I checked in online the day before our trip and accepted the allocated seats as everything else was further back. I was pleasantly surprised to be allowed to check-in for the return flight at the same time, well over 24 hours in advance.
Monday November 24, 2008
Virgin Blue DJ1721
Perth (PER/YPPH) - Karratha (KTA/YPKA)
Scheduled: 05:45/07:45 (2h00)
Actual: 05:48/07:45
Aircraft: Embraer E190 VH-ZPH "Hastings Highness"
Seats: 8D/F
Our early wake-up wasn't quite early enough, and we left home slightly late. We parked in the long term car park ($17 per day), went the long way trying to get out (it's surrounded by fencing), considered getting the bus, but then ended up walking to the terminal. Within seconds of entering the terminal we were being paged, going through security we were paged for a second time, but we made it. Waking up 55 minutes before our flight was due to depart was a great effort, but in hindsight a bit more time would have been a good idea.
At the gate the Virgin Blue person didn't seem too fussed by our lateness, and even commented that we should take our time getting on to the plane. At the time I thought perhaps he was being sarcastic, but in hindsight I'm sure he was being genuine. We had to walk across the tarmac to board; the two aerobridges were being used by Virgin Blue's flights to Sydney and Melbourne. Once on-board we asked the person in 8F to move, and took our seats. It was about 15 minutes before we pushed back, the delay due to refueling.
Take-off was on runway 21, then we turned right, climbed through the clouds, and headed north.
Sunrise north of Perth
Settling in I found the Embraer 190 comfortable, with plenty of legroom (probably more than on Virgin's 737s). It's nice flying on an aircraft that's only a couple of months old.
There was just one food and drinks service on this flight, with the usual Virgin Blue selection minus the hot food that's available on longer flights. I had a blueberry muffin and an orange juice.
As we approached Karratha we flew past the town, made a series of turns, flew past the town again and then landed on runway 08. On the ground it looked pretty busy, with a Qantas 737-800, Skywest F-100, and another Virgin Blue Embraer 190. Leaving via the front steps, we walked across the tarmac and then into the small but modern Karratha terminal. With no checked-in luggage, we were quick to pick up our hire car and drive off for a day of sightseeing.
We started with a trip out to Millstream (a really nice area to visit, and the highlight of the day) before driving back to the coast via the Roebourne-Wittenoom Road. We drove through Roebourne, stopped in Cossack (a ghost town that was once a major port), then went through Point Sampson (nice fishing town that seemed to be full of retirees) and Wickham (not so appealing) and back to Karratha. We only spent about half an hour in Karratha, and that was at the shopping centre.
Chinderwarriner Pool at Millstream
Lizard
Fortescue River
More photos of our trip
Monday November 24, 2008
Virgin Blue DJ1728
Karratha (KTA/YPKA) - Perth (PER/YPPH)
Scheduled: 17:35/19:30
Actual: 17:50/19:35
Aircraft: Embraer E190 VH-ZPI "Allie Albury"
Seats: 7A/C
We arrived back at the airport at around 16:45 and dropped off the car without any hassles (though later we were charged $95 for excess kilometres, even though the booking had unlimited kilometres - this was eventually refunded). Outside security there is just a single coffee shop so we went straight through the gate area.
It was pretty busy in the departures area, with a Qantas 737-800 due to leave not long before us. The screens were showing a 20 minute delay on our flight. When the Qantas flight boarded there were only four people left, I was hoping for an extremely light load but eventually lots more people drifted through (they must have been at the coffee shop).
Our aircraft, VH-ZPI
We boarded a little late via the front stairs, and this time we were the first to board rather than the last. The Virgin crew were all smiles. The load ended up being quite light, probably about 40%.
Blurry cabin shot
Outside the second Virgin E190 was still there, I wonder how long it sat there.
The other E190, VH-ZPA
The whole flight was uneventful, there was a single food and beverage service with the same offerings as the morning flight. On the menu it said that the seats were extra wide so you can eat lots. I hadn't noticed this earlier, but it's true - the seats are slightly wider than normal. I still didn't eat lots though - I just had a Crown Lager served in the new metal bottles.
River about 15 minutes south of Karratha
Further south
Back in Perth some notable aircraft were an Ozjet 737-200, Australian Air Express 727, and Tiger Airways A320. We disembarked via the aerobridge (lucky, because it had started to rain), walked straight out of the terminal, and arrived home before 8pm. Not a bad effort!
So overall an enjoyable day out, I liked the Embraer aircraft, especially the spacious 2-2 configuration. For $9 these flights were an absolute bargain.
Did you happen to go out to Dampier and the Burrup Peninsular? (mainly for Hearson Cove to check out the rocks...yes there are some special rocks there and a nice beach!)
( Note.. Extreme bias toward my employer )
) but I find the seats themselves to be much more comfortable, and with the seats a bit wider it certainly gives you more room to move.