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Virgin Australia pimps its planes with free wi-fi & a new Economy class

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.

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!

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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.

Virgin Australia Economy X 3

“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.”

Virgin Australia Econonmy X 4

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!

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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.

Virgin Australia wi-fi

“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.”

What are your thoughts on Virgin Australia’s new Class and service?