FlightAware Link:
Where did I fly on this flight?
Virgin Australia Boeing 737 MAX 8
Booking the Flight & Cost of the Flight
I had originally booked this flight in economy class and paid the choice fare, which was ticketed at $193.99. I paid an extra $67 for my seat, which meant that I would be flying in Economy X, which has been marketed as Virgin Australia's 'more premium' economy class. I booked the flight on Virgin Australia's fairly easy-to-use website. A standard economy class ticket from Cairns to Brisbane on Virgin Australia can go from $119 for their 'Lite' fare, which is just the base fare, everything will cost to add on, such as checked bags and seat selection. A 'Choice' fare includes some of these items, from $149. A 'Flex' fare was $359 and a Business Class fare cost $455.
Operating Aircraft This flight was flown by Boeing 737 MAX 8 VH-8IB, which is named Bronte Beach. This aircraft was less than a year old when this flight took place, having only been delivered from Boeing to Virgin Australia in November 2023, making it the newest aircraft in Virgin Australia's fleet at the time. This aircraft is powered by two CFM International LEAP-1B25 engines. The aircraft had been very well looked after and was in very good condition. Virgin Australia's Boeing 737 MAX aircraft can usually be found on the airline's daily Cairns to Tokyo flights. Cabin The cabin on this Boeing 737 MAX 8 was very clean and well maintained. The aircraft features a newer and slightly different cabin and layout than most aircraft. The flight appeared to be very quiet and empty, as it would appear many people had cancelled their tickets due to a recent cyclone that passed by in the airea, but that ended up missing Cairns. This features the Boeing Sky Interior, and the mood lighting was good. One thing that struck me was the lack of a wall or divider between the business and economy class cabins. Seating For this flight I paid upon booking in seat 5F. There are 176 seats in total onboard the Virgin Australia Boeing 737 MAX 8, and it is the exact same configuration as on their massive fleet of Boeing 737-800 aircraft. There are two rows (1-2) in business class in a 2-2 configuration (eight business class seats total), the seats are made from leather with a seat pitch of 37 inches and a seat width of 19.5 inches. In economy class, seats are in a 3-3 configuration. In the 'Economy X' section (rows 3-5, 13 and 14), seats have a width of 17 inches and between 34 to 39 inches of legroom. The remaining economy class seats feature a seat pitch of 30 inches and a seat width of 17 inches. Depending on the fare ticket booked some seats need payment to book as opposed to others. When booking an economy class ticket, all seats in economy class can be picked, some may incur a fee. On this flight, seats in the 'preferred' zone (rows 6-12) cost $27, and an 'Economy X' seat cost between $53.60 and $67, I would imagine my seat was of the higher cost being situated at the front of the cabin. I found my seat to be very comfortable with loads of legroom. I am not sure if this features on the Boeing 737-800 aircraft, but the Virgin Australia Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft come with USB power outlets, a device holder and two seat pockets. Economy X passengers ar etreated to reserved overhead bin storage. Inflight Customer Service Virgin Australia's flight attendants provided the service. They had smiles on their face and served all of us up front with a passionate attitude. The flight attendants were very upbeat and carried out the service professionally. One of them was fascinated with the fact that I had come to Cairns to try this aircraft out, and told me I could take photos in business class, which was completely vacant on this flight. Inflight Entertainment There was a safety card and air-sickness bag on hand in the seat pocket, but no inflight magazine. Virgin Australia does not provide any seatback or overhead TVs. There is an app for the airline for streamimg in flight entertainment purposes. There was inflight Wi-Fi, which is free for use for business class passengers. I was surprised to see no inflight magazine, the vast majority of airlines usually have one nowadays. The safety card was eye catching; as it should be. I was glued to the window for the majority of the flight, as well as exploring this empty aircraft. Photos
The operating aircraft powering down gate 19 at Cairns Airport after hopping up from Brisbane as flight VA775. CCairns Airport has no windows for spotting opportunities in the domestic terminal.
Views whilst boarding
Economy X seats
Legroom
Seat 5F
Taxiing to the runway
Taking off from runway 33
Cabin
Seat 8F
Seat 26A
Cabin from the rear, very quiet flight today
Economy class seats
Complimentary cup of water. Tea and coffee are complimentary offerings, snacks are available for purchase
Inflight at 39,000 feet
Gorgeous Boeing 737 MAX winglet with the Virgin logo
Descending into Brisbane Airport
Landing on runway 01L
Taxiing to the gate
Docked at gate 43
Business class seats
One can see the entire cabin from the front row now
View whilst disembarking
VH-8IB's day is done, seen under tow to have a rest for the remainder of the day
Final Verdict This was a great aircraft to fly on, and it was good to try Virgin Australia's newest toy without having to fly all the way to Japan on it. I was seated in seat 5F in the Economy X zone, the seat itself was very comfortable and had a great amount of legroom. Due to the flight being so empty, I sat in a couple of other economy class seats to try them out. They were comfortable as well, though not as much legroom was offered in those seats. The inflight offering was suitable for this two-hour hop, but I am not sure what Virgin Australia is like internationally, I am yet to experience it. If you wish to see an awesome review of the long Virgin Australia Boeing 737 MAX 8 hop from Cairns to Tokyo, my friend Jayden has us all covered here. This was my first experience trying out Virgin Australia's new seats and interior, and to be honest i am not the biggest fan of the lack of a divider between business and economy class cabins. One would expect a little privacy for the passengers up the front. Nonetheless, as previously stated the new seat was very comfortable and the cabin was feeling very fresh indeed.
Kommentare