I recently reviewed QantasLink’s Embraer E190 Business Class service from Adelaide to Darwin. In that review, I concluded that the seat was good and the service was excellent – but questioned whether the flight was really worth a one-way airfare of more than $2,000.

On my way back from Darwin to the east coast of Australia, I decided to fly in Virgin Australia Business Class on a Boeing 737 flight to Melbourne.

So, how did this flight compare to Qantas? And with a ticket price of almost a quarter what Qantas was charging, is Virgin Australia Business Class still better value?

Find out in this review of Virgin Australia’s domestic Business Class service in 2022…

Flight Details

Flight number	VA1462
Route	Darwin (DRW) to Melbourne (MEL)
Aircraft type	Boeing 737-800
Class of travel	Business
Seat number	2A
On-time performance	We arrived a few minutes behind schedule
Star rating

The route

Flight Cost

A Business Class ticket on this Virgin Australia flight was significantly cheaper than an equivalent Qantas airfare out of Darwin.

When I booked around a month in advance, the Virgin Australia Business Class airfare was $749 one-way at full price. However, by using a promo code, I was able to get the price down to $557. I paid for my own ticket.

Alternatively, you could redeem 35,500 Velocity points + $44.54 for a Business Reward seat, subject to availability.

Airport Experience

With an empty priority check-in line awaiting me on arrival, checking in at Darwin Airport could not have been more seamless. Within a few minutes, I’d passed through security and was upstairs in the departures area.

Until 2020, Virgin Australia had an excellent lounge in Darwin. Sadly, this lounge closed during the pandemic and has not reopened. (The physical space is still there, but it appeared that it is now being used as airport office space.)

There are no alternative arrangements such as meal vouchers for Virgin Australia passengers who would have otherwise been eligible for lounge access. There are also no third-party lounges at Darwin Airport (the only lounge still open there is the Qantas Club). Luckily, given the tropical heat in Darwin that day, the air-conditioning in the main terminal was working well. 🙂

Boarding was delayed due to the late arrival of the inbound aircraft from Melbourne. Once it was called, priority boarding worked well (and I’m pleased to say that we made up most of the lost time en-route).

The Hard Product

I’ve reviewed Virgin Australia’s Boeing 737-800 Business Class product before, and there have been no major changes to this in 2022.

There are two rows of leather seats in a 2-2 layout, for a total of 8 Business Class seats in the cabin.

They’re not lie-flat beds, but the recliner seats are wide, comfortable and offer plenty of legroom.

There was no on-board wifi on my flight, although Virgin has promised that wi-fi is coming back soon.

For in-flight entertainment, you can stream TV shows and movies to your own device. (Previously, the Virgin Australia Entertainment App was required to do this – now, you can just connect to the onboard network through your smartphone or tablet’s browser.)

For an afternoon flight of just over four hours, I was perfectly comfortable in Virgin Australia’s 737 Business Class. However, I would not choose to book an overnight flight in this seat. (Then again, I wouldn’t choose to book a redeye flight on a Qantas narrow-body aircraft either!)

The Soft Product

The service on my QantasLink flight to Darwin had been excellent. But the cabin crew on Virgin Australia were just as good, if not better.

Before departure, I was welcomed by the enthusiastic cabin manager and offered a pre-departure still water, sparkling water or sparkling wine.

It may seem like a small thing, but I very much enjoyed a cold glass of bubbles before take-off. By comparison, pre-departure drinks have been notably absent from Qantas’ domestic Business Class lately.

We had some great views of Darwin as we took off on a sunny afternoon and flew towards the sunset.

Shortly after take-off, the flight attendant offered two meal choices for dinner. The options were gnocchi with mushrooms in a creamy sauce, or chicken in mushroom sauce with mashed potato and beans. I chose the chicken, which tasted great.

This was served with a pack of cheese & crackers and a small slice of carrot cake with walnuts and caramel sauce.

I hadn’t eaten before the flight and was still a little hungry after the meal. The cabin crew were more than happy to bring me some complimentary snacks from the pantry menu. They also cheerfully offered drink top-ups with a smile throughout the flight.

Pantry snacks are available on request in Virgin Australia Business Class and include non-perishable items like biscuits, chocolate bars, rice crackers and red rock deli chips.

Qantas doesn’t have an equivalent pantry menu. However, I did find that the meal served on my Adelaide-Darwin flight was a bit more substantial and ice cream was also served around an hour out of Darwin.

Towards the end of the flight, there was an elderly passenger who was unwell and needed assistance. The Virgin Australia cabin crew did a fantastic job of looking after this passenger and checking in with them regularly until we landed.

One notable difference between my QantasLink and Virgin Australia flights on this trip to Darwin was that the Business cabin felt a lot more private on Virgin Australia. On QantasLink, there was a steady stream of Economy passengers using the Business toilet. This didn’t happen on Virgin Australia, where there is a physical cabin divider in the form of a magnetic rope and purple screens.

After landing, on Virgin, a flight attendant also stood at the back of the Business cabin to ensure all passengers up front had a chance to disembark first. These are little things, but they do make a difference to the overall experience.

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 90 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include aviation, economics & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.