. There were plenty of small storages places for small personal items, unless you are on the bulkhead rows. However I still recommend the bulkhead rows because they offer more legroom and spaces. Universal power outlets and USB ports were available at each seat, and since I had two seats to myself on both flights, there were plenty of spaces to stretch out. Here were what the four preset seating positions look like:

                  Takeoff and landing:
                  Seat 1K

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Seat 2K


                    Seat Console
                    White beverage tray table on XFC


                    Black beverage tray table on XFH


                    Personal Lamp


                    Headset console


                    Seat control console


                    Magazines and storage spaces for non-bulkhead rows





                    Comment


                    • #11


                      Divider



                      Legroom shot of Bulkhead row


                      Legroom shot of non-bulkhead row


                      Lounging:


                      Lounging position for non-bulkhead seats



                      Deep Lounging:


                      Full flat sleeping position:
                      Bulkhead rows



                      Non-bulkhead rows

                      Comment


                      • #12



                        Cleaning is definitely not Virgin Australia’s strength, as there are crumbs in the side literature storage bins.


                        Entertainment:
                        Similar to Virgin America, it offers RED, an interactive entertainment system. They offered the usual amount of television shows and movies, as well as seat-to-seat chat functions. Of course they don’t have live TV like Virgin America. The selection was your typical mix of Australian, American, and British television shows and movies. The selection was sufficient for four hours domestic flights, and I hope the international fleet will have more materials. They are also not touch screen, so the control can be a bit tricky to use, and many passengers asked for help.

                        Power outlet


                        Arrival:
                        Both flights arrived on time, and the F/As returned coats after we were parked at the gate. They no longer offered the Virgin Australia coat bags too. The priority-tag bags all came out first, and in Perth, it took them 11 minutes to roll out the first bag, and in Sydney, it took them 16 minutes. Very impressive performance, especially to what I experience in American domestic flights (except Southwest), and intra-European flight.

                        Here are a few farewell shots of VH-XFH in Perth



                        Landing in Sydney







                        In conclusion, it was a wonderful experience, and I urge everyone to give it a try before the bean counters began to cut the amenities and catering, which had unfortunately started with the elimination of the coat bags and amenity kits on most flights. Flight attendants were delightful and most of the ground staffs were young and friendly, and definitely paid extra attention to providing good service to business class passengers. The Virgin lounges are nice places to spend some time and VA just needs to hire some more cleaners to clear out plates and wipe the tables, as well as cleaning the cabin more thoroughly. On the return flight from PER to SYD, the plane actually sat overnight in Perth before flying out at 10:30am, and I really expect a more thorough cleaning. Anyway, I am impressed with Virgin Australia coast-to-coast business class service, and enjoyed Chef Luke Mangan’s food. I actually urge JetBlue to send a few planning teams to fly this product, and this Virgin Australia’s product should be what you are aiming for, in terms of Mint. Thanks for reading!

                        Carfield

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Thanks, for the TR, Carfield.

                          Did the seats feel restrictive on the sides? They look a little tight.

                          Comment

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