Virgin Australia Reviews 

BOOK AT YOUR OWN RISK TO YOUR SANITY!

At check in, they accepted $65 payment for excess baggage, only to then be unable to print a bag tag, and then told me bag drop has closed. They then said I could get on the plane if I run, but I can't take my suitcase. But I'm in a leg brace and can't run. Then they wouldn't refund my excess baggage amount.

In order to get a refund, I had to go to another counter, who told me I have to call the call center, who told me, after 30 minutes on hold, that I have to "apply" online. I couldn't find anything but dead-ends and links to policies, no where to apply for a refund. I phoned back the call center for help, and they advised they have never dealt with this before. After a lengthy wait on hold, they finally processed the payment over the phone. But I have to wait 10 business days to clear!

Such an absolute frustration for having terrible processes (or lack thereof), dead end websites and poor customer service support. I do expect some level of frustration with airlines, but this was next level. I've never had such difficulty resolving a simple issue. Would not recommend flying with this airline and I will be avoiding them like the plague in future.

We had planned a holiday of a lifetime to Australia. Part of the trip included a Virgin Australia leg. We decided to buy extra legroom. No online form, no email - you have to phone (we are in the UK). After being cut-off, being held in a queue & having pointless messages, I bought the extra legroom for £45. Very nice. The phone bill was £36!
I was then unfortunately diagnosed with a serious illness and have had to cancel the trip. EVERY other airline has been sympathetic and given us full refunds. Virgin Australia? Not a chance.

There's bad budget airlines, there's really bad budget airlines and then there is Virgin Australia.

I love travelling with virgin

Omg.. what has changed Virgin
I have never experienced the rudeness that was presented to me at the Brisbane Airport at 11 30am today as I booked my suitcase and proceeded through security. It wasn't a hello or polite reception received but more of a rude grunt. Also totally unhelpful when I asked a question. I have always promoted Virgin as the best to fly with but will be not ever flying with this airline again. Whist I don't require anything more than a polite friendly reception this experience was in my opinion the worst possible.
I think that considering all passengers are paying to fly that the staff need to ensure that it is a great experience. If there is bad moral within the company that is no fault of your customers.
I flew with another airline on the way to Brisbane and enjoyed a polite and stress free experience. In my view this company needs to do a reality check with their service. Who knows why people are needing to fly and it may be that they are dealing with a loss. Last thing one needs is the service of a rude assistant.
Virgin. I think you need to check your customer service.

The lounge was worst I had seen. We went to main terminal instead it was that bad.
Travel itself uneventful but left something on plane. Know exactly where and be in a place where probably not be found easily by cleaners as behind foot rest on business class seat. All the luggage line could keep doing was checking the computer and never logged anything for if found in future. Not even allowing for log to be put for maintaince to check, as item had lithium battery in it thought they would definatly want to ensure area clear.

My flight was 1.5hrs late. My bags were left on the tarmac in the rain and all my belongings were wet when collecting baggage in Adelaide. I was also not allowed to place my computer bag in the overhead locker as they wanted room for other people with multiple bags. I paid for a flight that I can sit in the uncomfortable seats with disgusting rips without having a bag under the seat taking up my leg room. Staff onboard were rude about this. I even asked to be taken off the plane. They didn't want to as they would have to find my bag and remove it. This would of delayed the flight even further, which is what I wanted due to their rudeness. WE KNOW THIS MEANS NOTHING TO VIRGIN AT ALL.

Really disappointing experience with Virgin Australia.
Originally booked Queenstown to Adelaide via Melbourne in October 2025 and paid for 23kg check-in baggage. Had to change the flight in January 2026 through the online system. New route became via Sydney.
No warning anywhere that changing the flight would wipe the baggage I had already paid for.
Only found out on the day of travel... when I checked the booking and saw no baggage allowance.
Called customer service. First person just repeated the “rules” and told me I had to buy baggage again. Asked to speak to someone senior. Waited around 15 minutes. Second person said the same thing. No real help. Just “file a complaint” and maybe I can try get the money back later.
So I was forced to pay NZD $87 again for checked baggage I had already purchased once before.
That is not good service. That is not transparent. And it leaves customers feeling trapped into paying twice.
If baggage gets forfeited when changing a booking, say it clearly during the online change process. Hiding behind policy after the fact is just poor form.
Very unhappy with this experience.

I’m a frequent @VirginAustralia flyer on the MEL route and I’m disappointed with a recurring seating issue. I often pay extra for Row 4 or bid for upgrades, but was recently told 4C was unavailable/booked, only to board and find the entire row empty. It's frustrating when transparency isn't being delivered. Can someone please look into this and explain....

I recently caught a number of Virgin flights in Australia for the first time, having had dreadful experinces with the opposition.
I must say one profound impression is that I found Virgin staff very friendly and helpful! Well done to Virgin management for that.
I was also pleased to find the planes ALL ran very closely to schedule (unlike the Opposition). So while some may criticise Virgin, my experience shows them to be the best choice for domestic flights in Australia.

Absolute worst customer service.

After spending an hour on the phone trying to resolve a simple name change, we were met with a dismissive “computer says no” attitude and then, incredibly, the agent hung up on us. No resolution, just abruptly cut off and left with no option but to consider cancelling our trip altogether.

What makes this even worse is that when we called back, another agent resolved the issue without difficulty. So clearly, the problem wasn’t the request, it was the lack of effort and professionalism from the first agent.

We were so shocked by being hung up on that we submitted a formal complaint, only to receive a response defending the agent’s behaviour and stating that no compensation would be offered. For clarity, we never asked for compensation. We expected accountability and basic customer service standards.

If hanging up on customers is considered “acting accordingly,” then there is a serious issue with both training and company values.

“I booked a return flight with Air Canada, and the connecting flight from Brisbane is operated by Virgin Australia. There was no option to select seats for the Virgin Australia segment. When I called Virgin Australia, they said they couldn’t help because the ticket was booked through Air Canada. When I called Air Canada, they said they couldn’t help because the operating airline is Virgin Australia. So I was basically pushed back and forth.
Just a heads‑up — if you ever need seat selection, Virgin Australia may not be the best option unless you book directly with them.”

I travelled on my flight VA734 (Gold Coast to Melbourne) last week on Saturday, 21st Mar 2026 at 11:30am, and sat in seat 30C with my 1-year-old son.
On this flight, I had such an unpleasant experience with 2 flight attendants - a white male, in his 30s with short hair, and a middle-aged lady with dark hair, tanned skin and lots of makeup.

Once we were in the air and the seatbelt sign was turned off, I got up and had my son in the baby carrier, as he was due for a nap. I was unable to sit in my seat as the arm rests on both sides were too narrow and pressed on my son's legs if I sat with him in the carrier. I stood at the back, slightly past the bathrooms, so as to not block passengers using the bathrooms. The flight attendants had their cart all the way up the front for the plane, and started serving passengers. When they saw me standing near their precious protected area, the male flight attendant signalled to me from afar to get away from there, then he proceeded to walk all the way down the aisle and said in a condescending way "you be in here ma'am, it's for your own safety". I'm confused as to what safety that is, as all the cupboards were shut and I was not touching anything - I was not even near anything. But I merely smiled and complied, for I did not want to be the nuisance they thought I was.

I then moved to row 31, where it was completely empty and blocked off for "cabin crew use", even though the cabin crew were busy serving passengers and never once utilised this row in the 2 hour flight. I did not sit in that row, merely stood there with my son in the baby carrier while he slept. When the flight attendants approached the end of the plane, they served everyone but walked past and ignored me when I asked politely "may I have some water please?" Another passenger sitting across from me heard me and found that strange and rude, so she asked for a cup of water for me, which the flight attendants gave her to pass to me, instead of giving the cup of water directly to me.

When I sat down briefly to drink my water on that precious and protected row 31, the middle-aged flight attendant who refused to serve me came up to me and said abruptly and rudely, "You can't sit here. I'm going to have to ask you to move. I'm trying to do my job here!". I burst into tears because I felt intimidated by the passive aggression and rude and abrupt directions and instructions given by the Virgin cabin crew on that flight. I returned to my seat in row 30C, and as soon as I sat down, my son woke up because his legs were being pressed against the narrow arm rests. The passengers next to me who witnessed everything, were lovely - they comforted me and assisted me with my son.

Throughout the flight, my son was happy, pleasant, and did not grizzly or cry. He either slept in the baby carrier or sat on my lap reading books. We were not demanding and agreed to all the excessive and abrupt directions and instructions that the flight attendants rudely and passive aggressively gave.

This is not at all what I expected to experience from Virgin. If you are a parent or have to fly with someone whom you are caring for, I would recommend you NOT fly with Virgin, but fly Jetstar or Qantas instead, since the Virgin appears to treat you like a nuisance, and will not understand the mental and physical load you have of caring for a small child or dependent.

Really disappointed with the boarding experience on this Virgin flight. One staff member was extremely rude and spoke in a very condescending tone. Passengers who paid extra for Economy X were made to wait until the very end of the queue, which defeats the purpose of priority boarding. We had an issue with the QR code on our phone, but instead of politely helping resolve it, we were spoken to like children and sent to the back of the line. It felt disrespectful and poorly handled, especially given the extra cost. Let’s hope she felt really good about herself after that. Staff need to be better trained in customer service, especially in a role that relies heavily on social interaction and communication.
If you’re having a bad day, don’t bring that attitude to work—one rotten egg can spoil the rest.

The employees need serious training in customer service and basic manners. Their behaviour is witnessed towards elderly passengers and their total disregard for general politeness is genuinly concerning. I felt so bad for the poor older woman next to me who wanted to use the bathroom, the young boy working for virgin was practically clenching is jaw at the fact she stood up and he wanted to get past. Really disgusted

Surly unhelpful difficult unfair unsympathetic check-in staff

The most unfriendly check in crew I have ever experienced. Rude, arrogant, threatening and dismissive. Will never fly with them again.

Would recommend

The staff were rude. Unable to select seats without an additional fee. Everything on the plane has to be paid for, including food and any drink besides water. Use Jetstar, their flights are cheaper, their service is better and staff are more helpful.

I would like to sincerely thank Gienah from Virgin Australia for her outstanding customer service. She was extremely helpful and handled my issue very professionally and patiently. She listened carefully, understood my problem, and worked everything out smoothly. Gienah was very kind, polite, and supportive throughout the entire process. I truly appreciate her efforts and the positive attitude she showed. Staff members like her make the travel experience much better.

Inexcusable ground service. We spent 50 minutes in a bag drop queue—nearly the duration of the actual flight—simply because they didn't have enough staff to cope. Virgin Australia’s response to my feedback was a generic "sorry we didn't meet expectations," which highlights the arrogance of the Australian airline duopoly. They know we have no other choices, so they don't bother to pick up their act. We need more competition in our skies because this current level of service is a joke.