Flying across a continent in a single stretch is no small feat—especially when you’re doing it in economy class on a narrow-body aircraft. But that’s exactly what I set out to experience on Virgin Australia’s brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 8, covering the marathon route from Brisbane to Perth. At a distance of over 3,600 kilometres and a scheduled flight time of five hours and forty-five minutes, this is officially Australia’s longest domestic flight.
The purpose of this review is to take you inside the full economy class experience on Virgin Australia in 2025. I’ll walk you through every part of the journey—from the airport experience and the brand-new aircraft itself, to the seating, inflight entertainment, food and beverage options, and of course, whether the experience exceeded or underwhelmed expectations. Spoiler alert: there were more than a few surprises along the way.
Starting Point: A Scenic Detour via Newcastle
While the core journey was from Brisbane to Perth, the story begins in Newcastle, New South Wales. That’s where I kicked off the trip, knowing I had just a short stopover in Brisbane that wouldn’t allow time to film an intro. Newcastle’s regional airport is a smaller but surprisingly efficient facility. I boarded an Alliance Airlines Fokker 100, an aging aircraft type that has earned near-legendary status in Australia, particularly in Western Australia where it’s still widely used.
This short hop up to Brisbane, lasting just under an hour, was a nostalgic experience. The Fokker 100 might be over 30 years old, but it remains a solid and charming aircraft to fly on, especially for avgeeks. Once in Brisbane, I had only 45 minutes to connect, so I prepared for a sprint through the terminal to catch the next leg—the main event: Brisbane to Perth on Virgin’s fresh 737 MAX 8.
Brisbane Airport: Australia’s Third-Busiest Airport
Upon landing in Brisbane, the weather was warm and humid, typical for early September in Queensland. Brisbane Airport, serving as the country’s third-busiest Airport, was buzzing with activity. It currently connects passengers to 32 international and 62 domestic destinations, handling more than 24 million passengers a year. The domestic terminal is modern, spacious, and well-signed, making the quick gate transfer surprisingly stress-free despite the short layover.
My gate for the Perth flight was already boarding by the time I arrived. There was no time to grab a bite or browse the terminal shops—this was a direct gate-to-gate sprint. Fortunately, Virgin Australia supports dual-door boarding in Brisbane, meaning passengers can board from both the front and the rear stairs. With a tarmac walk to the aircraft, the excitement started to build as I got my first up-close look at the aircraft taking us across the country.
A Brand-New Bird: The Virgin Australia Boeing 737 MAX 8
There’s something thrilling about flying on a brand-new plane, and this one couldn’t have been fresher. Our aircraft, registered VH-8VA, had only entered commercial service five days earlier. Delivered straight from Boeing’s production line in Seattle in late August 2025, this was the aircraft’s 12th ever flight and its third time flying the Brisbane to Perth route.
The aircraft gleamed in the Virgin Australia livery, and it was exciting to know we’d be crossing the continent on a jet still in its first week of service. Boarding was seamless despite the busy gate area. The airline was running a full flight, so hopes for an empty middle seat were quickly dashed. Still, excitement was high as I made my way to seat 27F, located on the right-hand side near the rear of the aircraft.
First Impressions: Cabin Design and Seating
The cabin of the Virgin Australia 737 MAX 8 is fitted with 168 economy seats arranged in a 3-3 configuration, and 8 business class seats up front in a 2-2 configuration. Economy seats are the Collins Meridian slimline models, offering around 30 inches of seat pitch. While the legroom isn’t extravagant, the seats are cleverly designed with a few thoughtful touches that make a long flight like this more bearable.
Each seat comes with a four-way adjustable headrest, USB-A charging port, and a tablet holder built into the tray table. The cabin itself felt incredibly fresh, as expected on a brand-new aircraft. The overhead bins were spacious, the lighting was crisp and modern, and there was no sense of wear and tear anywhere. Despite its slimline design, the seat was quite comfortable and supportive, especially for a narrow-body aircraft tasked with flying nearly six hours across the Australian continent.
Takeoff from Brisbane: A Smooth Departure
After a short pushback and taxi, we lined up for departure. Takeoff from Brisbane was smooth and scenic, providing stunning views of the coastline before making a westward turn toward the red centre of the country. As we climbed to cruising altitude—set for 36,000 feet—the cabin settled, and passengers began to relax into the journey ahead.
As someone who has flown this route before (albeit on older aircraft), it was refreshing to see how much quieter and more fuel-efficient the 737 MAX 8 is compared to its predecessors. The engines were noticeably quieter during both takeoff and cruise, and the ride was smoother than I had anticipated, at least for the first part of the flight.
Virgin Australia’s In-Flight Entertainment System: Stream to Your Device
One of the main differences in flying Virgin Australia in 2025 is the airline’s approach to in-flight entertainment. Gone are the seatback screens. Instead, Virgin Australia offers a “stream-to-your-device” platform, available on all 737 aircraft including the MAX 8. Passengers can connect using the onboard Wi-Fi portal, accessible via a QR code in the seat pocket or by navigating to a dedicated web address.
Once connected, the platform offers a modest selection of entertainment options. There are new-release movies, classic films, TV box sets, documentaries, and some children’s programming. While the content library is decent, it’s not frequently updated. Having flown with Virgin several times this year, I noticed that many of the offerings hadn’t changed much, so it may leave frequent flyers a bit underwhelmed.
There is one notable omission: a moving map. For many aviation enthusiasts, not being able to track the flight’s progress in real time is a disappointing absence. That said, the streaming system worked smoothly throughout the flight, with minimal buffering and good device compatibility.
Onboard Wi-Fi: Available, But at a Cost
In addition to the entertainment portal, Wi-Fi connectivity is available for purchase. For economy passengers, pricing is fairly straightforward: $9.95 gets you 30 minutes of access, while $19.95 covers the entire flight. Business class passengers enjoy complimentary access.
While not the cheapest inflight Wi-Fi on the market, the pricing isn’t unreasonable—particularly when you consider the duration of the flight. A five-hour connection for twenty dollars works out to around $3.50 per hour, which is quite competitive for inflight services. However, I opted not to use it this time, preferring instead to download everything I needed in advance.
Mid-Flight Service: Food and Beverage on a Buy-On-Board Basis
Shortly after reaching cruising altitude, the cabin crew prepared for the inflight service. However, as we began tracking southwest over outback New South Wales, turbulence caused the service to be delayed. Once smoother skies returned, the crew resumed the inflight offerings, but with hot beverages suspended for safety reasons.
In economy class, Virgin Australia operates on a buy-on-board model. Complimentary items are limited to tea, coffee, and water. Everything else, including snacks, soft drinks, alcohol, and meals, comes at an additional cost. While I forgot to capture a photo of the menu, I’ve flown the airline often enough to know the standard fare.
Available snacks include chips, cookies, and chocolate bars, while more substantial options like toasties and sandwiches are available for longer flights. For flights exceeding three and a half hours, Virgin also offers hot meals on select longer international flights. On this particular flight despite its distance, it did not appear that the two meal options which were a tomato and basil pasta priced at $9, and a butter chicken curry for $16 were available.
I opted for the snack and beer combo, which came in at $22. This price seems to creep up every time I fly—just a year ago, the same combo cost 20. Still, it provided something to break up the journey and was more than enough to tide me over until arrival.
Lavatories and Cleanliness: What You’d Expect From a New Aircraft
Three lavatories are available onboard the 737 MAX 8—one at the front for business class and two at the rear for economy passengers. I had the chance to visit one of the rear ones mid-flight. As expected on a narrow-body jet, the space was tight but manageable.
More importantly, the facilities were spotlessly clean, modern, and stocked with basic amenities including a coat hook and a baby change table. The sense of freshness carried throughout the cabin, a testament to the aircraft’s newness and the crew’s commitment to cleanliness.
Over the Outback: Scenic Highlights en Route to Perth
One of the joys of flying across Australia is witnessing the diverse landscapes that span the country. Midway through the flight, we passed over the South Australian capital of Adelaide, offering spectacular views of the city and the Gulf St. Vincent. Shortly after, we crossed the Yorke Peninsula, then ventured over the vast expanse of the Great Australian Bight.
Unfortunately, clouds obscured much of the coastal view, but things cleared up as we approached Western Australia’s wheat belt region. The descent into Perth was smooth and scenic, culminating in a beautiful approach over the suburbs and into Perth International Airport.
Arrival in Perth: Wrapping Up the Journey
Touchdown in Perth was on time, landing at 1:00 PM local time. After nearly six hours in the air, the experience came to a smooth conclusion. Disembarkation was quick, and the crew made clear announcements regarding time zone changes, safety instructions, and baggage claim information.
Stepping off the aircraft, I couldn’t help but reflect on what was a surprisingly enjoyable journey. Virgin Australia’s 737 MAX 8, while not revolutionary in itself, offered a far more comfortable ride than I had expected—especially for a low-cost, narrow-body aircraft on such a long route.
Final Thoughts: Is It Worth Flying Virgin Australia Economy Across Australia?
Going into this flight, my expectations were modest. A narrow-body plane, a low-cost airline model, and nearly six hours in economy class didn’t exactly scream comfort or luxury. But I came away impressed.
From the modern seating and USB charging ports, to the stable streaming entertainment and clean, well-maintained cabin, Virgin Australia’s new 737 MAX 8 aircraft offers a solid product for long-haul domestic travel. The crew were professional and upbeat, even in the face of turbulence-related delays. Pricing for food and drinks could be more competitive, but overall value was quite good.
For $359 total (covering both the Newcastle–Brisbane and Brisbane–Perth legs), the journey was great value—especially when considering the length of the trip and the quality of the aircraft.
Would I fly this route again in economy on Virgin Australia? Absolutely. The airline has quietly improved its product, and with a growing fleet of 737 MAX 8s, it’s well-positioned to offer a competitive and comfortable experience on Australia’s longest domestic route.
Disclaimer: This article has been repurposed from the original transcript of my own flight review with the assistance of AI technologies. Please be advised whilst I have taken the utmost care to review and revise this article where necessary to reflect the upmost of accuracy at time of publication please be advised my reviews whether written or in video form are for entertainment and general information purposes only. They reflect the objective views in good faith of the person only whom is presenting them unless otherwise noted. Any decisions you make resulting from consuming my content must take into consideration your own circumstances, research and responsibility as I can not be hold responsible for any inaccuracies or future changes effecting the relativity of such reviews. All Rights Reserved by Aussie JetSetter from 2022 >
