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Our member juliusg recently sampled “the business”, Virgin Australia’s premium cabin on flight VA23 from Melbourne to Los Angeles.
The verdict? According to our member, Virgin Australia’s trans-Pacific Business class is better than Qantas, Delta, American Airlines and United.
Overall this is the best business class between Australia and the USA still.
The trip got off to a good start with a visit to the Etihad Airways Lounge in Melbourne.
Having had plenty of The Business to and from Perth, I was looking forward to the expanded version over the Pacific. The Etihad lounge was good, and the champagne on boarding also.
The Business class cabin on Virgin’s Boeing 777 is similar to the A330 layout used on flights to/from Perth and Hong Kong. The cabin is configured in a reverse herringbone 1-2-1 layout, meaning every Business class passenger has direct aisle access.
One key difference is that the Boeing 777 also features an on-board bar. Located near the exit doors in front of row 8, the bar is well-stocked and attended throughout the flight. The Middle Eastern airlines, including Emirates, are well known to have pioneered the on-board bar concept. But at this point, Virgin Australia is the only airline to offer this between Australia and the United States.
Later in the flight I visited the new bar, which is excellent. Same four people were there almost all night – I think row 7 would be troublesome in terms of noise.
Despite a slow start to the meal service after takeoff, the cabin crew did an excellent job of looking after the full Business cabin. Wine top-ups were constantly offered and the menu featured some mouth-watering meal options.
The Virgin Australia Business class seat was very comfortable too, allowing for a solid sleep on this long flight.
The amenity kit was loaded with some nice products, and the PJ’s are a nice touch. The turn down service resulted in a very comfortable bed. The seat is plush and nicely padded, comfortable even in the fully upright setting.
Do you agree with juliusg‘s assessment that Virgin Australia has the best trans-Pacific Business class? Read the full trip report and leave a comment HERE.
