Like a Virgin Blue

“Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, we are about to take off. Please turn off all electronic devices like mobile phones, ipods, laptops and toasters,” said the voice over the public address system inside the plane.

The best word to describe Virgin Blue is cheeky. From their big red planes to the sexy Bondi Babe painted below the cockpit, Virgin Blue just screams attitude. And that is good.

Virgin is a ticketless airline, and to check in, you only need your confirmation code or the credit card you used to purchase your ticket. At the airport, passengers are encouraged to use their Express check-in kiosk. The kiosk is pretty easy to use, and if you aren’t comfortable using a computer, there are plenty of Virgin staff around to help you. In case there is a problem, that’s the only time you check in over the counter.

Virgin Blue also allows you to check-in online, to save you the hassle and the time you need to allot for checking in at the airport. The best feature about Virgin’s ticketing system is that you can chose your seat when you book. Nifty isn’t it?

Unlike Jetstar Australia that has most of their flights originating from Avalon airport in Melbourne, Virgin uses Tullamarine’s Terminal 3. When I purchased my tickets for my Sydney Mardi Gras trip, Virgin was having a sale, and ended up getting a better deal with them than if I were to book with Jetstar. Plus, Jetstar’s Sydney bound flights originate from Avalon, which is almost an hour away from home (Tulla’s only about 20 minutes from the house).

Like other budget airlines, Virgin doesn’t serve refreshments, and leg room is almost non-existent. Oddly enough, they are encouraging their passengers to take home their copy of their inflight magazine, Voyeur.

Their flight attendants are pretty young (as compared to Jetstar’s anyway). They have this fresh aura about them, and they are quite cheery and very friendly.

With Virgin’s recent purchase of six Boeing 777-300ER for long haul travel, we just might start seeing this big red plane here in Asia.

“Thank you for flying Virgin Blue. Please double check your belongings before disembarking from the aircraft. All items left onboard will be distributed equally among the crew.”