Airline review: Virgin’s extra legroom seats are a bargain on this route

Economy X; seat 5E

Flight time

Two hours and 40 minutes (scheduled to depart at 10.40am but leaves an hour later due to baggage issues and a malfunction in the airbridge)

Checking in

As Economy X passengers we have priority check in, which gives me the confidence to let my son sleep in a little longer before heading to the airport. When we arrive, we are first in the queue, and all goes smoothly.

The seat

We’re in seats 5E and 5D in Economy X, which offers benefits such as extra legroom, 34 inches (86 centimetres) in these seats, compared with 31 inches (79 centimetres) in standard economy, priority boarding, and preferred overhead locker space. You can upgrade when you book or when you check in, subject to availability. The seating configuration is 3-3. There’s a large seat back pocket with a mesh pocket at the front, and a coat hook at the side of each seat.

Baggage

Virgin’s lowest fares no longer include checked baggage and on this route it’s an additional $85 to check a bag up to 23 kilograms. One carry-on up to 7 kilograms is permitted.

The loyalty scheme

The Velocity Frequent Flyer program. Points can be earned and redeemed with a range of partner airlines, including Singapore Airlines, United Airlines and Etihad Airways.

Entertainment

There’s no seatback entertainment, but you can log in to Virgin Australia Wi-Fi on your own device and access an impressive range of movies, TV shows, podcasts, music and eBooks.

Service

While the pre-boarding announcement only calls business and premium economy passengers for priority boarding, we line up at the back of the queue anyway. When I ask the flight attendant about it, she utters something about it being an old recording and being a bit confusing.

Staff are professional and obliging. As we board, I notice a lady in the cockpit getting her photo taken with the pilot so I ask a cabin crew member if we can too. She says we can, but it would be better to do it when we land. It makes a great social media post for the start of our holiday.

Food

Meals aren’t included, but prices on board aren’t exorbitant. My chicken Caesar sandwich is fresh and tasty. The menu also includes ham and cheese toasties and noodles, as well as snacks like chocolate bars, muffins, and cookies.

Carbon emissions

0.346 tonnes, which can be offset during booking through the airline’s Fly Carbon Neutral program ($5.29 for this flight).

Price

From $372, economy class one way (upgrading to Economy X costs $33)*.

One more thing

It was only when other guests at our resort had their Air Vanuatu flight cancelled the day before we were flying home that I truly came to appreciate the benefits of travelling with a carrier with a large fleet of planes that can be brought in to get passengers where they need to go, and why the expat sitting next to me had flown up from Sydney to get home to Port Vila.

The verdict

As the most reliable way of getting to Vanuatu it’s worth booking this service via Brisbane, even if you live in another city. And if it’s in your budget, Economy X is worth it for that bit of extra comfort.

Our rating out of five

★★★ ½

The writer travelled as a guest of Virgin Australia.

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