Photo guide: Virgin Australia's business class seats and cabins

We've put together a handy illustrated guide to Virgin's business class seats -- in the order that you're likely to see them  -- to compare the different types of seat, amount of legroom and what you'll find on board.

Check out our guide on seat pitch and how that translates into your legroom and space on board if you need a refresher on how the numbers work.

Boeing 737-800

On most Virgin Australia flights, you'll find a Boeing 737-800. Nearly all those planes have the newly-installed business class seats in a small cabin at the front, with two rows of seats in a 2-2 configuration.

Most of Virgin's domestic flights use Boeing 737-800 planes with this business class cabin.

You'll get 38 inches of legroom, extra recline and the full Virgin Australia domestic business class experience.

Check out our guide to the best seats in business class on Virgin's 737-800s for more.

Embraer E-190

Virgin's E-190s will be refurbished with new wider business class seats in a 2-1 layout. Until then, the smaller jets see the same seats in business and economy, though they're over an inch wider than economy on the 737.

The new E-190 seat is proper business class -- but what will you see before the new seats are installed across the fleet?

Before the business class seat upgrade, business passengers get 34 inches of seat pitch, plus the seat next to you kept free.

So only four of the seats -- all windows -- are sold in business class before the seat upgrade. (Counting the seats available is also the best way to figure out if you'll be on a refurbished plane or not -- six seats means a refurb, four means you'll have the older style.)

Boeing 737-700 (and 737-800 without business)

The shortened version of the 737 doesn't have business class -- and won't, as Australian Business Traveller brought to you exclusively.

The best you can hope for on these planes is an economy-with-extra-legroom seat. That will be sold as business class (with a 50% rebate voucher if you've paid for business) until April.

After then, it will be sold as all-economy, with the extra legroom seats available for reservation by Velocity Frequent Flyer Platinum and Gold membrers.

That'll also be true for the few larger 737-800 planes making their way out of the Virgin fleet that won't have business class.

Airbus A330

Virgin Australia's Coast-to-Coast services to Perth on board its A330 aircraft is the airline's top domestic offering. You'll find 27 business class seats in the pointy end, with over 60 inches of seat pitch.

On A330 flights to Perth, you'll find these recliners with a decent amount of legroom -- but avoid that middle seat!

Virgin's food and drink offerings are top-of-the-range here as well, with what we rate as some of the best "medium-haul" food in the sky on the 4-5 hour flights to and from Perth.

Don't miss our guide to the best seats in business class on Virgin's A330s if you're on the Coast-to-Coast service.

Boeing 777

In business class on the 777, you'll find 33 flat bed seats in a 2-3-2 layout over five rows, with row 5 in its own mini-cabin.

Row 5 on Virgin's 777 gets its own curtained space...but check out our best seats guide, since there are a few downsides...

Have a look at our review of the old V Australia service across the Pacific, and refer to our guide to the best seats in business class on Virgin's 777 when picking your seat.

Premium Economy -- roughly similar in comfort to domestic business class -- sits behind, in five rows of a 2-4-2 configuration. Here's how to pick the best seats in premium economy on Virgin's 777.

ATR 72

There's no business class on the turboprop aircraft flown on regional flights and the Capital Connect service.

Virgin's ATRs are all-economy, although the relocation of the seat-pocket literature to eye level does give you some extra knee space.

Row 1 has extra legroom, but it's the furthest away from the door on the rear-boarding-only ATRs. 

With that rear door, the best seats on Virgin's ATRs are a little unusual...

Fokker 100

Since the mining-focussed flights on these planes use Alliance Airlines jets on behalf of Virgin, they're in an all-economy layout. There are some extra-legroom seats available at the front and by the over-wing exits.

John Walton

Aviation journalist and travel columnist John took his first long-haul flight when he was eight weeks old and hasn't looked back since. Well, except when facing rearwards in business class.