Over the course of a few weeks this Summer, I flew domestically on a mix of Virgin Australia 737-800 aircraft, some with updated seats, others still with the original layout. So what is the Virgin Australia economy experience like in 2025? And how about those lounges!? Read on to find out how their airline ranks up against their competition.
The Updated Cabins
Since re-emerging out of Covid, there’s been a number of changes to the cabins in Virgin’s 737-800 aircraft.
Here’s a reminder of what it used to look like, taken on board a flight this Summer with a cabin that hadn’t yet been updated.
The seats on this un-upgraded aircraft had seen better days – just add some light pressure to the seat and it would move back. No button needed! Which can’t be good. And though the entertainment worked mostly well, on my partner’s Android device it kept turning off their audio. Which was an odd glitch we didn’t see on any other aircraft. Suffice it to say, the upgrades that are being issued across the fleet are needed.
Compare the above with the other photos in this article, and you’ll notice a couple of key changes.
Firstly, there are new seats! They seem a bit thinner than the OGs, though they remain pretty comfortable. The back of seats on much of their aircraft now also includes a USB charging port, which is a very welcome upgrade. The pocket at the bottom of the seat remains, however this is purely for your own goods – the instruction cards and menus now sit in a new hard back attachment.
This unit also holds your tray table, and a little contraption that can host your phone or tablet to enjoy the in-flight entertainment. On one of the planes, it was the same colour as the rest of the seat back, with the USB charger sitting lower between the seats. On the other flights, however, it was a darker colour, that matched the seat itself, and had the USB charger built-in. Not sure why there’s the difference, but they’re effectively the same unit.
The other major change is that there’s no physical barrier between business class and the rest of the cabin. This is mainly aesthetic, as the front two business class rows do still enjoy exclusive access of the front bathroom. However I must say I do miss the aesthetic – maybe it’s just nostalgic?
Economy X
Economy X seating remains on board the upgraded aircraft, with extra leg room for the first three rows of of economy and the exit rows on most 737-800 aircraft. Though Platinum Velocity members can get free upgrades to Economy X, everyone else needs to pay a small premium. However, I happened to be upgraded all the same on a couple of flights, as a Gold Velocity member, which is always appreciated. That extra legroom comes very welcome.
In Flight Service & Entertainment
Service was great across all flights, with wonderful staff.
In terms of a meal service, these days Virgin Australia only serve tea, coffee and water complimentary, no matter where you’re seated in Economy. Everything else costs money. Those who flew pre-pandemic will remember juice also used to be an option, and that they’d serve a snack or even a meal on domestic flights. But those days are gone, at least for now.
Though they would take orders at any time on the flight, there were two formal services of food and drink on my flights between Brisbane and Perth, and Perth and Adelaide. On the rest of my flights, there was only one service (e.g. Sydney to Adelaide, Brisbane to Sydney).
There were plenty of snacks and cold food options. On longer flights, two heated meals were available – cannelloni or honey chicken – and both were a good size. Payment is by card only, and they don’t accept phone payments, e.g. Apple Pay.
Wi-fi is available for a fee, though it’s free for Platinum Velocity members and those in the Business cabin. Though I’m no longer a Platinum member, it is good to see some more benefits for those who climb the ladder.
You have the mentioned clip on the back of seat to watch entertainment on board via your own device. I will say there seems to not be quite as much content as there once was. But it is still full seasons and dozens of choices across TV, Movies and Podcasts. And, with the exception of that one flight where we had some audio issues, the system works well.
What’s new in the lounges?
If you have lounge access, I’m happy to report that toasties are back! I experienced them this month in Adelaide and Sydney. This was one of the options in the lounge that disappeared over Covid. And we’re happy to see it come back.
The Adelaide lounge, pictured above, is possibly my favourite Virgin lounge in Australia. I was there for the breakfast sitting and they had eggs and sausages with toast, pancakes on demand, plus premade sandwiches and wraps. And yes – toasties!
At other lounges, later in the day, there were salads, soup, hot pastries (pastizzi, spinach and cheese, beef pies and sausage rolls), and even Arrabbiata pasta. It’s usually a pretty good selection – with baristas on hand to make you a fresh cup of coffee, and beer and wine available from Noon.
Baggage, Arrivals – and that App!
I had some strange communication issues in this recent run with Virgin. After a late arrival at one airport, for instance, we were told there would be someone to help at the gate with our delayed connections, but there wasn’t. In Perth, the Virgin Australia app told me my bag had arrived, but I was called over to a desk to be told the bag had in fact, not arrived. I left the airport, only to return 10 minutes later on a whim to find that yes, the app was correct. And my bag was sitting there.
So I will say this – the app is fantastic, and should be trusted. It was also easy to change my flight on it after I was rebooked. My status credits and points (including the double status credit promotion) also showed up almost instantly following the leg. Love to see it!
Final Thoughts
I’ve long been a frequent flyer with Virgin Australia, and have always appreciated their friendly service and comfortable flights. For the most part, not much has changed there. There have been some odd communication snafus, but I’m finding this with a lot of airlines at the moment. Especially in regards to baggage. Did I mention their apps are fantastic?
I do think the seatbacks are an upgrade, too, and though there is some atmosphere lost by removing the barrier to business, this is ultimately purely aesthetic.
The main cuts to the experience are in the in-flight service. Qantas now run rings around Virgin when it comes to that – still offering food on every flight – and they have beefier entertainment systems too. Jetstar, meanwhile, remain budget with a capital B – so Virgin are comfortably occupying the middle spot on the ladder.
I’d love to see them trying to compete more for Qantas’s quality of service, as they once did. But given everything that happened over the pandemic, not to mention to Rex and Tigerair, I’m just happy to see them in operation at all. And I will welcome anything provided complimentary in flight. But here’s hoping they continue to move things back in the pre-pandemic direction. It’s imperative we have strong competition to Qantas in the market, and there’s no better placed airline to do it. Literally… they’re all we have.
The fact toasties are back in the lounges though gives me a lot of hope. Nature is truly healing.
To book your next flight with Virgin Australia, head to their official website.
The author flew at his expense.