Does complimentary wine and Australian beer make up for boarding an aircraft in the pouring rain?

Flight Details
Date: 14 December 2012
Seat: 16A
737-800

Flight rating
3 planes out of 5

Luggage allowance

Checked in luggage

Three pieces of luggage at 23 kilograms (50 pounds) per piece can be pre-purchased up to one hour before departure of your flight either online, via the Virgin mobile application or by contacting the Guest Service Centre where a service fee may apply.

Per-purchased checked baggage costs less than luggage purchased at the airport.

Cabin luggage allowance

7 kilograms carry on luggage is allowed fee free per ticket.

Check-in

Heavy traffic in Melbourne meant many passengers were running late for their flights resulting in a lot of people being allowed to skip the queue and those who were on time needing to wait longer to be checked-in or to drop off their bags.

Mobile Check In

A mobile boarding pass can be used via the Virgin Australia app available for smart phones.

Mobile Check-in is available from 24 hours up to 30 minutes before your scheduled flight departure.

Whilst I attempted mobile check in, the Virgin mobile website wasn’t recognising my booking reference or surname.

Lounge access

The Virgin Australia Lounge is located at the Melbourne Domestic Terminal 3. Turn left before security once you’ve descended the check-in escalators.

Cabin conditions

Cabin configuration

Business: 2-2
Economy: 3-3

A near full flight meant overhead luggage space was limited.

The cabin was clean and in great condition.

Seat comfort

The seat pitch in a standard row in economy is 31-33 inches with an average seat width of 17 inches or 43 centimetres.

The material and cleanliness of the seats was impressive and the under seat storage was ample.

Onboard catering

The standard domestic menu was available along with complimentary tea, coffee, water, wine and Australian beer.

Cabin staff service

The flight attendants were all dressed immaculately and service was prompt.

Inflight entertainment

There was no inflight entertainment in this flight at all.

On-time performance

Boarding commenced 40 minutes later than scheduled due to inclement weather and late arriving aircraft.

Gate 10 at Melbourne Domestic Airport didn't have an option to board via a gangway so all passengers were directed downstairs to board via the tarmac.

Normally not an issue, this option was less than pleasurable in the rain with our bags and clothing wet on boarding.

We commenced taxiing at 18:05 and took off at 18:15, 30 minutes later than scheduled.

58 minutes flight time was predicted with favourable tail winds and "air traffic control on our side" with the plane landing only ten minutes later tan originally scheduled at 19:20.

e-Travel Blackboard Tip

Travel with a rain poncho just in case queuing on the tarmac is a part of your flight experience.