New… Or Old? Virgin Australia Refurbished 737 MEL-CNS

Thank you for watching! In today's video we take a look at my experience flying on one of Virgin Australia’s very recently refurbished Boeing 737-800s in Economy Class from Melbourne to Cairns. I was a bit surprised by the cabin on this flight, and I also share my reasons for not flying VA much anymore. Flight info: Flight no: VA1293 Class: Economy Class Airline: Virgin Australia Plane: Boeing 737-8FE Seat: 26F Plane registration: VH-REX Route: Melbourne (MEL) to Cairns (CNS) Flight time: 2 Hours and 57 Minutes Date Filmed: April 2026 Price and booking info for this flight: Total Routing: MEL-CNS Total Price (before extras/bundles): AUD 318 / USD 227 (all prices are approximate) Total Price (after extras/bundles): The fare paid includes (before extras/bundles): Economy Class ‘Choice’ ticket including checked baggage, carry-on baggage and standard seat selection Extras/Bundles: Booked through: Virgin Australia Booking made (originally): January 2026 Important links/notes: Time Stamps: 0:00 Intro 0:17 Check-in & Security 0:35 Airside 1:07 Aircraft info 1:41 Boarding 2:46 Seat features 3:42 Buy on board menu 4:25 PA, Pushback & Engine start 5:48 Taxi & Takeoff 7:59 Climb 9:35 Inflight service 9:51 Lavatory review 10:05 Streaming entertainment & Inflight 11:00 Conclusion, Descent & Approach 14:02 Landing & Taxi to the gate 16:05 Disembarking & Outro ©Hugo Lee If you wish to use this content please contact me first :) All credit for all content used in the making of this video goes to their rightful and respectful owners. I try my best to provide the most accurate information I can, but please note I cannot 100% guarantee I got everything correct. Ticket inclusions could have changed from when I booked it, and all inclusions may not be listed on this description page. The content shown in this video may not be shown in order of when it was filmed, and may sometimes be from a different day. Videos may also be sped up without it saying so on screen. This video is based on my personal experience and thoughts and could differ for you. I did not inform the airline that I would be filming prior to the flight (unless stated otherwise), and the airline didn't have any say in what made it into this video. #tripreport #virginaustralia #b737800 #boeing #boeing737 #aviation #flightreview #economyclass