There was a point during a recent Virgin flight that I panicked.
I had just awoken from a champagne and barramundi-induced slumber to hear the captain announce that the aircraft was beginning its descent. Snuggled under a quilted doona on my flat bed, it dawned on me that the cabin crew had forgotten to give me an immigration entry card to fill out. Ever the stickler for protocol, I insist on having mine neatly filled out and nestled inside my passport long before I step onto the air bridge. But then I remembered: I was flying from Perth to Melbourne. There is something so glamorous and so opulent about Virgin’s A330 business class cabin that I forgot I wasn’t flying international.
One, two, three and … sashay. That’s is how I imagined the cabin crew counted down their grand entry to the business-class cabin. It was probably just an accident but the two flight attendants emerged simultaneously from behind their respective curtains at the front of the aircraft, flinging them aside in an apparently choreographed and appropriately dramatic movement.
As a lifelong TAA, Ansett and then Qantas customer, this was my first Virgin flight. I had long ago been deterred by the low-cost carrier experience and shuddered at the thought of chirpy Branson bimbettes singing me a pre-flight safety song. But Virgin has shed the silliness and turned up the class to become real competition for Qantas.
From the moment I step on board I feel just a little bit special. Excited, even. The reception from the crew was vaguely familiar but not at all cloying. Ayala French champagne is poured promptly and menus distributed – it’s all part of the theatre of business class travel. There are two menus to choose from – an express menu and an a la carte menu. The express menu is designed for those who want to eat then sleep, and features some bread, a choice of starter, dessert, cheese and coffee, tea or hot chocolate. The a la carte menu offers the full experience.
The cabin is bright. It’s luxurious. And it’s the kind of spacious that makes you want to bust a few moves or have a crack at the cartwheel you haven’t tried since you were 11. It’s also immaculately clean – a quality that is increasingly compromised thanks aircraft spending less and less time on the ground.
Virgin’s entertainment system is comprehensive – although I found the remote control a little counter-intuitive. That said, when I had to fast forward past an unspeakably traumatic scene in Keanu Reeves revenge flick John Wick, it worked just fine, thanks. The screens are crystal clear, and huge and the headphones, if you’re not a BOSE Quiet Comfort snob like me, are actually terrific.
Meal service on board Virgin is quite the affair. We’re talking the whole white linen, silver service shebang. I’m encouraged to plunge your warm bread into your little dish of olive oil and Luke Mangan dukkah. The cabin crew are quite convincingly enthusiastic about the dishes on today’s card – especially the soup, which I’m told Virgin does exceptionally well. It does – the mixed mushroom soup was earthy and textural and, while I concede it’s pretty hard to stuff up soup – even at 30,000 feet – this is pretty damn fine. The other starter was a Vietnamese-style chicken salad with lemongrass dressing and cashews, which my neighbour across the aisle was raving about.
For mains, a fat, moist fillet of barramundi is as good as any fish I’ve eaten – regardless of altitude. I forgive them for the only slightly crispy skin since these guys have to reheat and plate meals that are prepared on the ground. It comes with a baba ganoush, peas, mint and some preserved lemon. Each component complemented the other and the baba was brilliant. The preserved lemon brought the entire dish together. Other options included braised short rib with shiitake mushrooms, pumpkin, feta and chervil and a vegetarian curry of eggplant and chickpeas with turmeric, rice and Asian herbs. A cheese plate, with a generous wads of Australian cheddar, brie and blue, came with a slab of quince paste and plenty of crackers. It also came with offers of a dessert wine, which was a rather charming touch.
Also charming was the way crew doted on me as I progressively lost my voice during the flight. I was lavished with, alternatively, a never-ending glass of champagne and cups of tea with cut lemon.
The wine list is boasts the aforementioned Ayala champagne, which had this champagne aficionado well pleased. There is also a very respectable selection of Australian wines including the fabulous Stella Bella Skuttlebutt sauvignon blanc semillion from Margaret River and a Mr Riggs tempranillo from the Adelaide Hills. Those hoping for a spirit in the sky can get stuck into Bundy rum or Bombay Sapphire gin, among others, and beers include the excellent Italian Peroni and lovely local Fat Yak. And if you get the munchies later on, there is an anytime menu featuring the likes of a gluten-free tom yum soup and snacks such as olives, nuts and milk chocolate caramel pop corn.
The leather seats on Virgin’s A330, with a 152cm seat pitch and fully lie-flat bed, are peerless on Australian domestic flights. It’s hard to believe that the airline will later this year unveil even better Business and Economy class cabins on its wide-body fleet. The new business class will include suite seating in a 1-2-1 configuration. The refit is due to be completed by October and is part of Virgin’s ambitious goal of becoming Australia’s favourite airline group by 2017. I am already on board.
