Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia is the airline that keeps reinventing itself. After entering administration in 2020 and being bought by Bain Capital, it relaunched as a leaner, domestic-focused carrier built around the Boeing 737. It's Australia's second-largest airline by passenger numbers, and it competes most directly with Qantas on the major capital city routes out of its Brisbane base.

The vibe is deliberately different from Qantas. The cabin crew consistently wins praise from passengers (and industry awards), the pricing is generally more competitive, and there's less of the corporate stuffiness. What you give up is international reach and fleet diversity. Virgin Australia is betting heavily on doing one thing well: domestic and short-haul flights with the 737. The airline is also bringing brand-new Embraer E190-E2 jets into the Western Australia regional network from late 2025, replacing the old Fokker 100s. These have 2-2 seating in economy -- no middle seats -- which is a real improvement for regional flying.

The fleet strategy is simple: Boeing 737s for the mainline network, with new 737 MAX 8s gradually joining the fleet alongside refreshed 737-800s. Virgin ordered 26 MAX 8s total (after converting 12 MAX 10 orders in September 2024, since Boeing still hasn't got the MAX 10 certified). The MAX 8 is about 40% quieter than the older 737-800 -- and the difference is noticeable in the cabin.

The A$110 million cabin refresh program (running 2023-2025) is upgrading the older 737-800s with USB-A and USB-C power at every seat, seatback device holders, and refreshed interiors to match the MAX 8 standard. If you end up on a pre-refresh 737-800, you'll notice the lack of power outlets immediately. The new E190-E2 jets for Western Australia regional routes are a real step up: 100 seats in a 2-2 layout, USB-C power at every seat, and 30% better fuel efficiency than the Fokker 100s they replace. First routes launched from Perth in November 2025 to Newman, Karratha, Darwin, and Kalgoorlie.

Business Class on Virgin is domestic-focused and you should set expectations accordingly. It's a 2-2 configuration with about 37-38 inches of pitch and 5.1 inches of recline -- comfortable for a few hours, but nobody's lying flat. You get complimentary drinks (including beer and wine), hot meals on longer flights, lounge access at major airports, and priority everything. The cabin crew make it feel more premium than the hard product suggests.

Economy gets 31 inches of pitch, which is about standard for Australian domestic. The real differentiator is the crew and the fare structure -- Virgin's "Choice" and "Flex" bundles include checked bags and seat selection at price points that regularly undercut Qantas equivalents. One thing to watch: older 737-800s don't have seatback entertainment or power outlets. The refreshed aircraft and all MAX 8s do. WiFi is rolling out fleet-wide, with free access for business class and Velocity Platinum members. On the new E190-E2s, economy feels more spacious because of the 2-2 layout -- there's no middle seat fight on these regional jets.

On the 737 (both -800 and MAX 8), rows 1-4 in business class are all fine, but rows 1-2 get served first and deplane fastest. In economy, Virgin sells "preferred seats" in rows 5-12 for an extra fee, but here's the thing: the pitch is the same 31 inches as everywhere else. You're paying for the forward position, not extra legroom.

The real extra legroom is in exit rows 14 and 15 (plus rows 3-4 labelled "Economy X"). These have 29-35 inches depending on exact position. On the MAX 8 specifically, every seat has USB power, the windows are positioned higher giving better views, and the cabin is noticeably quieter. If you have a choice between a MAX 8 and an older 737-800, pick the MAX every time. For regional routes on the E190-E2, the 2-2 layout means every seat is either window or aisle. Mid-cabin (rows 8-12) is the sweet spot for noise and air distribution.