Virgin Australia is taking its aircraft into the future with plans to roll out free inflight wi-fi AND introduce a new spacious Economy Class, which blends features from both Premium and Business.
Let’s start with the new seats.
The airline is replacing its Economy Space+ with Economy X, a new product described as “an Australian-first product in the domestic market”.
Make up rows 3-5 and Exit Rows on the airline’s fleet of Boeing 737s, Economy X comes with a minimum of three inches extra legroom, preferred overhead locker space, priority boarding and priority security screening.
Exclusive luggage space and skipping airport queues – nice!
On short haul international flights, guests booked in Economy X will receive Priority Check-in, while long haul international travellers will receive guaranteed first meal choice and premium noise-cancelling headsets.
The carrier’s Group Executive John Thomas said the carrier is excited to offer guests speed and space on the ground and in the air.
“Economy X will empower passengers to tailor their travel experience and will give them more choice when they fly.”
John Thomas, Virgin Australia Group Executive
“I’m confident that Economy X will be very well received by guests.”
Economy X is on sale from today for flights from 21 May 2017.
Onto the inflight wi-fi.
Virgin has also partnered with inflight connectivity provider Gogo and Optus to bring wi-fi on domestic and international services.
Next month, the sky-high internet will be tested on a single Boeing 737-800 aircraft for three months. During this period, the carrier will gather feedback and make changes as required.
A roll out of the product on the airline’s Boeing 737-800, Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 aircraft will follow customer testing period.
Oh, but the really good news – it’ll be free!
Just like its rival Qantas, Virgin Australia has confirmed its guests will be able to access inflight wi-fi free of charge throughout the duration of their flight.
Passengers will be able to use wi-fi to check their email and social media pages or access streaming services such as Netflix, Stan and Pandora. Virgin Australia is also giving guests who travel on the wi-fi-enabled aircraft three months’ access to Pandora Plus and Netflix on the airline.
Thomas said wi-fi will add to the inflight experience by allowing guests to stay connected with their family, friends and collegues in the air.
“The new connectivity solution will complement Virgin Australia’s popular onboard wireless inflight entertainment system, which revolutionised domestic and Trans-Tasman inflight entertainment when it was introduced in 2013.”
“Feedback from our guests during the customer testing period will help us tailor our inflight wi-fi offering to their needs.”