Virgin Australia operates multiple daily flights between Sydney and Melbourne, which makes it extremely convenient to commute between the two cities. This time, I opted for an early afternoon flight which will allow me to arrive in Melbourne just in time for the hotel check-in.
The check-in area for Virgin Australia flights at Sydney was very orderly, with clearly marked queues for Business Class passengers.
The entire process was swift, and before long I was issued my boarding pass. I was also informed that I would be able to use the Virgin Australia Lounge after security prior to boarding.
I have covered my experience at the Virgin Australia Lounge in a previous post, so I won’t dwell much into it here. But overall, the pre-departure experience for Virgin Australia passengers was pretty seamless and free of issues.
I arrived at the gate in good time for priority boarding. Once again, there was a dedicated lane for Business Class passengers and those eligible for priority boarding.
Once boarding commenced, Business Class passengers were called forward for boarding.
I was literally the first on board, and I settled into seat 1D quickly, so that other passengers could continue with the boarding process.
There are only 8 seats in Business Class onboard Virgin Australia’s B737-800 aircraft, arranged in a 2-2 configuration across 2 rows.
These are essentially leather armchairs with a more generous recline compared to economy class. If possible, the first row offers more legroom with no other seats in front of you.
The seat features were quite straightforward, with the tray table recessed in the arm rest.
On the centre armrest between both seats, you can extend a small cocktail tablet for drinks and snacks where required.
The simple all-in-one button for the reclining of the seatback can also be found on the armrest.
Now I’m not actually too particular about individual air nozzles, especially for wide-body aircraft with higher cabin ceilings. But for the B737 aircraft, these nozzles do make sense as you can easily manipulate them to regulate the airflow over your seat for better comfort.
From my seat, I had a good view of the ground handling crew loading the suitcases onto the aircraft.
Once the doors and hatches were closed, we were on our way. The pushback was pretty much on schedule for an on-time departure.
When the seatbelt signs were turned off at cruising altitude, we were served some post-takeoff drinks.
In view of the short flight time, this was followed soon with lunch, which judging by the picture alone was quite substantial.
I was just about done with my meal when the captain chimed in on the PA system asking the cabin crew to prepare for landing. Like clockwork, the cabin crew was swift in clearing all the trays and ensuring that seatbacks were upright and window shades drawn up.
The weather was awesome as we descended into Melbourne. We touched down on time, and I was ever so ready to enjoy the sights and sounds of sunny Melbourne!