Short review
Note: 3 is average
Lounge: 3/5 (Virgin Australia Lounge in Sydney Domestic Airport) – Rather crowded; signs of wear and tear; reasonable foods during lunch time
Seat: 3/5 – Standard business class short-haul recliner seat in a narrow-body aircraft
Entertainment: 3.5/5 – Bring your own device, which is their norm; free Wi-Fi
Service: 4/5 – Good service by the flight attendant; flight was on time
Food and beverages: 4/5 – Fairly nice dish and great drink options for such a short flight
Pros:
- Free Wi-Fi on board for business class passengers
Cons:
- Lounge needed care and maintenance
Long review
I arrived at the airport around 1.5 hours before the flight. I got my boarding pass from one of the self-check-in kiosks. Given that I only had a backpack with me, I went directly to the security screening area, which was pleasantly quick. The entrance to the Virgin Australia Lounge at the Sydney Domestic Airport was located right after passing through security screening. To enter the lounge, I could simply scan my boarding pass on another self-check-in kiosk.
My first impression was that the lounge was rather busy. I entered the lounge at around 1:30 PM and lunch was still served. The variety of the dishes was not bad. They served Thai green curry, bacon potato cream soup, rice, three salad dishes, wraps, and bread rolls. For dessert, they offered chocolate cakes, crackers, and cheese. I had a decent lunch at the lounge. I did not want to eat too much either because I knew that another light lunch would be served on board.
I spent the remaining lounge time doing some work. The Wi-Fi was fast and reliable. However, I noticed that some aspects of the lounge had seen better days. Some USB and power sockets in the work area did not work. All the TVs also displayed blurry, unwatchable news. The wall clock was not operational either.
The flight was scheduled to leave Sydney at 15:00 and arrive in Melbourne at 16:35 for a duration of one hour and 35 minutes. Boarding commenced half an hour before the departure time, which was the time indicated on my boarding pass. There were only 2 rows of business class seats, totalling 8 business class seats, in the flight, which was the typical arrangement in Virgin Australia flights. These were typical business class recliner seats, so nothing to boast about. Below is a photo of the typical business class cabin as captured by A Purple Life. You can read their wonderfully detailed review of Virgin Australia business class experience here: https://apurplelife.com/2024/02/27/virgin-australia-business-class/.
The flight attendants were friendly and welcoming. One of them offered welcome drinks, in which I picked a glass of sparkling wine. The plane left the gate right one time at 15:00. The captain indicated that he would like to leave early, but it was not possible due to the airport traffic.
Once the seatbelt sign was off, a flight attendant asked me what I would like to have for my light lunch. There were two options available, and I picked pesto pasta with chicken and apple juice for my drink. They soon arrived on a purple tray along with a packet of cheese and crackers. Generally, the dishes in Virgin Australia were tasty, although their appearance was typically rather mediocre. This was also the case in this flight, although it was not the best dishes that they served. I still enjoyed it though, and finished it all.
For entertainment, passengers must use their own devices to enjoy wireless in-flight entertainment. This is the norm in all Virgin Australia flights. This flight also offered free Wi-Fi for business class passengers. It was not fast, which was expected, but was still functional for doing some light work, like receiving and sending emails. The Wi-Fi was indeed useful for me given that I did a bit more work after meal until the plane landed in the Melbourne Airport. Overall, this was a decent flying experience. It was uneventful, which was good for this kind of short-haul flight.
