Amenity Kit Review: Virgin Australia Premium Economy (November 2011)

I’m partnering up with Brad again over at Upgrd.com for this installment of Amenity Kit Reviews. Last year he flew with Virgin Australia on a vacation to Australia and New Zealand, and I previously reviewed the Business Class amenity kit he received here. Up for review today is the carrier’s “Comfort Pack†provided to him on his Premium Economy trip from Melbourne to Auckland, about a three-hour flight.

I normally apply a 7-point scale to my amenity kit reviews, but given it is designed to compare different categories most unique to Business and First class, the result here would be undeservingly brutal.

a close-up of a travel kitFirst, I think it’s incredibly generous of Virgin Australia to even offer more than a blanket for such a short flight in Premium Economy, as I’ve received less substantial amenities flying United Airlines in First Class from Hong Kong to Singapore. As such, while this kit can’t compare to what you’d receive in “true†premium cabins, I’m impressed off the bat.

The exterior of the VA-branded sturdy foil bag includes a brief description of each item, along with country of manufacture information. Also appearing are washing instructions for the blanket, socks and eye mask, something I wouldn’t normally consider for single-use amenity kit items, but I suppose it’s nice to have. As with most pieces it seems these days, all the contents are made in China. No Australian-made pride here.

Inside are found a thin 100% polyester blanket, blended poly/cotton socks, a standard airline eyeshade, earplugs, a mini medium-bristled toothbrush and a tiny tube of security-sealed Colegate toothpaste. All nice things to have for such a short flight, but I actually doubt I’d use any of them with the exception of the blanket.

Virgin Australia impresses here and I’d definitely take it along with me for my next long-haul flight in standard economy that didn’t provide amenities. It’s a nice gesture and could even act as a booking incentive for passengers to consider VA for future long-haul travels knowing what they received on such a short hop.

I believe Virgin Atlantic (among other airlines) also provides its Premium Economy customers with amenities, so I’ll have to get my hands on their version for a future comparison.

Would you have been pleased receiving this amenity kit?

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