Review – Virgin Australia ‘Coast To Coast’ A330 Business Class

• Review – Virgin Australia ‘Coast To Coast’ A330 Business Class
• Review – Qantas Perth Business Class Lounge
• Review – Qantas A330 Business Class Perth To Brisbane

I’ve flown Virgin Australia’s new business suites a number of times now, but the only review of the product on the blog is the Sydney – Los Angeles flight I took last year. I was bored at home one day during the week, and I decided to book Both Virgin and Qantas Business Class to Perth and back and compare the two. Here is the review of Virgin Australia Business Class on the A330.

Boarding started 10 minutes before what was actually posted which meant as soon as I was onboard nearly all of the seats in Business were filled, and I don’t feel comfortable taking photos front on of people. So here is the 777 layout which is identical to the A330.

Virgin’s new Business Suites are B/E Super Diamonds which are in a 1-2-1 configuration both on the 330 and 777.

Virgin Australia Business Class

As you get to your seat, you’ll receive a blanket, menus from the crew and a welcome drink either water, orange juice or champagne. On the transcontinental flights, you don’t receive amenity kits, even on the red-eye services.

Blanket

We took off on time and climbed to 32,000 feet.

Virgin Australia A330 Business Class

About 20 minutes after takeoff the meal service started. Virgin provide two dining menus, a full lunch and dinner selection and an Express menu which is for people who want to eat quickly and maximize rest.

Virgin’s B/E Super Diamond suite is excellent, spacious, comfortable and a great seat for long-haul international flights and domestic services. Virgin’s A330 currently operate the transcontinental services, and soon Hong Kong and Perth to Abu Dhabi.

Virgin Australia A330 Business Class

The A330 have 20 Business suites, each laying flat at 180 degrees, with a pitch of 60 and a width of 19.5 inches.

Virgin Australia Business Class

Just before the meal service started, the crew handed out bottles of chilled water.

Virgin Australia Business Class

Virgin Australia Business Class

Warm nuts and water were also offered before the main dining.

Virgin Australia Business Class

Also, Virgin Australia has fantastic salt & pepper shakers in the shape of the Sydney Opera House.

Opera House Salt and Pepper Shakers

Bread

The flight was under-catered however, the crew prioritized meal selections based on elite status, as a Platinum I was given both of my first selections. I skipped the starter and went straight to the salmon filet which was fantastic.

Salmon

For dessert, I went with the lamington which was quite interesting.

Lamington

After dessert, I was still a little hungry, and the crew brought me a Lindt chocolate bar and hot chocolate. Too many calories…

Lindt Chocolate

Hot Chocolate

The flight was completely full, and I was a little surprised my upgrade cleared considering it was showing J3 when I rang and applied to use it.

Virgin Australia Business Class

The A330 has a 16-inch screen whereas the 777’s is 18-inch, USB, and In-seat power.

Virgin Australia Business Class

Post from RICOH THETA. – Spherical Image – RICOH THETA

On the left side of the suite, you’ll find the USB and In-seat Power, Headphone jack, IFE controller and below that you’ll find the seat controls.

Virgin Australia Business Class

Virgin Australia Business Class

Virgin Australia Business Class

Above the storage options, there’s a compartment made for tablet storage.

Virgin Australia Business Class

On the right side of the seat, you’ll find the compartment for the noise canceling headphones. The portion rises and creates a little more privacy. It has to be lowered for takeoff and landing but can be raised anytime in between.

Virgin Australia Business Class

The overall flight time to Perth was just under 5 hours, and we arrived 10 minutes ahead of schedule.

Virgin Australia Business Class

Bottom Line

Virgin’s new suites are a fantastic product. I’m a massive fan of the hard product but what surprised me is the under-catering. I’ve never had a Virgin flight where that’s happened but it didn’t affect me. Some passengers were not happy with the situation and rightly so.