VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: Gold Coast to Bali direct plus more Pacific destinations

Virgin is initiating a completely new daily route between the Gold Coast and Bali from 29 March 2023. That’s 2,000 seats per week, once it starts. Could this be the new surfer route? From one break to another?

“With the addition of the Gold Coast Airport terminal expansion and demand for Bali rising, the time is right to connect these two famous holiday destinations as well as the surf breaks, wellness activities and nightlife that comes with them.”

Jayne Hrdlicka, Virgin Australia Group CEO

Surfboards travel free

If you are carrying a Surfboard and it’s enclosed in a protective hardcase bag, with fins removed, and weighs less than 23kg and shorter than 3m – you won’t be charged any excess baggage fees. They will just be considered as part of your checked baggage allowance but only if you book a ‘Choice’ or ‘Flex’ fare. The cheapest ‘Lite’ fares do not include checked luggage.

Sydney and Melbourne to Bali starts this week

Virgin is returning to Bali this week. From Sydney to Denpasar from tomorrow – Wednesday 15 June, and out of Melbourne from Friday 17 June.

More short haul destinations in 2023: Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji, Bali, and Queenstown NZ

Don’t hold your breath though, some of these routes are almost a year away:

• Brisbane to Port Vila, Vanuatu starts 10 March 2023 (up to 5 flights/week)
• Sydney to Apia, Samoa starts 21 March 2023 (up to 3 flights/week)
• Brisbane to Apia, Samoa starts 23 March 2023 (up to 2 flights/week)

As an incentive to book ahead, you’ll get 2,000 Velocity Points when you book Virgin Australia flights to Bali, Fiji, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Samoa, for travel until 11 May 2023, as long as you book between 15 and 24 June 2022.

Super cheap introductory fares

These are available until midnight on Monday 20 June 2022, but remember they are all ‘Lite’ fares meaning no checked baggage, and only 7kg carry-on. Still if all you need is a pair of thongs, a cosi and a sarong, maybe some sunscreen – 7kg could be enough.

• Gold Coast – Bali from AU$399
• Brisbane – Bali from AU$469
• Melbourne – Bali from AU$479
• Sydney – Bali from AU$489
• Brisbane – Vanuatu from AU$469
• Sydney – Samoa from AU$549
• Brisbane – Samoa from AU$549
• Brisbane – Fiji from AU$449
• Sydney – Fiji from AU$459
• Melbourne – Fiji from AU$535

Check the conditions at the bottom of the press release for conditions.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

OMG return economy for AU$399! It’s tempting, isn’t it. On the downside, these fares don’t allow checked luggage, which means you will be in cramped economy for 6+ hours, and although you can get a daylight flight over (leaving from Sydney at 8 am), the return flights are almost always overnight (leaving Denpasar to Sydney at 11:25 pm local time).

I love Bali, but I have long ago abandoned economy for flights longer than 3 hours. Those overnight flights back from Bali are a killer – even if you are up the front of the plane.