whats the probality i will get a new virgin australia cabin(econmy) on a b737-800 and/or a E190?

whats the probality i will get a new virgin australia cabin(econmy) on a b737-800 and/or a E190?

i want to travel adl-perth in january 2013

Thanks-and sorry about all the q's ive been asking:-)

All of the B737-800s have been refitted with new seats, so you'll definitely get a new cabin.

I don't think any of the E190s have been refitted yet, I still rate the E190 seats as better than anything on a 737 (it's a 2-2 layout, so there's no middle seat, the seats are wider, the windows are bigger, etc etc etc).

VH-ZPR has been refitted, I am not sure how many other E190s.

I'm afraid not all the B737-800 cabins have the new economy. The majority have the new business, but even many of those still have the old blue and red leather seats. The upside of these is that the 'live2air' system is complimentary on these old seats. All E190's still have the red and blue leather seats in economy.

Live2Air is not complimentary on extended flights, where the scheduled duration is more than 2 hours (such as ADL-PER) – you'd need to pay the $10 access fee for the Live2Air stuff, if you want that.

chrisjrn and frequentflyer, 2 diffrent answers!!  Could anyone else shed some light on if virgin oz's b738's ALL are refurbushed with cattle class???       Thanks, qUantas

Hey qUantas,

chrisjrm is correct, all -800 aircraft have now been either refitted with the new slimline seats or refurbished with new seat covers put over the old live2air seats. The last remaining -800 aircraft with the blue/red seating exited the fleet last month (Rego - VOD)

So you'll definitely get one with the at least new seating, however, if your after the brand new -800s with the new BSI interior, its a bit of a hit n miss as they only make up a small percentage of the fleet so far but new deliveries are arriving approximatly 1 a month. You could always try a flight tracking website to see if you can spot a pattern with the BSI aircrafts routes (BSI regos start with VH-Y**) but even that wouldn't be accurate as they are constantly changing.

Hope this helps a little :)

I second what VA773ER says. However if you're flying economy - it doesn't really matter. BSI gives you a different overhead bin, fluid cabin lighting changes and a different window fascia. 

Unfortunately I must again beg to differ. I just stepped off a Virgin flight which had the old blue/red leather seats in economy, and yes there was live2air available, it was played for free.

Thanks va773er and tronixstuff- it is really confusing!  Which seats would you go for- live2air or slimline seats?? 

But have they all got new livery?  Thanks, qUantas

Nothing confusing about it - it's economy and you can't choose your aircraft type. So you have to go with the flow. For economy I don't care about which plane it is - I get the second exit row, aisle seat. I don't watch TV at home so live2air isn't a benefit. Not sure about the new livery, don't really pay much attention anymore. 

If I had the option to choose, I'd pick the old live2air seats not only does it have the seatback IFE, but the seats are also a bit more comfortable than the new slimline seats, as you can imagine being "slimline" comes at a cost losing quite a bit of padding but may give slightly more leg room....or at least the 'illusion' of more knee/leg room if your slightly taller than the average joe otherwiase theres always the exit rows, in particular the second exit row as tronixstuff mentioned earlier as this row also reclines where as the first exit row does not.

As for the livery, its progressing well but your still more likely to get the old virgin blue livery at this stage.

I'd agree with tronixstuff, the second aisle of emergency rows are the best, either that or row 3 if you can. That way you get the extra leg room and recline.

Was the aircraft a 737-700 or an -800. Many remaining 737-700 aircraft still have the blue/red seats and live2air and will not be refitted/refurbished as they will be exiting the fleet in the near future.

chrisjrn, all the B737-800 and B737-700 aircraft now have the updated business and economy class interiors. All Embraer 190s will be refitted to the proper 2-1 business class layout and divider, including updated economy seating and this process starts November and will be completed by March 2013. All B737, A330, and E190 aircraft will receive wifi entertainment technology starting this year, completed by March 2014 on all aircraft types.. Hope this helps.