Hi,
The airport of Launceston is actually really small and terminal was calm when I arrived for Check In.
There is a dedicated Priority check in lane but there was no queue anyway. Unfortunately Virgin Australia does not offer a lounge for Premium guests at this regional airport while competitor Qantas actually does.
Unfortunately my flight was delayed for 1 hour 30 minutes because the incoming flight was also delayed. So I spent the waiting time in one of the small cafes and did some spotting of the action going on outside on the small apron.
Finally I made my way to the lower floor where priority boarding started.
I was among the first to walk over the apron directly to the splendid looking Boeing 737 waiting in the evening sun.
A friendly crew was waiting at the door and I took my comfortable window seat in the second and last row of Business Class.
The seat is comfortable and wide but surprisingly does not offer any foot or leg rest. Pitch was good nonetheless.
A look outside the window.
Soon I was offered a welcome drink of either sparkling wine or water.
We pushed back and had a quick taxi to the runway.
We took off soon and climbed out over beautiful Tasmanian country side.
Soon the cruising altitude was reached and the friendly crew member asked for meal preferences (chicken or cheese gnocchi). I ordered the gnocchi along with some white wine and water.
The cabin looked nice and modern with the Sky interior cabin design.
Virgin Australia also offers complimentary inflight entertainment via personal device screening incl. a nice moving map.
About 20 minutes into the flight my meal was served which was a nice but rather small dinner - but actually tasty and nothing to complain on such a rather short hop.
Flight continued with some nice evening views outside.
I finished my dinner with a cup of coffee and some more wine.
Soon we started approach into Sydney during nice sunset atmosphere.
We landed at Sydney and taxiied passing some other Virgin traffic.
Thanks for reading,
FlyAlex
Nice to see VA business class service back to decent levels after a few rough years! It's a shame that they no longer have widebodies for long-haul operations, but I'm glad they were able to survive the pandemic, considering they were already in major financial trouble leading up to the pandemic.
QF catering on a flight of similar length is probably a tad better, but both major Australian carriers do way better in short-haul Business class service than any EU or US carrier, that's for sure.
Thanks for sharing!
Hi Alex, thanks for sharing this rare FR of VA! The lack of lounge is an interesting conundrum, they could offer vouchers in the absence of one. Overall, a good meal service and the abundance of drinks suggests a highly attentive crew. Thanks again!