Qantas vs Virgin Australia flight experience (worth the $$$?)

[amysplace]

Hey All!

Sorry about the newbie post
I'm just wondering is Qantas really that much better than Virgin Australia overall
I recently received a flight voucher for qantas but after comparison virgin australia works out substantially cheaper
Is there a way I can swap to virgin australia?
Any advice be greatly appreciated!!


Amy

 

[yohy?!]

Loaded question..is this a market research expertise

 

[amysplace]

Sorry not sure I follow

I'm original from the states and not sure how these things work exactly so google'd and here I am

Any advice on what I should do???

 

[Mattg]

I guess it comes down to personal preference. I prefer flying Qantas but probably wouldn't pay double what Virgin Australia are charging for the privelege. I think the meals on Qantas are a better standard, and the in-flight entertainment is generally better on Qantas though it does depend somewhat on what aircraft you get and the route. If flying between the USA and Australia, my pick would always be to fly on Qantas on the A380 as it's a very nice all-round experience but I guess it depends just how big the difference in price is. Customer service on both airlines should be good anyway - certainly better than most airlines in the US!

Perhaps you could provide some more info on the exact route/s you are looking at and what the voucher you speak of is exactly?

 

[mimishat]

Like Mattg says - it mostly comes down to personal preference. For me, short haul it is much of a muchness - long haul i'd choose qantas over virgin as i feel i get 'more' for my money. What is the voucher you have?

 

[Quickstatus]

A qantas flight voucher would not be transferable to virgin as they are separate airlines.

Most travellers would pay BFOD. = best fare of day.
However, as with most things value is not the same as price.

BFOD is therefore not the cheapest.
Value depends on:

safety of airline
type of aircraft
the seat you are paying for
included items such as luggage, meals
time of departure
direct flight or multistop
Whether all flights on the one ticket
whether airline will check baggage through to final destination
Ability of airline to recover from unforseen issues.
your perception of value and you expectations of an airline

this forum exists to help fellow travellers to extract the most value from the cost of their travel

 

[RooFlyer]

Welcome amysplace .

if your voucher is for Qantas, the flight will be Qantas; can't swap with Virgin unless somehow the T&Cs say that (I's be amazed). Both airlines are perfectly OK; Qantas is more a 'legacy' carrier, with a higher cost base, so tends to be more expensive. I tend to go Virgin on short haul for economy, Qantas on long haul for comfort.

Jetstar is Qantas' low-cost-carrier subsidiary. If your voucher allows Jetstar, that's probably cheapest of all. But remember - its a low cost carrier, so watch out for its terms and Conditions; additional charges, cancellations and getting stuck etc etc.

 

[JohnK]

I'm just wondering is Qantas really that much better than Virgin Australia overall

Yes they are. The difference is quite noticeable especially now airfares are almost identical.

Much better lounges. Much better service. Much better food and beverage on board. More experienced FAs on board.

But as with anything everyone does not value the differences the same.

 

[esseeeayeenn]

The difference is real but, in my opinion, it is diminishing.
Virgin made a decision to transition from a low cost carrier to a full service airline and, while that journey isn't complete, they have come a long way.
On the other hand I think the quality on Qantas has declined slightly due to cost cutting.
On flights between Perth and the east coast, the food and beverage offerings are now comparable.
I think there may still be less free food and drink on shorter Virgin flights though.
Mind you, Qantas charges for alcoholic drinks on flights such as BNE-CNS as well (much to my chagrin).

 

[andye]

Welcome amysplace

I think there is a small difference on short-haul and noticeable difference on long-haul, but rarely enough to make me pay more.

You are almost certainly commited to a Qantas or Jetstar flight with your voucher but in the future...

...one of the wonders of this site is that using the information to make tweaks to how you choose flights (and credit cards) can make a huge difference to your travelling comfort and enjoyment.

If you fly enough to make chasing status with one of the frequent flyer schemes worthwhile, which airline you choose will depend on many factors (how much you fly, what flight class, international v domestic, size of family, what routes you would prefer to redeem on)

 

[onlycopunk]

You Qantas guys are nuts!

I used to be a big Qantas only person when it came to LAX/SYD flights. Ever since Virgin came to the scene it's changed for me.

Everytime I fly Virgin across the Pacific I always feel like a person no matter how full the flight is. Everytime I go Qantas I just feel like it's a routine a chore almost sometimes.

This is speaking about service BTW from the flight attendants. I actually find the seats on the Virgin flights a big bigger as well.