Perth to Sydney: 332 or 73H - economy?

[dantab]

Hi

I'm booking a Perth to Sydney, return, economy ticket with Virgin Australia and I'm wondering whether it would be better to go with the 332 (A330-200) flight, which is at a slightly less convenient time, or the 73H (737-800?) flight, which is at a slightly more convenient time?

What is the difference between the economy seats on these two aircrafts?

Cheers
Dan

 

[mannej]

Comfort wise no question - 332 all the way

 

[toowongman]

332 has larger WCs, you can go for a bit of a walk to stretch, IFE in all seats, if the plane isn't full you can usually get two seats to yourself.
From memory the legroom isn't too bad either, for example:

 

[legalistic]

Go the A332 and down a few more in the lounge while you wait

 

[BNEFlyer]

I'm sorry I don't understand the question. I've scheduled my day around an A332 flight before when I could have gone non-stop from BNE on a 738 at a more convenient time. My tip is to only look for flights on the A330 when going to/from PER. Even in Y on XFA/B you'll find it more comfortable than a 737.

 

[DGW]

I've only been in Y once on the 332 (back when they were doing the shuttle between MEL and SYD) but this is a no brainer to me, I would go with the 332 all the way. The IFE is miles ahead of that on the 738, and while the seating/legroom isn't all that much different from the 738, I imagine the extra space and sense of "openness" in the cabin would make a flight of that duration a lot more bearable.

 

[pwae]

The IFE is miles ahead of that on the 738

It's only miles ahead if you manage to get VH-XFC, XFD or XFE. If you end up with XFA or XFB, then it's a much older plane and the IFE is pretty poor.

I believe XFA and XFB are supposed to be upgraded sometime this year however. (Out of 6 flight SYD/PER .. i have managed to get XFA or XFB 3 of those times..)

 

[777]

It's only miles ahead if you manage to get VH-XFC, XFD or XFE. If you end up with XFA or XFB, then it's a much older plane and the IFE is pretty poor.

Still miles ahead. You forget how low the bar is on the 737s these days.

 

[Paddy55]

No matter which airline the bigger the plane, the better is my rule of thumb!

 

[mannej]

It's only miles ahead if you manage to get VH-XFC, XFD or XFE. If you end up with XFA or XFB, then it's a much older plane and the IFE is pretty poor.

I believe XFA and XFB are supposed to be upgraded sometime this year however. (Out of 6 flight SYD/PER .. i have managed to get XFA or XFB 3 of those times..)

I think you are forgetting the newer 737's have minimal to no IFE, so A and B are still miles ahead, even if it is loop based IFE

 

[Jurahn]

Absolutely the A332, no question. I've done both, and would definitely take a less convenient flight time if it meant being on the 332 rather than the 737. Having the IFE helps to pass the time, especially on the return journey from SYD, which is longer of course - and as someone else mentioned, if the plane isn't full, you have much more chance of getting an empty seat next to you on the bigger plane. My last flight from SYD-PER was a bit of a nightmare - I'd come down with food poisoning the day before, ended up having to miss my flight that day and rebook to the following day. I was on the road to recovery, but still felt absolutely vile - thank goodness I was on the 332 and able to take my mind off things with the IFE, and also managed to score an aisle seat in a middle row with two empty seats next to me (and close to the toilet LOL), so managed (just) to make it through the flight. It gives me the horrors to think what it would have been like crammed into a 737 for that 5-hour+ trip!!

 

[docjames]

Agree with the consensus, if the time difference isnt a deal breaker, the A332 every time.

 

[pwae]

I think you are forgetting the newer 737's have minimal to no IFE, so A and B are still miles ahead, even if it is loop based IFE

Valid point. I did forget that. Most of my flights have been in J, so always pretty much get given the tablet on XFA/XFB anyway. So my mind on it is a bit rusty