Dec 15 2008
Flying Virgin Blue in Australia
At least having a travel blog means that I get to have something to think about when I travel these days! I have just returned from a jaunt to Melbourne and flew Perth/Melbourne one leg with Virgin Blue one with Qantas - each leg around 3.5hours so lots of times for notes.
On a side note I am delighted with my eee PC for note taking on the go!
Flying Virgin Blue Domestically
Virgin Blue is the Australian version of the Virgin brand - which as Pacific Blue also flys internationally from east-coast Australia to New Zealand.
Its the usual approach of paying for every add on that you want, and not paying for what you don’t want. That said their flights aren’t always the cheapest once you add the extras: though sometimes they are! You have to check - and the most reliable fares I find are going direct to the airline’s own sites rather than third party sites.
With Virgin Blue you will pay for checked luggage :23kg is $8 in advance or over $20 at the airport.
Seats all have indivdual seat back entertainment - but to get past the ads you need to pay for $9.90 on a long flight: swipe your credit card.
Food is not too outrageously prices, well not compared to the airport’s catering anyway. Beer $6, sandwich $5, cooked breakfast $8.50.
Virgin has a bit more fun with the on-board announcements: this one even got my attention for the safety briefing:
“Ladies and gentlemen, today we Bob in the cabin along with his girlfriend Julie and his ex-girlfriend Mary. I’m Susan, in charge of cabin service, and the unofficial relationship counselor so could use all the sympathy I can get”
Virgin generally has their own terminal (though they share at Perth’s domestic antiquated terminal). Which can been a little bit more remote than Qantas.
Other alternative airlines ex-Perth include Singapore-based Tiger who connect Perth to Adelaide and Melbourne - normally as an over-night red-eye special. The 2-hour time difference to the east creates a 6-hour flight - just!
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