Virgin Australia review by Josh

I recently flew on Virgin Australia from Sydney to Perth. I have taken this specific route previously, and found my experience to be pleasing over all. Due to timing restraints, I was forced to take the 2:00pm flight, which unfortunately has a reputation for being one of Virgin’s inferior services. In short, I would have to agree. It presents one of the longest domestic flights offered in Australia (5 hours) in one of the smallest planes. I Arrived at Sydney Airport buzzed to embark upon my adventure. As I was only going to be in Perth for a few days I did not need to check-in a bag (this is a life saver, I would recommend if you don’t have much luggage). I printed my boarding pass with ease, and walked swiftly through to security. On the other side, I aimed straight for gate 38. The Virgin terminal in Sydney is an incredibly long walk, (of course the Perth gate is at the very end!) Prior to boarding the staff of my flight made a quick announcement to let customers know to download the “Virgin Australia In Flight Entertainment App”. Which basically meant my plane had no TVs on it… Boarding is usually very organised and efficient, however this was not the case on this flight. The staff were disorganised and the process was rather chaotic. They called the usual business class and priority passengers first. Those not of this status were forced to queue up, resulting in further disorder. However, I found that general boarding line was empty and when they opened the “general boarding” gate I got to walk straight through.The cabin layout for the 737-800 is a three-by-three configuration. I had the window seat and was right next to the wing of the plane. The legroom was spacious (although I am not particularly large). Unfortunately, the inkling I had about there not being TVs proved to be true. However, thanks to the staff who gave me plenty of warning I was prepared and had downloaded the entertainment app. Unfortunately, the movie, TV and entertainment choice was extremely limited (disappointing). They had an overwhelming number of romantic comedies: Bridesmaids, The Other Woman, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Pretty Woman (just to name a few). Despite this array of ‘chick-flicks’, the only movie that helped consume my time was Keanu Reeve’s latest hit, John Wick (highly recommend!) The take-off was very smooth and we climbed to the cruising altitude quite speedily with very little turbulence which is always commendable. The seatbelt sign flicked off and the announcement that we all had been waiting for had arrived, “the meal service for you today is the choice of Pesto pasta with chicken or vegetarian noodles”. This was definitely not the most exciting choices I have ever had presented to me. Around 15 minutes later the trolley came to my row. I ended up choosing the pasta (was feeling a bit like pasta in the moment – how naive). There were some nice touches. The pasta came with a mini sticky-date pudding. The food was presented in a maccas-style ‘Happy Meal’ box as opposed to the moist residue aluminium foil wrapping that we are so accustomed to. And as a final touch, the packaging was stamped with a little smiley black and red smiley-face on it. When I opened it, my excitement immediately dwindled. The pasta (if you could call it that) looked like it had been mistaken for a dog’s dinner! The chicken was bone dry and covered in a wet red paste which I assumed to be penne sauce. I am no Italian food connoisseur, but from my limited knowledge penne and pesto are not one-in-the-same. I was utterly shocked that a premium airline like this could serve a meal of such low quality. Another thing that confused me was they brought out the food first and about 10-15 minutes later they brought out the drinks. I was quite thirsty after my meal and I had to wait which was both frustrating and dehydrating. In conclusion, I would recommend stocking up on snacks before boarding.About an hour into the flight the smooth sailing that I was enjoying gave in and the turbulence hit the plane. We rocked violently for about 20 minutes. The rest of the flight remained bumpy. This was probably due to the aircrafts size which would not be able to cope with the high winds that were at the altitude. I must say the staff were very friendly and very kind. They were also efficient around the cabin and tended to everyone’s needs. After the long 5 hours we finally began our descent into Perth. The landing was smooth. I looked out my window and saw the wing, which looked to be in an alarming state. It was fully contracted back which was normal for a landing but there seemed to be a lot of rust in the wing (photo doesn’t do it justice). I must say the new Virgin Australia terminal in Perth airport is absolutely stunning. Once I landed I just walked straight through the terminal, not needing to wait for my luggage and hopped straight in a taxi. I would rate virgin Australia’s Sydney to Perth service on the 737 about a 4.5/10. On the one hand, the plane was small and old, the entertainment was not the best, the food was absolutely horrific and the turbulence frightening. However, on the other hand I can say that the service from the cabin crew was fantastic and I think if I were on the a330 things would be quite different. I will continue to support Virgin Australia as an airline, but would recommend avoiding the smaller flights, and aim for the prime-time slot on the bigger planes. This will make for a more enjoyable experience than the one I have commented on.