Virgin on the Double.

[Bundy Bear]

Flying for status makes us take some flights which we really don't need to take, maybe its an addiction and I should stay away from AFF.

12 August 2012

I had 2 planned trips to Sydney in August, I had already booked the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] trip flying Qantas, and I was still deciding flight times for my 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] trip.
On the 17 July a few of us received a rather generous offer from Virgin Australia, I received this one.

http://www.australianfrequentflyer....y/maintain-status-offers-plat-gold-41388.html

Dear Mr Bear,



Your Review Date on 5 September 2012 is approaching and we appreciate that you are only beginning to enjoy the benefits of Velocity Frequent Flyer and the experience of flying Virgin Australia.



As an exclusive offer, we will maintain your Platinum membership for one more year if you book and fly one return Business Class flight, or two return Flexi Fares with Virgin Australia or one of our international airline partners between 15 July and 17 August 2012^.

In the end I shuffled things around a bit, I twice changed my flights to Sydney for the 1[SUP]st[/SUP] weekend and ended up cancelling that trip altogether, and rebooking the trip for the 15 August, Brisbanes next public holiday. On flexi fares you can keep changing the dates with the same fare but if you cancel the flight and leave the money as a credit then you lose $80 of it. The 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] weekend was to coincide with the annual city2surf but as I had been sick for the previous 2 weeks I would probably lucky to run 14kms. I had organized lunch in Sydney http://www.australianfrequentflyer....ents/lunch-sydney-12-august-2012-a-41711.html so if I had been fit then I could have easily completed the run and then made it too lunch without too much delay, but there was no point trying to run when I wasn’t fit when I could have enjoyed lunch with a few AFF friends.

I thought I would do a quick run down of the flights.


BNE-SYD DEP: 8:00AM DJ924 E190 VH-ZPK SEAT 5F


I had planned to catch the 9:00am flight but that flight choice had already gone up to $385.00 and I thought an extra hour in bed wasn’t worth $150.00.


Old colour scheme E190.

Very clear day in Brisbane.

Flight was routine, where those on flexi fares were served a wrap, with some sort of muesli type bar with usual tea, coffee or water. I spent the time reading The Sunday Mail, and the flight was over in just over an hour.


I spent a bit of time in the Virgin lounge in Sydney before catching a train into Circular Quay and then waiting for a few friends to turn up before we took the ferry across to Manly for lunch.



SYD-BNE DEP 4:00PM DJ957 737-800 VH-VUW SEAT 3D


I had planned to be back in Brisbane by 6:00pm to go and see a show which started at 7:00pm.

I caught the ferry at 2:15pm, the Manly ferry runs every 30 minutes between Circular Quay and Manly.
A quick picture of the ferry and circular quay waiting for the train back to the airport

A day ticket including a ferry ticket with travel on the airport line is $40.00. On the flight back to Brisbane the meal was a sandwich with another museli type bar and a mini mars bar, with a cup of tea to was it all down with, it must be the English in me that chooses to drink about 10 cups of tea a day. I think only myself and 1 other who had brought the flexi fares.

Looks like Virgin Australia have run out of red noses.

I purchased one of those Airtrain tickets to get into the city, booking online is a saving of $26.10 ($29 for a return fare) . Brisbane's Airtrain - Airport, CBD & Gold Coast Transfers now I have a one way Central to the airport to use, it is open dated as I don’t know when I next plan to go flying.


Both flights were on time, which was a bonus, I was advised by the Brisbane lounge staff that the Any time lounge access was ending on the 15 August and that there now is a new machine to check your entry into the lounge. I am not sure what happens if you go up to the machine and swipe your card when you don’t have a flight booked for the day.

 

[Bundy Bear]

15 August 2012

BNE-SYD DEP 2:00PM DJ954 737-800 VH-YIA SEAT 5D

Another trip 3 days later, my original choice of flight, the 1:00pm flight to Sydney was cancelled and Virgin suggested the 2:00pm as an alternative, the details of the change of flight were sent via text message.




I got a lift to the airport around 11:00am, and then went and spent an hour in the Virgin lounge in Brisbane. There is no real point getting to the airport too much earlier when you already have a meal on the flight.
Flight was called just after 1:30pm and it was good to notice that priority boarding was being enforced. The status passenger in front of me got an beep and was advised that they had their seat changed to row 1, and upgrade, no such luck for me and I was in row 5, at least it was an aisle.

The new BSI aircraft don’t have any IFE so I read the Virgin Australia inflight magazine.

Can anyone pick a BSI aircraft from the front, I can tell once walking down the jetway.

There were a quite a few meals being served on this flight, well with 2 flights combined then there should be a few passenger who had purchased the higher fare classes.

This time I chose an orange juice, I can’t quiet work out whether you can have any drink choice with your flexi meal or whether you have to stick with coffee/tea or water.




SYD-BNE DEP 5:00PM DJ965 737-800 VH-VOL SEAT 3A

For the return flight I didn’t even leave the airport, with just over an hour I spent about 30 minutes of it in the Virgin Australia lounge, I am really impressed by the curb side premium entry, from taxi to lounge less than 5 minutes is a very pleasant experience. How flying should be.

Why waiting in the lounge I caught up with another AFFer. Wallacej

After a quick couple of drinks I was back on the aircraft heading back to Brisbane.

Another view of Darling Harbour but this time from above.

I was again offered a sandwich and the choice of drinks on this flight was, coffee/tea/water/wine or beer, did I hear that correctly.
Yes beer is served in flights after 4pm.



On this flight I was offered one of those digi players, the music selection is again terrible but I found a short program on London, yes I been there a few times.

I arrived back into Brisbane and then headed off to Brisbane Drinks night Wednesday 15 August

 

[moa999]

Can anyone pick a BSI aircraft from the front, I can tell once walking down the jetway

No hump - ie no Live2Air installation is a pretty good sign.