Having just arrived from Sydney, it was time to enjoy the Virgin Australia lounge for a half hour before making my way out to the gate to board the return leg to Sydney.
The sole purpose of this day trip was to experience the new ‘Coast to Coast’ service aboard Virgin Australia’s then new A330 flagship and the outbound flight was very comfortable.
In this post:
Virgin Australia Business Class Review
Boarding was again very smooth with a few more passengers on the return leg to Sydney.
The cabin crew were a little surprised to see me again so soon, but quickly settled me back into the comfort of the Business Class cabin.
I had a seat on the left side of the plane for the trip home and fortunately the seat next to me remained unoccupied.
Another on time departure and smooth take off ensued and soon we were at cruising altitude making our way back to Sydney.
Food & Drink
The cabin crew came around to take drink orders, which were served promptly with warm nuts. I went with the signature cocktail for a bit of variety.
Meal service on transcontinental flights tend to be a step above those served on the shorter Golden Triangle of Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Lunch was three quality courses and was of an international business class grade.
The starter was a light salmon salad, served with a warm bread roll.
Plates were cleared efficiently and the barramundi main course was soon served. The fish was very enjoyable.
Dessert was simple but tasty, and served with an excellent dessert wine. As I’ve long since lost the menu from this flight, that is as specific as I can manage!
The drinks trolley was a nice touch and typically something you’d only see on international flights on certain airlines like THAI.
With lunch service concluded, it was time to enjoy the retro inflight entertainment with some Toblerone for snacking.
I had mentioned in passing to the cabin crew that my trip was a bit of an early birthday present to myself, and later in the flight the team managed to make an impromptu birthday cake.
It’s these service touches that made Virgin Australia a really enjoyable airline to fly, and I hope that the ‘new’ Virgin Australia retains that character.
After another excellent flight, we were soon approaching Sydney. The IFE screen was not quite up to modern standards but was a charming reminder of travel in the 90’s.
Final approach was smooth and we touched down about ten and a half hours after setting out for Perth.
Bottom Line
Virgin Australia’s ‘Coast to Coast’ service heralded an era of innovation and service as they competed with Qantas to be the best Business Class between Perth and the East Coast.
My day trip to Perth was great fun and I left impressed with the service and quality of the Business Class product.
It’s a shame that due to the commercial impacts of COVID all the wide bodied planes in Virgin’s fleet have now been retired, and the international grade experience they brought. But hopefully VA will grow again in the coming years to compete in the premium market with Qantas.
