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Virgin Australia has added much-needed competition to the Melbourne-Hong Kong route, and will also soon begin daily services from Sydney to Hong Kong. Fares on Virgin Australia to Hong Kong may be great value, but Virgin isn’t just competing on price! As AFF member clipped_wings recently discovered, Virgin’s “the business” class is a top-notch product.
This member recently flew Virgin Australia to Hong Kong with her husband for a short break. The trip began with a short hop down from Sydney down to Melbourne. What was supposed to be a short transit through Melbourne turned into a lengthy stay in the Etihad lounge, as the Melbourne-Hong Kong flight was delayed around 5 hours. No matter, the Etihad lounge is a lovely space and all was forgiven once on board the plane!
And what a flight it was! Flight crew began their divine service as soon as we sat down. I just fell in love with my 3A suite and just couldn’t help popping my head over to husband in 4A to giggle at our good fortune. The 2 windows gave me plenty of panoramic views and the delay was a distant memory as we climbed into the clouds.
There are just 20 Virgin Australia Business Class seats on the Airbus A330 configured in a 1-2-1 layout. Each seat converts into a comfortable lie-flat bed and every passenger in “the business” enjoys direct aisle access. The seats are great for overnight flights where sleep is a priority, but our member would be staying up to enjoy the Virgin Australia hospitality on this flight.
It’s safe to say that our member loved pretty much everything about flying Virgin Australia to Hong Kong – the friendly cabin crew, the food… even the salt and pepper shakers! The only thing missing from the flight was an on-board bar, like Virgin has on their Boeing 777 aircraft which fly to Los Angeles.
After a few days of sightseeing and enjoying the local cuisine in Hong Kong, it was time to fly back to Australia. Once again, the food in Virgin’s Business class did not go unnoticed…
And here’s where Virgin really shines. Consider the size of an average airline galley – multiply these plate by 20 and you will have a new appreciation of just how hard the cabin crew must work, getting these details right. Even our half full cabin would be a challenge. The presentation of every dish is to be commended and the quality of food was beyond delicious.
I’m dreading the thought of going back to the melamine and foil combo in (ugh) e-c-o-n-o-m-y. Sounds like a swear word, doesn’t it?
This trip report by clipped_wings provides an excellent overview of all aspects of “the business” on Virgin Australia to Hong Kong. But this isn’t just any trip report! It’s a sheer delight to read with plenty of humour mixed in, and it manages to brilliantly capture the joy of flying. Here’s an excerpt describing the take-off from Hong Kong:
I was entertained thoroughly before it was our turn to rev those bad boy engines and pummel down the runway. Takeoff is my favourite thing and I just adore the way an airplane shudders and shakes as it gains momentum at such high speed. I’m always in awe of how weightless I feel and this one was no exception. The lift was smooth and as we climbed into the night sky, I managed to film a few precious seconds of a majestically illuminated Hong Kong carpet. She was as pretty as any city I have ever seen from this perspective and I immediately wished I had one more day to get to know her better.
Read this delightful trip report on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: First Trip to Hong Kong aboard VA J class
