V Australia inaugural SYD-LAX flight in economy

[tuapekastar]

very good report - sounds like a contender to the duopoly on the route.
i was seriously considering booking my holiday to NYC with them in may - the reason i didn't was that i could not fly them all the way like i can with QANTAS.
if i was going to LA however i would seriously consider them after this report

Welcome to AFF Tejas...

 

[Fifa]

As promised I am finally posting the photos taken on the inaugural flight!

Welcome screen at check-in


Sir Richard and Catriona Rowntree


Boeing 777-300ER “Didgeree Blue”

 

[Fifa]

View of the galley and the forward cabin from exit row seat 39J


IFE


Dinner


Breakfast

 

[Fifa]

Our stay in LA…

When we arrived at LAX we caught the FlyAway bus to Union Station (US$6) then the red Metro line to Hollywood Highland station (US$1.25) where we walked two blocks to our hotel.

After reading positive reviews on Trip Advisor I chose to book our accommodation at the Holiday Inn Express Hollywood Walk of Fame where we used Priority Club points for the entire stay (15,000 points per night). As a PC Platinum member I was upgraded to an executive suite which exceeded our expectations. The hotel is less than one year old and our room included two queen beds, 27inch LCD TV, Ipod dock, lounge area with sofa bed, coffee table, dining table with 2 chairs and a kitchenette with microwave. Wireless internet was included (or there are two free computers and a printer in the business centre for those without a laptop) and the usual HIX breakfast which consisted of juice, cereals/oatmeal, yogurt, bananas, toast, bagels, muffins, cinnamon scrolls, eggs (scrambled one day, cheese omelets the next plus hard boiled), bacon or meat patties, biscuits (similar to scones), coffee, tea and hot chocolate. There was also a pool and gym on-site. And all this was only a 5 minute walk from Hollywood Boulevard and the Walk of Fame, and the Metro station and bus stops. What a find! We felt safe walking to and from the hotel at all hours.

Hotel from North Highland Avenue


And the room...






And bathroom...


As this was a last minute trip, our plan was to do it on a budget so we purchased one of the little publicised 7 day Metro passes at Union Station which run from Sunday to Saturday and cost US$17 plus $2 for the TAP card. A Metro day pass is US$5 so we got great value out of the weekly one which covers all Metro trains and buses throughout the city. We used it to travel to the Getty Centre (absolutely fantastic architecture and gardens - not to be missed!), Santa Monica, Venice Beach (weird and wonderful), Universal Studios, Warner Bros VIP Tour (excellent), NBC Studios (we got tickets to see the Tonight Show with Jay Leno which was lots of fun), Beverly Hills and lots of shopping and sightseeing areas in between.

Before leaving Australia we also purchased a GO Los Angeles Card on-line. Opting for the 3 day card we used it to visit Universal Studios, a 6 hour LA and Hollywood homes tour, Hollywood trolley tour, Kodak Theatre tour, Red Line walking tour of Hollywood, Hollywood Wax museum, Guinness World Records museum and the Warner Bros VIP tour. Great value if you plan each of your days to see a maximum number of attractions.

On our final day in LA, we were given a late check-out and left the hotel for the airport at 4.15pm. As we already had the Metro card, we threw caution to the wind and decided to travel to the airport via Metro – first the Red Line from Hollywood/Highland to 7th St/Metro Center then the Blue Line to Imperial/Wilmington and a final change to the Green Line to Aviation/LAX Station. From there we boarded the free G-Lax shuttle bus which dropped us at Terminal 3 at 5.50pm. The Metro to the airport was quite easy to navigate as we had lots of time and all the stations had lifts and escalators and you can wheel your suitcase straight onto the train without any lifting. I would not however want to travel on the blue or green lines at night.

 

[Fifa]

Date: Friday 6 March 2009
Flight: VA002 LAX-SYD
Departure: 23:00 (Scheduled), 22:59 (Pushback)
Aircraft: (VH-VOX) Boeing 777-300ER Didgeree Blue
Class: Economy
Seat: 46A

Our itineraries and the V Australia website stated that check-in opens 3 hours before departure so we planned to fill in time at the Tom Bradley Terminal next door (there are no shops or eateries before security at T3), but as there were VA staff at the check-in counter, I asked if we could check in our bags straight away and was told yes!

Once again check-in was really slow while the staff member checked and double checked everything. I was the 26th passenger to be checked in and asked about seats in the exit rows but was told row 26 had been taken and row 39 had been blocked which surprised the check-in agent. On enquiring he told me there were about 150 passengers booked on the flight. We asked for a row of 3 seats each and were given 41A and 42A with no guarantee that the other seats would remain vacant, so I checked again at the gate just before boarding. 42C had been allocated so the helpful staff member allocated me 46A .

Seats 46A & B


Safety card


Dinner was served about 90 minutes into the flight and I opted for the mustard chicken which was very average. (The accompanying “fresh” mashed potato tasted anything but). My friend had the beef which she really enjoyed. The self service area contained the same snacks as the flight over with the addition of cans of soft drinks, a jug of oj and left over chocolate brownies from dinner.





It was wonderful to stretch out over three seats and I slept for six hours! Much better than Premium Economy where I would not have had my own row!!! I was impressed with the amount of leg room and the width of the seats. Less than four weeks before I returned from Narita on JAL and the seats were incredibly cramped with a lot of the foot room taken up with the IFE box. V Australia only has one slimline IFE box per 3 seats and there is plenty of room to stretch your feet. Exit row 39 remained empty for the whole flight.

Breakfast was perfect and this time we received fresh fruit and delicious apple cinnamon pancakes. The correct coffee was also loaded.


After a smooth landing, we arrived at the terminal at 08:57, 18 minutes ahead of schedule.



Additional points:

• For those with babies in economy, there are bassinets in rows 20 (ABC, DFG, HJK) and 40 (DFG). There are no bassinet anchorage points in the bulkhead at 26 (DFG).
• The toilets contain full length mirrors.
• Passengers can request a portable USB-powered reading light to avoid disturbing their neighbours.
• When we were first seated I wondered why the passenger sitting behind me kept pushing my seat back until I realised he was a little too vigorous tapping his touch screen TV!
• The headphones supplied are those over the ear type
• I received 1877 Velocity points one way (0.25 points per mile on the V Promo fare).

 

[heleno]

Woo hoo, Fifa, you're showing me up! Now I have to get my pics online!

 

[Alanslegal]

Thanks for the review and report Fifa

I'm sure I would consider VA if the price is right - that is, when prices stabilise and we see the main carriers revert back to their $2K+ fares and VA remaines sub $1500

 

[kpc]

Enjoyed the trip report!

 

[Keith009]

Nice TR!

I can stand flying in whY for that long but... I'd need more than just the 1 drink to get me through!! :shock:

 

[flying1977]

Thanks Fifa for the pics... I think V needs to change their cater, the food looks horrible...

 

[odysseus]

Thanks Fifa for the pics... I think V needs to change their cater, the food looks horrible...

Not just me then, I had a similar thought.

Maybe there was something to that joke letter to Branson a while back about the food on V Atlantic...

 

[zig]

Thanks for your report Fifa, lots of helpful tips and detail. Sounds like you had a great time on your impromptu trip.

 

[comeflywithV]

Those Cinnamon pancakes look great!

 

[mushypeas]

Thanks for the pics Fifa - I'm booked on the inaugural flight BNE > LAX (08/04) ... I'm staying at the Sheraton Gateway next to LAX and I'm thinking I've picked the wrong hotel

After google-mapping the sites I want, they're too far away and I'll need a hire car!

 

[Fifa]

Despite the less than appealing food photos, the waffles and pancakes were really good and were a pleasant change from the usual airline breakfasts which economy passengers receive.

 

[docjames]

Great TR Fifa,

Guess the food is a case of tastes better than it looks!

 

[ANstar]

Despite the less than appealing food photos, the waffles and pancakes were really good and were a pleasant change from the usual airline breakfasts which economy passengers receive.

I agree - some of the breakfasts served on Qantas (ie those frittata things) are awful! I do like the BA cooked breakies and the VA waffles look yum.

 

[jsd]

Flew in Business Last week on V Aus, but I still like Virgin Atlantic's Upper Class, it's tops

 

[lampshadb]

great pics fifa. was the tv on the arm in a bulkhead seat? i will be flying with vaustralia soon and have booked a bulkhead seat and i was wondering where the tvs would be cuz all i know is that they're in the armrest. thanx! by the way i've booked in for row 20 seat K.

 

[Fifa]

was the tv on the arm in a bulkhead seat?

I think the screen folded under the armrest/seat. The tray was in the armrest.
If the flight has spare seats, you may be better to ask for a row of 3 - much better for sleeping!