Virgin Australia launches Economy X 'extra legroom' seats
By David Flynn, March 30 2017
Virgin Australia will offer economy class passengers more legroom, priority boarding and exclusive access to overhead locker space as part of its new Economy X service launching on domestic flights from May 2017.
Other perks will include premium check-in and noise-cancelling headphones, as well as a 'guaranteed first meal choice' on flights where a full meal is served.
Virgin Australia Economy X pricing will start from $29 extra on short domestic flights such as Sydney-Melbourne and Sydney-Brisbane, with the price increasing as flights become longer.
Trans-Tasman flights as well as Melbourne-Perth will cost $49, with Sydney-Perth and Brisbane-Perth at $59, topping out at $149 between Australia and Los Angeles.
Velocity Platinum frequent flyers will be able to pre-select Economy X seats free of charge on domestic and trans-Tasman flights when making their booking or any time before check-in, along with any companions travelling on the same booking.
However, they will no longer enjoy exclusive access to the prized row 3 on the Boeing 737s – that row, with its sit-down-and-stretch-out legroom, will also be available to savvy economy travellers regardless of status, provided they pay the Economy X surcharge and know to select a seat in row 3.
"People tell us they want speed on the ground and space in the air," said Virgin Australia Airlines Group CEO John Thomas in launching the Economy X package at Sydney Airport today.
"We believe this will revolutionise the domestic economy travel experience."
The Economy X package will replace the airline's current Space+ option, which starts at $20 but offers fewer inclusions and is limited to the emergency exit rows of Virgin Australia’s Boeing 737-800s and other domestic aircraft.
The Space+ rows on Virgin Australia's Boeing 737-800
Virgin will convert the first three rows of the economy cabin (rows 3-5) on its workhorse Boeing 737-800 jets into an Economy X zone...
... with "a minimum of three inches (7.62cm) extra legroom" or 34 inches of pitch over the 31 inches of regular economy seats.
The move was exclusively tipped by Australian Business Traveller in December 2016 following a series of closed-door focus groups held by the airline and its top-tier Velocity Frequent Flyer members.
Virgin expects most of its Boeing 737 fleet to be reconfigured for Economy X by the end of May.
Economy X will also be rolled out on Virgin's Airbus A330 jets, with eight seats in row 28; and on the international Boeing 777-300ER fleet, with 57 seats at rows 20-25, 26 and 39.
Regional ATR jets will have Economy X at row 1; Fokker 70s at row 11; and Fokker 100s and Embraeur 190s at row 12.
Economy X takes a leaf from the playbook of domestic US airlines where passengers can pay an additional fee to be seated in an Economy Plus, Economy Comfort or Main Cabin Extra row at the front of the economy cabin for extra legroom, priority boarding and dedicated overhead luggage space (as well as being among the first passengers off the flight).
Economy X on the Boeing 737
So what's the Economy X legroom really like?
Here's the view at row 4, which has a 34 inch pitch and measures 15 inches from the front of the cushion to the rear of the seat ahead.
For comparison's sake here's the standard economy legroom of a 31 inch pitch, which translates to 11.5 inches from the front of your seat cushion to the rear of the seat in front.
Of course, row 3 remains the prize: located directly behind the bulkhead wall of the business class cabin (which Virgin has nudged forward to help free up the extra inches for the Economy X rows), there's a lazy 30 inches of legroom.
More to follow...
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.
Air New Zealand - Airpoints
10 Aug 2015
Total posts 79
Any hints as to what will be available for top tier partner pax?
Turkish Airlines - Miles & Smiles
08 Jun 2014
Total posts 262
Main Cabin Extra with Delta, a long name but also gets you priority boarding if you don't have an elite status...
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
07 Feb 2015
Total posts 150
It's actually called Delta Comfort+ now but yes you're correct about the priority boarding and dedicated bin space.
QFF
12 Apr 2013
Total posts 1559
IMHO very positive move. Though I do not believe in commercial success - herd wanna save a dollar. Also I am curious where they got those 9"? It is not enough to remove one row and if they where forced to remove one row then they will create more Economy-X rows. Do they squash rest of economy seats by few mils? And main question - will our "national flag carrier" follow?
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Jan 2014
Total posts 320
I see merit in this and a good move from VA, Good point Serg in regards to QF response but I have always considered JQ would be the one to look at this seriously, many routes in Australia are only covered by JQ with no QF available, to be able to offer a few rows at the front with extra legroom and a few perks would be well recieved,
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Jul 2014
Total posts 143
Didn't they only launch the space+ option a few months ago?
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
19 Mar 2014
Total posts 567
Where does this leave gold pax?
23 Feb 2016
Total posts 33
Nothing will change for gold. These seats will open up for gold like they always have 48 hours before the flight.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
16 Jun 2015
Total posts 4
Hi Jorgb,
21 Feb 2014
Total posts 10
Having used the Space+ iteration AKL-BNE, I think this is a great idea, and tbh Y+ is outrageous for the little benefits you get.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
30 May 2013
Total posts 383
Low cost? Full service? Who knows with VA these days. It's just one change after another lately. No consistency whatsoever.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 May 2014
Total posts 463
Great news for us longer-legged flyers. Well done VA. It will be interesting to see how available these seat are to non-Platinums who are prepared the pay for the extra room.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
21 Jul 2014
Total posts 143
Imagine it's first in first server if you pay for it on booking
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
20 Jan 2016
Total posts 59
So this is very welcome if confusing.. It seems to be a straight replacement for Space+, I'm not seeing any difference. It is also very welcome that Plat flyers will be able to select these free, as it improves what is currently a very poor plat offering from VA. Of course this does also lead to the question of will current plat flyers be refunded for space+ bookings they have on upcoming flights? Actually I think I know the answer to that.
25 Feb 2013
Total posts 61
I wonder if this means that they will clamp down on seating myself (Platinum) and my wife (Gold) together in Row 3?
25 Feb 2013
Total posts 61
I wonder if this means that they will clamp down on seating myself (Platinum) and my wife (Gold) together in Row 3?
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2563
If your wife is on the same booking, you're both good for free access to Economy X.
04 Mar 2015
Total posts 17
Air New Zealand offer a Space+ for Koru, Gold and Gold Elite passengers. Theirs is the whole front half of the aircraft.
27 Jan 2016
Total posts 52
Great move, and a good to see VA doing something to differentiate them to QF. If I was plat i wouldnt be too concerned with all the front rows filling up. Every time i fly Virgin and ask for exit rows, they always oblidge willingly.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
22 Apr 2013
Total posts 143
Bit-by-bit, they're progressively marginalising their top tier FF pax. It's like they're actually TRYING to drive away their highest value customers.
30 Mar 2017
Total posts 6
I totally agree ,ive had the same feeling since they cut back the fly ahead even for platinum.
QF
11 Jul 2014
Total posts 1024
I know people who fly VA because of row 3. Making a quick exist off the plane is important and most of these people don't just earn 800 status credits a year. It's good marketing but they need to also watch they don't annoy the decision makers.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
08 May 2014
Total posts 48
I flew on a VA 737 last Thursday CBR-MEL, seated in row 4.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Jul 2011
Total posts 1374
Was announced that they have already sneakily converted about half the fleet.
24 Oct 2010
Total posts 2563
Yes, Virgin Australia has already got a lot of 737s with Economy X flying, they tell me they deliberately tried to keep them off the Brisbane-Sydney-Melbourne 'triangle' in case somebody spotted the extra legroom in rows 4 and 5 and put it up on social media :P
18 Jan 2017
Total posts 51
" exclusive access to overhead locker space".
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
20 Aug 2014
Total posts 170
Two questions:
03 May 2012
Total posts 120
No, he means 30". Pure leg room, not seat pitch.
30 Mar 2017
Total posts 6
Velocity platinum members will mostly loose our row 3 ,yet another perk taken away lately from virgins best customers .
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
04 Oct 2016
Total posts 37
When did VA have Fokker 70's?
Etihad - Etihad Guest
06 Apr 2012
Total posts 124
Will be particularly welcomed by folks regularly flying between Perth and the East Coast I suspect.
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
26 May 2014
Total posts 463
With regard to Perth flights, I read that there will not be any additional extra leg room seats on the A330, just row 28 as it is now.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
14 Mar 2017
Total posts 152
Why would you put these in Row 1 on the ATR? The best rows on the ATR are right at the back... where the door is.
11 Dec 2016
Total posts 11
Considering comments about Platinums about getting seated near Reds in row 3 when economy hasn't been That full, it makes sense to charge for row 3
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
02 Nov 2014
Total posts 23
Not much hope for taller passengers as I suspect that all the Economy X seats will be snapped up earlier by shorties. I wish that we could return to the days when exit row seats were allocated to tall passengers at check in time.
Virgin Australia - Velocity Rewards
25 Aug 2016
Total posts 2
Just another example of the dilution of the Virgin Australia product for regular (Platinum) flyers. Slowly turning it back to those horrible "Blue" days......
20 Dec 2013
Total posts 5
Maybe I'm being too elitist, but as a platinum member -I've earned those seats and priority boarding through loyalty. If I'd know I could pay $30 for it.. why bother being loyal. Defeats the concept if a 'loyalty program;' when you can pay to play. I'm sure it'll be hard for VA to say no to revenue from a paid seat upgrade over a no cost Platinum member too.
21 Dec 2012
Total posts 44
They really had VA Plats that fly economy at this focus group? And they suggested it was a good idea to give up one of the few remaining real benefits to top tier FFs?
21 Jul 2014
Total posts 13
I hope as a platinum flyer this does not reduce my benefits as I am sure many corporates will pay the extra because it is not their money relegating me to seats further back - if it does then I am going back to Qantas - Virgin beware "do not reduce the platinum benefits any further"
30 Mar 2017
Total posts 6
Hi guys,i see my other VA platinum members are as upset as i am for another blow to our hard earned benefits.Please let them know on there facebook page and i even emailed CEO John Borghetti as now its almost a no brainer to go to Qantas after this.However its the time it takes to build up status with a new airline which will be a major inconvenience for business travel until platinum is acheived again.See the following text of my facebook post...........The decision to include row 3 and priority boarding is madness ,you have upset all of your supposed most loyal platinum members.[see Australian business traveler website comments on this subject] .Why not make it at least rows 4 5 and 6?As platinum members we all pay at least 10s of thousands of dollars a year to earn our status and remain loyal.it will be almost impossible to get row 3 now,of course VA will take the revenue firstly over saving platinum priority seats firstly,priority boarding and check in will be much busier also.The lounges will be much more difficult to get a seat at peak times due to the afl football packages you guys offer ,and l aready the Melbourne lounge is hard to get a seat at peak times.Just in the last few months you took away fly ahead on saver fares,less status credits,no status bonus points all for even your platinum.What is the point of remaining loyal now?such a shame as all the staff,cabin crew and especially the lounge staff at Canberra and Melbourne are so great yet you have such bad decision makers in the head offices.I will be watching this space very carefully in the near future as to who to fly my 130 sectors a year with .VA needs to do some major platinum benefit upgrade to keep us.And with your earlier decision to make VIP lounges without platinum access what reason do we have left to choose VA over Qantas????
23 Oct 2014
Total posts 239
Platinum members get this for free, non platinum guests need to pay for spacex.
21 Dec 2012
Total posts 44
@DownSouth - we know that WP get it for free, the issue is that by making it generally available the seats will be bought by people more often, meaning that the seats are never available to Plats. That it will be a benefit that is not really a benefit because you can never use it.
23 Oct 2014
Total posts 239
I'm sure the airline would of hold out seats (row3) for the final bookings close to flight date and avail to platinum guests. That would seem logical and reasonable, standard procedure for any airline in any premium cabin.
21 Dec 2012
Total posts 44
the article and Virgin's own press releases say that you can buy row 3 seats straight away when making your booking - just pony up the $29 and you're in.
11 Apr 2017
Total posts 1
Strongly agree with all previous sentiment that Platinum is being devalued quicker than the Rand.
21 Dec 2012
Total posts 44
interesting to which posts get downvoted, seems like posts by frequent flyers critical of the change are being knocked down.
QF
11 Jul 2014
Total posts 1024
I've seen the new John about, next time I see him I will be saying, I buy flexi fares, I earn a lot more then 800 status credits and Qantas staff want to know why I don't fly with them more often. Row 3 is one reason why.
11 Dec 2016
Total posts 11
Let's face it - the bottom line is VA Needs Revenue - BADLY!
23 May 2012
Total posts 35
So they needed 7" - to stretch row 4 and row 5. In row 3 the other day I didn't notice it was 7" less pitch. But it must be, right? David says row 3 has 30" clear legroom, does this mean it had 37" before??
Hi Guest, join in the discussion on Virgin Australia launches Economy X 'extra legroom' seats