ChrisCunard
Active Member
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2011
- Posts
- 577
I recently flew aboard Virgin Australia for the first time in quite a while; certainly the first time since the re-brand.
The flights were Mel-Syd on a B737-800 "Ballina Ballerina" with the new J and Y seats. Then we boarded A330 "Cable Beach" for Perth.
As a Qantas regular you may well have guessed the reason we were aboard DJ was due to our QF flight home (J on a B767) had been cancelled as part of the QF grounding.
Our flights on DJ were in Y.
I was keen to see how DJ compared and as a Silver Velocity member was interested to see the lounge and priority check in as well as the boarding process.
Here's my thoughts on the whole experience.
Virgin Australia Website:
I find the QF website and booking process a bit easier than DJ although to be fair it's probably because I use it so often I know exactly where to click. That said, I was using iPhone to book on the Saturday and the DJ system is miles better than JQ (who we were also considering).
Blue Zone & Seat Selection:
Being tall the legroom issue is an important one for me. I much prefer the ability to get extra legroom for free on QF.
Telephone Sales Team:
Very helpful team who knew their product. They were quick to answer my Velocity related call (the online bookings wouldn't accept my Velocity card # for some reason) which was impressive given the call volumes on that Sunday . Call was directed to the Velocity Silver Priority line. 10/10 here.
Check in at Melbourne Airport:
Priority check in was a breeze, with only 2 people ahead of me in the queue. I did feel for the rest of the pax though as the queues for 'everyone else' were huge - I think Qantas' self service check in system on a whole is miles ahead of DJ at the moment.
The Terminal:
The DJ terminal at Melbourne is old and rather dingy with the exception of The Lounge detailed later. The QF terminal here is by no means the worlds nicest but IMO beats the DJ side for spaciousness and amenities.
The Lounge Melbourne:
This was great, access was easy and the area looks very very modern and pleasant. Missing were the rows of iMac computers but no one seemed to care. The real highlights here were Beez Neez and Corona available to drink, and REAL coffee at 3pm. The food selection seemed limited compared to QP but it was all tasty and looked appetising. The bathrooms were not clean which was a shame. The TV's were all on with audio on loud - Sky News coverage of the Qantas crisis, so a bit of PR work there
- all in all a pleasant lounge.
Security:
Security after the lounge IMO is a bad layout. I like to get all that over and done with and the relax in the QP.
Boarding:
I've heard much about the wonderful DJ boarding experience but sadly we were not impressed. Only one staff member checking boarding passes, four queues converging into one and a very unfriendly welcome at the gate.
Boarding the aircraft on the other hand was a different situation. Very friendly staff "Welcome back" and huge genuine smiles.
The Aircraft #1:
We were on a flexi fare in the Blue Zone. The aircraft had the new J and Y interior which looks pretty when boarding but the seats fall short of QF in terms of comfort and the lack of any in flight entertainment reminded me of DJ's roots. However for a one hour flight it was fine.
At Sydney T2:
At Sydney we didn't get access to The Lounge but were welcomed into the QP at T2 for a drink before our DJ connection.
The Sydney terminal is better than DJ's Melbourne terminal but again falls way short of QF's T3. It's far more dated and rather squashy in the gate areas.
Boarding:
Boarding the A330 was quite chaotic. Again, only one person taking boarding passes, long queues and a delay of about 25 mins from the original boarding time. I didn't see any of the wonderful priority boarding and orderly embarkation I've heard so much about.
The Aircraft #2:
This is an old bird and it really shows. She is far less appealing inside than any of the QF A330's from a Y perspective. The overhead lighting had that old yellow tinge to it, the bulkheads are worn and grubby and the seats are by no means as good as those aboard QF. We had row 6 E & F and the in-arm TV and Tray table were awkward and not user friendly. The seats in Y were very uncomfortable due to a strange lump at the base of the back of the seat that protrudes into your back when reclined.
DJ A330 IFE:
The entertainment is similar to that found aboard the QF 767 International J in that it's a looped system on a tiny screen. No where near the quality of the current QF Airbus fleet, but for a long flight it's better than the DJ 737 that had no entertainment. QF were smart to put their 747 on this route as that aircraft & the QF A330's trump DJ's A330 easily. The choice of entertainment was a bit dismal, but I suppose that depends on what's available at the time. Three channels didn't work and none of the movies were on their advertised channel.
The Crew:
The crew aboard this flight were amazing. It was an extremely turbulent flight (the worst I've experienced in a long time) and Mrs ChrisCunard got very sick but the crew were absolutely superb and cared for us brilliantly so 10/10 for the crew!!
The food:
Having a Flexi Fare allowed us a 'meal' which consisted of a corned beef wrap and a cup (plastic) of watery wine, beer or an OJ. Desert is a Lindt chocolate. On the Coast to Coast flight this is a very poor second best compared to Qantas' full service. The on-board menu for paid food looked bland, limited and overpriced so we didn't bother.
Perth Terminal:
Smooth disembarkation via the aero-bridge and easy access to Ground level for baggage collection thanks to the new escalators.
--
So in summary:
DJ is a fine airline. The overall experience reminded me of the BA European services where a limited "non-full-service" offering is given.
The crew were superb, cheerful, professional and energetic. Top marks here.
However, the level of comfort (seats and on-board ambiance) food, entertainment and aircraft (when comparing like with like) all made me realise that despite their recent problems, QF is still miles ahead of its competitors on the domestic market and DJ have a long way to go to catch up.
I would fly DJ again but will still be making my first destination www.qantas.com
The flights were Mel-Syd on a B737-800 "Ballina Ballerina" with the new J and Y seats. Then we boarded A330 "Cable Beach" for Perth.
As a Qantas regular you may well have guessed the reason we were aboard DJ was due to our QF flight home (J on a B767) had been cancelled as part of the QF grounding.
Our flights on DJ were in Y.
I was keen to see how DJ compared and as a Silver Velocity member was interested to see the lounge and priority check in as well as the boarding process.
Here's my thoughts on the whole experience.
Virgin Australia Website:
I find the QF website and booking process a bit easier than DJ although to be fair it's probably because I use it so often I know exactly where to click. That said, I was using iPhone to book on the Saturday and the DJ system is miles better than JQ (who we were also considering).
Blue Zone & Seat Selection:
Being tall the legroom issue is an important one for me. I much prefer the ability to get extra legroom for free on QF.
Telephone Sales Team:
Very helpful team who knew their product. They were quick to answer my Velocity related call (the online bookings wouldn't accept my Velocity card # for some reason) which was impressive given the call volumes on that Sunday . Call was directed to the Velocity Silver Priority line. 10/10 here.
Check in at Melbourne Airport:
Priority check in was a breeze, with only 2 people ahead of me in the queue. I did feel for the rest of the pax though as the queues for 'everyone else' were huge - I think Qantas' self service check in system on a whole is miles ahead of DJ at the moment.
The Terminal:
The DJ terminal at Melbourne is old and rather dingy with the exception of The Lounge detailed later. The QF terminal here is by no means the worlds nicest but IMO beats the DJ side for spaciousness and amenities.
The Lounge Melbourne:
This was great, access was easy and the area looks very very modern and pleasant. Missing were the rows of iMac computers but no one seemed to care. The real highlights here were Beez Neez and Corona available to drink, and REAL coffee at 3pm. The food selection seemed limited compared to QP but it was all tasty and looked appetising. The bathrooms were not clean which was a shame. The TV's were all on with audio on loud - Sky News coverage of the Qantas crisis, so a bit of PR work there
- all in all a pleasant lounge. Security:
Security after the lounge IMO is a bad layout. I like to get all that over and done with and the relax in the QP.
Boarding:
I've heard much about the wonderful DJ boarding experience but sadly we were not impressed. Only one staff member checking boarding passes, four queues converging into one and a very unfriendly welcome at the gate.
Boarding the aircraft on the other hand was a different situation. Very friendly staff "Welcome back" and huge genuine smiles.
The Aircraft #1:
We were on a flexi fare in the Blue Zone. The aircraft had the new J and Y interior which looks pretty when boarding but the seats fall short of QF in terms of comfort and the lack of any in flight entertainment reminded me of DJ's roots. However for a one hour flight it was fine.
At Sydney T2:
At Sydney we didn't get access to The Lounge but were welcomed into the QP at T2 for a drink before our DJ connection.
The Sydney terminal is better than DJ's Melbourne terminal but again falls way short of QF's T3. It's far more dated and rather squashy in the gate areas.
Boarding:
Boarding the A330 was quite chaotic. Again, only one person taking boarding passes, long queues and a delay of about 25 mins from the original boarding time. I didn't see any of the wonderful priority boarding and orderly embarkation I've heard so much about.
The Aircraft #2:
This is an old bird and it really shows. She is far less appealing inside than any of the QF A330's from a Y perspective. The overhead lighting had that old yellow tinge to it, the bulkheads are worn and grubby and the seats are by no means as good as those aboard QF. We had row 6 E & F and the in-arm TV and Tray table were awkward and not user friendly. The seats in Y were very uncomfortable due to a strange lump at the base of the back of the seat that protrudes into your back when reclined.
DJ A330 IFE:
The entertainment is similar to that found aboard the QF 767 International J in that it's a looped system on a tiny screen. No where near the quality of the current QF Airbus fleet, but for a long flight it's better than the DJ 737 that had no entertainment. QF were smart to put their 747 on this route as that aircraft & the QF A330's trump DJ's A330 easily. The choice of entertainment was a bit dismal, but I suppose that depends on what's available at the time. Three channels didn't work and none of the movies were on their advertised channel.
The Crew:
The crew aboard this flight were amazing. It was an extremely turbulent flight (the worst I've experienced in a long time) and Mrs ChrisCunard got very sick but the crew were absolutely superb and cared for us brilliantly so 10/10 for the crew!!
The food:
Having a Flexi Fare allowed us a 'meal' which consisted of a corned beef wrap and a cup (plastic) of watery wine, beer or an OJ. Desert is a Lindt chocolate. On the Coast to Coast flight this is a very poor second best compared to Qantas' full service. The on-board menu for paid food looked bland, limited and overpriced so we didn't bother.
Perth Terminal:
Smooth disembarkation via the aero-bridge and easy access to Ground level for baggage collection thanks to the new escalators.
--
So in summary:
DJ is a fine airline. The overall experience reminded me of the BA European services where a limited "non-full-service" offering is given.
The crew were superb, cheerful, professional and energetic. Top marks here.
However, the level of comfort (seats and on-board ambiance) food, entertainment and aircraft (when comparing like with like) all made me realise that despite their recent problems, QF is still miles ahead of its competitors on the domestic market and DJ have a long way to go to catch up.
I would fly DJ again but will still be making my first destination www.qantas.com
Last edited:
