George Washington's Phone Number
Departure Airport: Brisbane Airport (BNE/YBBN) 
Arrival Airport: Hobart Airport (HBA/YMHB)
Flight Time: 2:25
Aircraft: Boeing 737 MAX 8
Airline: Virgin Australia
Server: Expert
I showed up at Brisbane Airport’s Domestic Terminal 1 about 60 minutes before my scheduled departure. It was cutting it very close (the airline was very clear about wanting me to arrive 2 hours before my flight), but my Uber got stuck in horrible traffic, so I had no choice in the matter. Luckily, clearing security was quick, and I made it to my gate right before boarding commenced. We had a remote stand today, so we were walked about 80 feet from the doorway to the aircraft.
Boarding was a super speedy process, and by the time the doors closed, the flight was only about half full. I had a great engine view on the left side, with a whole row to myself. Shortly before we pushed back, the captain gave us a welcome aboard announcement.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard Virgin Australia flight 702 with service to Hobart. We’re just about ready to get underway—just finishing up a few final checks here at the gate. Flight time today is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. We’re expecting a smooth ride for most of the way, though we might encounter a few bumps on the climb out and again during descent into Hobart. Weather in Hobart is quite a bit cooler than here—sitting around 5 degrees Celsius with clear skies, but there are some gusty northerly winds to be aware of. Please sit back, relax, and enjoy the flight. Thanks for choosing Virgin Australia and welcome aboard.”
After a short taxi to 01R, and a few minute hold while a fellow Virgin Australia MAX departed for Vanuatu, we were off to Hobart, blasting out and hooking a sharp u-turn to the South.
About 20 minutes into the flight, we reached our cruising altitude of 36,000 feet. It was a bit bumpy, so the seatbelt sign stayed on. The flight attendants were allowed to get up and begin their service, which took only a couple minutes to reach me. The crew was extremely friendly, and I got some apple juice and some corn chips, which I payed $5.50 AUD (or $3.46 USD) for.
An hour and a half into the flight, we got our last look at Mainland Australia, near Cape Conran, Victoria, before heading out across the Bass Strait. Around this point, I decided to check out the onboard entertainment offerings. Using the Virgin Australia app, I was able to very easily access the pretty good selection of movies, TV shows, and podcasts. I was a bit disappointed by the lack of a functional flight tracker, but it wasn’t a huge deal.
We banked over Flinders Island, the Northernmost part of Tasmania, about 45 minutes later. It was at this point that we descended to 32,000 feet, and the captain came on again with a pre-arrival speech.
“From the flight deck this is your captain speaking. We’re beginning our very initial descent into Hobart Airport, We’re currently about 120 nautical miles out and starting to step down gradually toward our final approach. Weather in Hobart remains cool and clear, around 5 degrees Celsius, with some gusty northerly winds, which may give us a bit of a bumpy ride on the way in. We’re expecting to be on the ground in about 25 to 30 minutes. We’ll have the cabin crew come through shortly to prepare the cabin for landing. As always, we’d like to thank you for flying with us today—it’s been our pleasure having you on board Virgin Australia.”
The approach was very scenic, passing over the rolling hills and countryside of rural central Tasmania.
As expected, things were quite bumpy as we made our final approach for Runway 30, right over Lime Bay State Reserve and Tiger Head Bay.
A few harrowing seconds of very skilled crabbing later, and we were solidly on the ground in Australia’s smallest and southernmost capital city.
Hobart Airport is very small, and doesn’t have any jet bridges, which allowed me to get a nice shot of the engine as we deplaned.
