Virgin's A320 Hellship, Adelaide-Perth

[juliusg]

This Plat will never, ever fly VA between Adelaide and Perth again after last night's hellship experience. Why on earth does VA use the FIFO slave galley on this route? Oh wait. Because they can? Tightest pitch, most uncomfortable seats, and that ridiculously limited buy-on-board menu. One choice of white wine, served warm. 3 hours of basic, low cost carrier discomfort, packed flight, 3 flight attendants run ragged.

 

[jase05]

This Plat will never, ever fly VA between Adelaide and Perth again after last night's hellship experience. Why on earth does VA use the FIFO slave galley on this route? Oh wait. Because they can? Tightest pitch, most uncomfortable seats, and that ridiculously limited buy-on-board menu. One choice of white wine, served warm. 3 hours of basic, low cost carrier discomfort, packed flight, 3 flight attendants run ragged.

Same, we refuse to fly VA between ADL-PER.
Hopefully it’s not for much longer

 

[Saab34]

You are essentially flying Tiger on the route.

Hopefully they give the A320 some love with the cabin refurbishment program. I assume they need to hold the Airbus in the fleet due to certain operational requirements at specific remote airports that the 737 can’t do?

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Have done it ADL - PER.
When I booked, it was a 737-800 with ecomX.
Then it got swapped to the dreaded A320, I got my econX fee refunded, and was squashed between a window, and a manspreading/or more so, an Indian lady spreading her legs wide, ...
She had her hubby on the aisle seat.
Both were spreading their legs, so of course, she was into my space.
Best is to fly QF on this route, but they are also very stingy, pacewise on their 737.
One tip, is to call/phone up and buy a comfort seat booking, on the VA ADL - PER route, or any other route on the A320 flight path.

 

[cove]

We have family in Adelaide so we go there. It isn’t for a super long journey so we don’t complain.Yes we go Qantas and our family tends to use our points.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

The A320 and their former F100 must have the hardest seats around, with no padding at all.
Bum burn indeed.

 

[A321]

Yep it's the closest you'll get to experiencing tiger again if you purchase a lite fare.

 

[Ade]

manspreading

lady spreading her legs wide, ...

OT: Is it still called *manspreading* when a lady does it? Makes one wonder, eh?

 

[oz_mark]

It's not my favourite experience, but it is what it is.

I guess it's good to have the choice of another airline.

 

[Bugalugz]

I don't mind the A320's 28 ish rows and comfortable in row 1-4......never sat beyond.

Beats the Network buckets of cough they run around in.

 

[pauly7]

This Plat will never, ever fly VA between Adelaide and Perth again after last night's hellship experience. Why on earth does VA use the FIFO slave galley on this route? Oh wait. Because they can? Tightest pitch, most uncomfortable seats, and that ridiculously limited buy-on-board menu. One choice of white wine, served warm. 3 hours of basic, low cost carrier discomfort, packed flight, 3 flight attendants run ragged.

Just hear to congratulate you on a brilliant thread title! Very entertaining - but your flight sounded awful, thanks for sharing.

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

With a J cabin, and less catering on these type of trips, VA is making money.

 

[HS-TQE]

Try booking PER-DRW. It's either Network's A320s or VARA's A320s. VA flies two 737-700 services per week on that route, but I'm assuming those are the all-Y units.

 

[FishFood]

Try booking PER-DRW. It's either Network's A320s or VARA's A320s. VA flies two 737-700 services per week on that route, but I'm assuming those are the all-Y units.

Probably a recent development since I've been watching this route, but reasonable J availability now

 

[Bagpuss]

This Plat will never, ever fly VA between Adelaide and Perth again after last night's hellship experience. Why on earth does VA use the FIFO slave galley on this route? Oh wait. Because they can? Tightest pitch, most uncomfortable seats, and that ridiculously limited buy-on-board menu. One choice of white wine, served warm. 3 hours of basic, low cost carrier discomfort, packed flight, 3 flight attendants run ragged.

I've done the A320 a few times. Row 1 is fine seat pitch and economy x is the emergency exits.
The buy on-board menu is exactly the same as what you get on any Virgin Australia domestic service.
Virgin Australia have used F100 / A320's on these runs for some time (pre pandemic).
They now sometimes seem to run 3 daily services PER - ADL, with the A320 only utilized for one of the services.

 

[trisreed]

I've done the A320 a few times. Row 1 is fine seat pitch and economy x is the emergency exits.
The buy on-board menu is exactly the same as what you get on any Virgin Australia domestic service.
Virgin Australia have used F100 / A320's on these runs for some time (pre pandemic).
They now sometimes seem to run 3 daily services PER - ADL, with the A320 only utilized for one of the services.

Totally agreed on the menu and Row 1 in my experience. My main complaint with these services is the fact they are operated by VARA rather than 'mainline' - had to wait four hours (delayed) for VA721 in the evening last year as there was some crewing issue in Perth - no ability to swap it out for the plethora 737's sitting at the gate in ADL!

 

[AustraliaPoochie]

Some of those 737s planes sitting at the gate, might already be allocated to other routes, or if in the evening, might be sitting there for the next day.
As mentioned on here in the past/in other threads too, airlines do not tug other planes to cover a break down, they will just cancel that particular fllight.
OffT, AirNZ is also removing Works Deluxe from next year, on all of their narrow body planes, Au - NZ, so its not only VARA that will do/fly an all Y plane, if they can do it cheaply. Meaning on that side, also we will be squashed, without an option of buying an empty seat on line booking. OnT.

 

[openseat]

Oh no. I just booked this flight on Friday.

 

[Bagpuss]

Oh no. I just booked this flight on Friday.

It's nothing to be concerned about in my opinion. I wouldn't go out of my way to avoid it.

 

[Phoenix-1]

squashed between a window, and a manspreading/or more so, an Indian lady spreading her legs wide, ...
She had her hubby on the aisle seat.

Why is ethnicity relevant here?