Hello from Bali! I’ve certainly flown the long way here by traveling via Brisbane on Virgin Australia. I’ll use this post to provide my first impressions of Virgin’s 737-800 in business class.
I knew I wouldn’t get the white, plush, deeply-reclining seats that I used to enjoy on Virgin America, but I must admit I was expecting something a bit more comfortable for a journey of more than six hours.
Maybe I was just “over-tired” from the jet lag or wired from my trio of cappuccinos in the lounge, but I found it very hard to get in a comfortable position. Recline was limited and the bulkhead constrained my legroom. Of course please put my comments in perspective…it was certainly better than sitting two rows back in economy class.
After takeoff, a light lunch was served that included a choice of soup or salad followed by a small main course of chicken with pasta or salad, and a dessert of cheese or brownie. I emphasize the or…you only got one of each.
And perhaps you can fault me for not eating the lounge, but I was starving by the time we reached Bali. Virgin even offered a snack basket, so I will accept that only my endless appetite is to blame…
Anyway, for a time I was just twiddling my thumbs on the flight, too tried to work, too jetlagged to sleep. At first I found nothing of interest in the IFE, a Samsung tablet since there are no built-in screens. Then I found a new show that quickly hooked me…HBO’s Big Little Lies, which stars Nicole Kidman and Reese Witherspoon and is filmed in Monterey, California, one of my favorite places in the world. #binge_watch
CONCLUSION
Honestly, 6.5 hours is a long time to spend onboard a 737-800 that does not have lie-flat seats. With internet down and IFE selection limited. I was happy to bolt that flight by the time we landed in Bali.
This aircraft and seat is perfectly acceptable for domestic and trans-Tasman flights, but I think going to Bali via Hong Kong or Singapore is a much easier and more comfortable endeavor than going via Brisbane when originating in Los Angeles.
On 7/11 I was on an old Virgin America (now Alaska Airlines) 737 flight from SNA to PDX with the cushy white seats and seemingly infinite legroom, they still exist! Not sure how many though…
VX never had any 737s… You were on an A320 series aircraft.
Potato, po-tah-toe
*ducks as all the aircraft nerds throw their shoes at me*
a 737 and a A320 are two completely different planes bro. kinda a big difference lol.
I understand but…take 100 non-frequent fliers and put 50 on a 737-8 and 50 on a similarly configured A320. How many can tell what plane they are on?
He couldn’t have just let it slide that I chose the WRONG narrowbody mainline aircraft to reference? “Look at this IDIOT. Didn’t he see the pilot’s fly-by-wire controls? What a DOOFUS”
It’s okay Steve S! I forgive you! 😉
You picked the wrong blog to get your aircraft nomenclature incorrect. 🙂
Just took the same set up to Nadi from BNE but in Economy X. Can’t imagine flying it all the way to Bali, but J looks significantly better. On my flight there were SO many parents with children running around in the economy section. J would have been worth it for the peace and quiet alone.
This is regarded by most Australians as almost a domestic flight. In the boom times of Bali tourism, Garuda ran DC10s and 747s daily, but even they’re back to A330s and 737s
J class is so poor on the 737-8, that it makes more sense to pay 20% of that fare and be totally uncomfortable in Y ( at least that’s what I do )
Plus: this is definitely not a sector to choose bulkhead j….worst in the business cabin.
Was the only thing left when I booked.
I’ve always found an economy seat (especially with extra leg room) to be more comfortable than a bulkhead business seat (that’s not lie flat obviously).
That does look underwhelming for a 6.5 hour flight, though here in the States, I guess we’re spoiled by United ps/AA’s A321T/DL One on our transcons.
Qantas operates the route. Their 737-8 is nicer with wifi on most (still amazing to Australians, and it’s free) they also have better food and Ife. Next time try flight Qantas as they operate the Bali route as well.
Flew this plane to Nadi last week and back this week and it was equipped with (inexpensive) wifi both ways. 6.99 AUD for the entire flight, I believe.
Wi-Fi did not function for me. Would have been nice!
Interesting- I kind of assumed it’d only work in Australian airspace but it worked perfectly all the way to Nadi in my case.
This is a leisure route and the type of aussie that goes to Bali is very price conscious. Even at 6 hours it’s considered close to Australia. It’s like Cancun or PV for Aussies. No airline offers flat beds from la or sfo to Mexico resorts. Same deal
Interesting, it looks like this is the same meal service VA offers on all its 737 legs. I’ve had as substantial meals on the 45 minute hop between CBR-MEL on multiple occasions. I’ve found Qantas’ 737 service to be pretty similar too (similar seat and food).
For those who fly with VA frequently, they offer a BYOD streaming service and I’ve generally found the content to be sufficient – more limited than their A330s/777s, but still enough there, including a few ‘whole season’ offerings (my pet peeve is where an airline offers just one or two episodes of a show).
To put this flight into context though, Australia-DPS is a very leisure-focused market and our nearest international ‘island getaway’. People will fly this for a long weekend (yes, even the 5 hour overnight and straight to work the next day!). VA’s business class seating is similar to that offered by Malindo Air and Jetstar’s 787s, while others (Air Asia, Jetstar’s A320s) don’t offer business at all.
For a superior business class offering between Aus-DPS, Qantas’ A330s or Garuda would be the way to go.