Virgin Australia is splashing $110 million on fleet upgrades to improve passenger comfort
Aussies travelled will soon benefit from a suite of multimillion-dollar upgrades to Virgin Australia’s fleet. See why and what’s planned.
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EXCLUSIVE
The battle for air travel dollars has intensified, with Virgin committing to $110 million of fleet upgrades to improve passenger comfort.
Following a two-year prototype study, the airline on Saturday showcased its new Boeing 737-8 aircraft cabin interior, most of which will be rolled out across its broader fleet by 2025.
The most noticeable upgrades are a 50 per cent boost overhead locker space and in-seat power to all economy and business class seats.
The economy seats have improved ergonomics and comfort, including ribbed backing and a personal device holder.
Business class seats are wider and have leg rests with extendable footrests, storage compartments and device holders.
Wi-Fi and free in-flight entertainment will also be introduced across the majority of its fleet, following customer feedback.
In the most recent airline performance review, Virgin recorded 74.1 per cent for on time arrivals in May. It achieved the highest on time arrivals among the major domestic airlines at 74.3 per cent, the Department of Transport report shows. This is slightly above the industry average of 74 per cent.
Virgin Australia Group chief customer and digital officer Paul Jones said the new fit-out was based on customer feedback of those who flew on two of its fleet fitted with the prototype interior.
“If you look at the business community, what matters most to them outside of network schedule is in-seat power and in-flight Wi-Fi. There’s also a huge number of customers who fly with us for leisure who value in-seat power for a different reason – powering devices to keep their kids entertained, or streaming and bingeing on the latest must-see shows,” he said.
“With the reconfiguration of our cabin interior, we are also able to add more seats to the market.”
The new Boeing 737-8, which will fly Aussies to Japan, arrived in Brisbane this week as part of a suit of eight being added to Virgin’s fleet by early 2024. The company will also take delivery of 25 Boeing 737-10 in the near future. These aircraft will be at least 15 per cent more fuel efficient compared to its existing Boeing 737-800 NGs.
It comes after Jetstar recently announced it promised cheaper flights and fewer delays, as it ushered in a new aircraft to its fleet “to boost punctuality and reliability”.
Jetstar has taken delivery of a handful of its new fleet of 18 Airbus A321neo LR, which it boast uses 20 per cent less fuel and had 99.8 per mechanical reliability.
They are 50 per cent quieter than similar sized Airbuses, can fly further, have wider seats with USB power and extra-overhead storage.
Jetstar also made changes to its check-in and baggage drop time frames in a bid to better meet its flight schedules and reduce delays.
Originally published as Virgin Australia is splashing $110 million on fleet upgrades to improve passenger comfort
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