Bronwyn Sell flies Virgin Australia flight VA1116 going from Proserpine to Brisbane, Australia

The plane: 737-700. There may have been a problem with the air-con because the cabin was very warm but, hey, this was Queensland and plenty of passengers were wearing thongs (not that kind).

Price: AU$219. Steep, but I booked my seat only a few hours before take-off after my intended domestic flight had been delayed so long it was pretty much a cancellation. If I’d waited, I would have missed all international flights to New Zealand that day. And I had travel insurance, so it didn’t hurt so much.

Flight time: One hour 15 minutes — quicker than the scheduled 1.5 hours. My bus commute in Auckland is routinely longer.

My seat: 17E, in the middle (beggars can’t be choosers) but the aisle seat was empty, so I shuffled over once we were underway.

Fellow passengers: Seemed like mostly locals. Alisha and Darnley in row 12 had just got married. The captain gave them a shoutout and everyone cheered.

How full: Only one or two spare seats, so I was grateful to have nabbed a last-minute spot — and to have an empty seat beside me.

Entertainment: None but it was such a short flight that it was survivable without a screen.

The service: I’ve flown Virgin several times and always found the service laid-back and friendly.

This time was no different.

Food and drink: A cuppa. The ticket had promised a snack but it didn’t materialise.

Toilets: If you can’t hold on for 75 minutes, there are things doctors can do. The airport experience: Proserpine Airport had friendly staff but it was tiny and under reconstruction, so there wasn’t much ambience or food or drink options. Local legend has it that wallabies have to be regularly cleared off the runway. It’s not the kind of place you want a long delay in (which I had, but that wasn’t Virgin’s fault). There was also a random glitch with my Virgin online booking (it really wasn’t my day), which the airport staff kindly investigated for me. It didn’t turn out to be a problem. Luggage: 23kg, included in the fare. Would I fly this again? Sure. Did the trick. The bottom line: Got me where I needed to go after another airline let me down, so I was happy.