Virgin Australia vs easyJet

Overview

Virgin Australia was founded on 29 August 2000 as Virgin Blue and adopted its current name in 2011, according to Wikipedia. Co-founded by Richard Branson and Brett Godfrey, it combines features of low-cost and full-service airlines and is Australia's largest domestic carrier by passenger share (December 2024). Its headquarters are in South Bank, Queensland. The company relisted on the ASX in June 2025, with Bain Capital holding about 40% and Qatar Airways about 23%. The airline is not a member of a global alliance.

Network and hubs

The main hubs are Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney, with Adelaide and Perth as secondary hubs. Wikipedia reports 33 Australian destinations as of June 2025. International services are limited and short-haul, and include routes to Denpasar (Bali), New Zealand and Fiji. Australian foreign-ownership rules mean international flights run through a separate corporate structure.

Fleet

The half-year results (27 February 2026) state that the fleet was 107 aircraft at 31 December 2025, plus 11 domestic wet-lease lines. Six Boeing 737-8 (MAX) aircraft were delivered in the half, taking that type to 14, with 12 more expected over the following year. Wikipedia lists Boeing 737-700, 737-800 and 737 MAX 8 aircraft in mainline service, with 737 MAX 10 orders. Virgin Australia Regional Airlines is replacing Fokker 100s with Embraer E190-E2s and Airbus A320s with Boeing 737s.

On board

• Cabins: Business (8 seats) and Economy on Boeing 737s, per Wikipedia's fleet table.
• Entertainment: movies, TV shows, podcasts and books can be streamed on personal devices.
• Wi-Fi: fitted to 80% of Boeing 737s at December 2025, with 90% expected by the end of the 2026 calendar year. Wikipedia says access is charged except for Velocity Platinum members and Business Class passengers.

Good to know

• Loyalty programme: Velocity Frequent Flyer.
• Lounges: Virgin Australia Lounges operate at airports including Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Gold Coast, Darwin, Perth and Wellington. Access is included for Business Class and Velocity Gold and Platinum members; paid membership and single-use passes are also sold.
• Pets: since October 2025 small dogs and cats may travel in the cabin on selected routes, with Adelaide added from June 2026.
• Baggage allowances, fees and on-time figures were not confirmed from a source for this profile; check the airline website before booking.

Overview

easyJet is a British low-cost airline and package holiday group. According to Wikipedia, it was founded in 1995 by Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou and is headquartered at Luton Airport. The parent company, easyJet plc, is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a FTSE 250 constituent. It operates flights through affiliates easyJet UK, easyJet Europe and easyJet Switzerland, and sells package holidays through easyJet Holidays. It is not a member of any of the three major airline alliances.

Network and hubs

The easyJet corporate site reports 1,273 routes to 165 airports in 37 countries as at 31 March 2026. Operating bases listed by Wikipedia include London Gatwick (the largest), London Luton, London Southend, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Bristol, Birmingham, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Berlin Brandenburg, Geneva, Lisbon, Milan Malpensa, Nice, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Paris Orly and Rome Fiumicino. The network is mainly short-haul Europe, with services to North Africa.

Fleet

The airline reported 356 aircraft as at 31 March 2026 (source):

• Airbus A319: 79 (156 seats)
• Airbus A320ceo: 180 (180 or 186 seats)
• Airbus A320neo: 75 (186 seats)
• Airbus A321neo: 22 (235 seats)

The average aircraft has 182 seats.

On board

easyJet operates a single-class, low-cost model. This profile does not yet include verified details of seat pitch, meals, entertainment or Wi-Fi. Check the easyJet website for current information.

Good to know

• The frequent-flyer scheme is called easyJet Plus, according to Wikipedia.
• Baggage allowances, change fees and lounge access vary by fare and route. Confirm them on easyjet.com before booking.
• The Wikipedia article gives a figure of 321 aircraft in one section and 356 in its infobox, so the airline's own March 2026 figure is used here.