Flew this route a few weeks ago wityh Qantas - so here is the TR and comparison.
Used the OLCI the day before, chose seat 21A and printed out boarding card.
Arrived at Mel at 0720 for 0815 departure. Walked straight off the bus past the check in queues and through security all within a couple of minutes of arriving. Facilities in the Virgin Blue terminal were adequate but nothing special - could certainly do with a refurbishment.
At around 0750 they announced 'Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys & Girls' that boarding would begin shortly and advised to check seat assignment as the aircraft would be boarding through front and rear doors and to go to the correct door depending on assignment. Due to my seat assignment I was to board through the rear door which meant decending to the apron and up the stairs rather than via the jetway. The majority of people followed the instruction - but there are always a few ignorami who didn't and wondered why people were peeved when they tried to push through the aisle against the flow. I was greeted at the door and welcomed by my first name. Nice touch.
Boarding completed quickly and the doors were shut and we were off.
The boarding cards have bar codes printed on them and are scanned in just like at the supermarket and this was much quicker than putting them through machine. In fact a large number of people had boarding cards on supermarket receipts, well the same paper and width as a supermarket receipt.
The safety demonstration was done 'live' and very professionally. Whereas at all other times the staff were smiling and friendly - they were not miserable during the presentation just changed to a serious mode.
A trolley service was available during the flight for drinks and snacks to buy and audio IFE was also available for $2.50 for the earphones - which they reminded should be brought on board on future flights.
The flight was pretty uneventful apart from some turbulence and we landed in Sydney ahead of schedule. Where we sat on the tarmac for 25 minutes waiting for a gate - this was due, we were told, to the heavy rain, no dispute about that!, resulting in all passengers having to deplane and board through the jetway rather than using both doors causing delays. I personally had no problem waiting as if we had used the steps we would have been soaked before reaching the terminal.
Overall I cannot fault the service offered by Virgin Blue. The staff were young, keen, very helpful and courteous but with an edge of playfulness keeping everything, except safety matters, lighthearted. They reminded me of the crews I experienced on VS about 10 years ago.
When I booked this trip the fare was actually $10 cheaper with Qantas full service but I elected to try out Virgin Blue and I have to say was not disappointed. They are certainly a cut above the low cost airlines in the UK (with perhaps on reflection the exception of BMI Baby)- however it should be noted that the low cost fares are not as low here as they are in the UK.
Score - 9.5/10 - for such a short trip there is nothing to improve.
Rob
